counter hit xanga
open weekend | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘open weekend’

Coming soon: Open Studios Weekend – “21 Years” Courtyard Studios Group Exhibition

Not long to go now.  Just over two weeks until our annual Open Studios Weekend at the Courtyard Studios.  It’s amazing how fast it has come around again and I’m already starting to try and work out exactly what work I’m going to display …… and work out how many days I’ll need to get the studio tidy, cleaned and ready for the event.  In the past it’s taken me anything from a leisurely 5 days down to a mad rush of 2 days!  I expect with all the work I have on right now that it’ll be the latter again this year!

WASP Courtyard Studios, Irvine

Courtyard Studios, Irvine

This, I think, will be the 13th year of the Open Weekend and I’ve taken part in all but the first one.  I actually moved into my studio a couple of weeks before the event in 2003 and had the very different problem of finding enough work to fill the walls!  Now, the studio is pretty full and I’ll have the problem of where to hide all the stuff not hanging.  Oh well, it’s always a good excuse to have a clear out once a year.

This year, for almost the first time I think, everyone is taking part and so it’ll be a great chance for visitors to see inside all the studios and to see the great variety of work that is done here at the Courtyard.  There are 17 artists working here producing paintings, drawings, prints, photography, installations, ceramics, music, hand bookbinding and jewellery and although visitors are welcome to the studios all year round, this annual Open Studios Weekend is the best opportunity to catch us all open at the same time.  So then, do make a date in your diary and come down and see us:

Courtyard Studios Open Weekend
Saturday 3rd / Sunday 4th October 2015
Open: Sat 11am – 5pm, Sun 12 noon – 5pm
All welcome, entry free
Courtyard Studios, 128 Harbour St, Irvine, KA12 8PZ

WASP Open Studio Invitation

Open Studio Invitation

Also:

“21 Years”

A group exhibition by artists working at the Courtyard Studios celebrating 21 years of creative practise at the studios on Irvine’s historic harbour side.

Harbour Arts Centre
114 -116 Harbour St, Irvine, KA12 8PZ
Friday 2nd October – Friday 23rd October

Yes, that’s right, the Courtyard Studios have actually been in existence for 21 years and some of the artists have been here almost from the start.  To celebrate, we are holding a group exhibition at the neighbouring Harbour Arts Centre to coincide with the Open studios Weekend.  The exhibition will preview on the evening of Friday 2nd October 2015 and will run for three weeks.  During the Open Weekend several of the Courtyard artists will be running workshops or talks at the HAC.   So then, it should be a great weekend with lots to see and do and with plenty of great places close by to get food and refreshments, make Irvine Harbour side your place to visit on the weekend of Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October 2015.

WASP 21 years Irvine exhibition

Courtyard Studios 21 year group exhibition poster

-o-o-o-o-

A very rushed blog!

Courtyard Studios, Irvine

Courtyard Studios, Irvine

No lengthy paragraphs describing beautiful Scottish scenery this week. We haven’t been anywhere near a hill or glen since our trip to Tyndrum the other week I’m afraid. It’s been a very hectic time both getting everything ready for the Open Weekend at Courtyard Studios this Saturday and Sunday and starting the preparations for my exhibition and drawing project at the Harbour Arts Centre starting on Nov 28th. This is still two months away but much of the organising and promotion has to be done in the next few weeks. This will involve much hammering away on this computer keyboard ….something that I’m not too proficient at. With all this on the go, another potential project has just appeared which, although not finalised yet, has been taking much of my thoughts. Suffice to say that it is very exciting and may well involve creating another large drawing or painting. Anyway, more about that as and when I know whether it’s happening or not.

I’ve almost got my studio ready for the Open Weekend now. I spent most of yesterday finishing the tidying. All the paintings are now in place so today’s jobs include labelling everything, and then painting the last bit of the floor ….remembering to make sure I have my bag and coat by the door and not at the far end of the studio on the wrong side of the wet paint!

Anyway, it should be a very good Open Weekend as Stephanie has been doing a great job at co-ordinating everything this year ….so a big thanks to her for all her hard work. So then, I hope some of you can get along to the Courtyard studios this weekend and as a final reminder:

Open Studios Invitation 2014

Open Studios Invitation 2014

12 Open Doors ….

Courtyard Studios Open Weekend Saturday 5th / Sunday 6th October

With just over one week to go until our annual Open Studios Weekend, artists at the Courtyard Studios are starting to get into the swing of it. Brian Craig created the posters and invitations and these arrived back from the printers last week and have been either displayed or sent out to customers. Nita and I put together a press release and sent this along with photos of several of the artists, to all the local press and radio stations. The real job of getting the studios ready for the weekend starts next week and if everything goes as usual ….most of us will be madly cleaning, tidying and hanging pictures etc until late on the evening of Friday 4th Oct! I usually reckon it takes me two days to get my studio sorted out but I like to leave it until the latest possible moment so that I can continue painting for as long as possible.

Anyway, this year 12 artists will be opening their studio doors and I thought I’d use this week’s blog to let you know who they are and what they do.

Studio A: Chick McGeehan, painting.

Chick McGeehan

Chick McGeehan

Studio B: Sheila Kerr, jewellery.

Sheila Kerr jewellery

Sheila Kerr jewellery

Studio D: Margaret Carslaw, painting.

Margaret Carslaw, Painting

Margaret Carslaw, Painting

Studio E: Nita Groves, ceramics

Nita Groves - Ceramics

Nita Groves – Ceramics

Studio G: David Reid, painting

David Reid, Studio G, Portrait painting class

David Reid, Studio G, Portrait painting class

 

Studio H/I: Tom McEwan, hand book-binding.
Michelle Muir, painting
Ethan Foy, painting.

Tom McEwan, Hand book-binding

Tom McEwan, Hand book-binding

Studio J: Keith Salmon, painting.

Keith Salmon

Keith Salmon

Studio K: Stewart Souter, painting, stained glass.

Stewart Souter, Stained Glass & Painting

Stewart Souter, Stained Glass & Painting

Studio L: Brian Craig, painting, photography and graphics.

Studio M: Alison Thomas, painting. Alison will also be running some drop-in craft workshops for children aged between 5 and 14 years, throughout the weekend.

Alison Thomas

Alison Thomas

The Courtyard Studios are situated on Harbour St, next door to the Ship Inn and close to the Harbour Arts Centre and bar, the Magnum Sports Centre and Small Talk, a very popular and traditional café /tea room.

The studios will be open: Saturday 5th October, 11am – 5pm and Sunday 6th October, 12 noon – 5pm. Entry free.

I hope you can make it along.

Courtyard Studios, Irvine

Courtyard Studios, Irvine

A quick tour of the studio….

Studio, Open Weekend, Courtyard Studios, Irvine

Keith Salmon Art Studio, Open Weekend, Courtyard Studios, Irvine

Well then, it’s another short picture blog again this week.  Suffice to say that apart from being down at my studio all week, little else has happened.  I’ve spent the last four days getting everything ready for the Open Weekend tomorrow and Sunday.  We got back home about 19.30, so not bad really.  Other years I’ve been working away until 22.00 on the Friday before the event …and then still had plenty to do in the few hours before we open at 11.00.  This year everything is ready …although I’m worn to a frazzle!   So then, below are a few photos I took just before I left this evening.  They’ll at least give you an idea of how the studio is looking …and if you live in the area, may spur you into visiting over the weekend.  Incidentally, the weather is supposed to be reasonable tomorrow so it should make for a good day.  I hope you can make it along.

Keith Salmon Art Studio, Open Weekend, Courtyard Studios, Irvine

Keith Salmon Art Studio, Open Weekend, Courtyard Studios, Irvine

Keith Salmon Art Studio, Open Weekend, Courtyard Studios, Irvine

Keith Salmon Art Studio, Open Weekend, Courtyard Studios, Irvine

Keith Salmon Art Studio, Open Weekend, Courtyard Studios, Irvine

Keith Salmon Art Studio, Open Weekend, Courtyard Studios, Irvine

Keith Salmon Art Studio, Open Weekend, Courtyard Studios, Irvine

Keith Salmon Art Studio, Open Weekend, Courtyard Studios, Irvine

-0-0-0-0-