Media Coverage

In order to understand the remarkable growth of South East Open Studios (SEOS), you will have to cast your mind back to June 1997 when 60 artists living in and around Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells got together and, with the help of two Arts Development Officers, opened their studios to the public for two weeks during June of that year. Since then, the annual event has grown steadily in scale and stature year by year with the result that SEOS – now in its ninth year – is even bigger than ever. From 10 – 26 June over 290 artists in Kent and East Sussex will be throwing open their studio doors to invite members of the public to come inside and view their work.

In this age of instant communication, nearly everyone has become used to the virtual world of the internet, but in the world of art there will never be a substitute for the magic of encountering the real thing. So it is worth networking; more and more artists recognise the value of working together to make their studios and their work more accessible to the public – hence the growing collaborative movement by artists to organise open studios events.

For anyone interested in owning a unique piece of art, this is an ideal opportunity to see the art at its point of creation and to talk to the artists and makers about he ways in which they work. For anyone thinking about having something specially designed, this is an ideal opportunity to find out how to go about it. But sales and commissions are not the sole purposes of the open studio movement; there is never any pressure to buy. Many people visit the studios simply for the experience of seeing the art on show and talking informally to the artists who create it. Newcomers are sometimes inspired to start making art themselves and artists may be prompted to try new techniques. But whatever the reason for visiting, browsing around a number of artists studios makes for an inspiring and worthwhile day out.

The SEOS full-colour guide is now available free from libraries galleries and tourist offices. To receive a copy by post, send an A5 SAE (58p stamp) to Lee O'connor, South East Open Studios, 14 Knaves Acre, Headcorn, Kent TN27 9TJ. The guide and much more information is also available at www.southeastopenstudios.org.uk

Picture: "Dragonfly" by stained glass artist Stoney Parsons