https://redmudarts.co.uk Red Mud Arts Thu, 23 Oct 2025 22:45:24 +0000 https://redmudarts.co.uk en https://redmudarts.co.uk/Index-1 Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:21:41 +0000 Red Mud Arts https://redmudarts.co.uk/Index-1 Lorem Ipsum‚ 725 https://redmudarts.co.uk/Critique-Groups Fri, 05 May 2023 14:47:01 +0000 Red Mud Arts https://redmudarts.co.uk/Critique-Groups Critique Groups 7-9pm every second Tuesday of the month in North Tawton. A monthly group for visual artists with established practices to share ideas, encouragement and current work. This will be focused on really getting into each others practices in order to offer considered, informed and kind critique. If you’re an artist who wants to try out new ideas on a friendly audience, or someone who really wants to move their work on by having a good long look at it with others, then this is for you! Tea/coffee/snacks provided, or BYO alcohol. If you’d like to come along, email ruth.helen.smith@outlook.com. https://redmudarts.co.uk/Open-Mic-Nights-1 Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:21:42 +0000 Red Mud Arts https://redmudarts.co.uk/Open-Mic-Nights-1 Open Mic Nights NEW LOCATION-&nbsp; The White Hart, Fore Street, North Tawton 7.30pm every second Wednesday of the month. Sign-ups from 7pm. The Open Mic Nights at The White Hart, North Tawton are a friendly environment for performing all kinds of material. All genres/instruments welcome! Come and play or sit back and enjoy the fantastic talent these events attract. Sign-ups from 7pm, music from 7.30. If you’d like to get involved, please email redmudarts@gmail.com. https://redmudarts.co.uk/Life-Drawing Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:21:44 +0000 Red Mud Arts https://redmudarts.co.uk/Life-Drawing Life Drawing 7-9pm every last Tuesday of the month at North Tawton Community Centre. A great way for visual artists to gather and draw. We meet every last Tuesay of the month for life drawing, 7-9pm at the Community Centre on Barton Street, North Tawton, just sharing the cost of model and room hire (currently at £30 for 5 sessions). If you’d like to be involved, email ruth.helen.smith@outlook.com. https://redmudarts.co.uk/Creative-Kin Thu, 23 Oct 2025 22:45:24 +0000 Red Mud Arts https://redmudarts.co.uk/Creative-Kin Creative Kin Drawing with others monthly on a Monday morning. Hosted by artist Emmeline Webb Email Emmeline if you’d like to come at&nbsp;hello@emmelinewebb.com Local artist and designer Emmeline Webb&nbsp;is now offering a&nbsp;free monthly drawing session. Start your week the right way and enjoy some still life drawing&nbsp;and a cuppa in a relaxed, creative atmosphere. https://redmudarts.co.uk/Artist-Gatherings Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:21:41 +0000 Red Mud Arts https://redmudarts.co.uk/Artist-Gatherings Artist Gatherings A great way to meet fellow creatives from every discipline. SAVE THE DATE- Next gathering Saturday 6th September 2025, Taw Valley Brewery, North Tawton YOU ARE INVITED to our next Art Gathering on Saturday 6th September at Taw Valley Brewery, where we’ll be getting together to have fun and celebrate what Red Mud Arts has been up to this year! From 3pm, local paint makers from Art Scribe will be leading a communal drawing activity involving mud, sticks and an infamous massive piece of fabric that keeps coming in handy. At 4.30 we’ll hear a mini low-down on what’s occurring with RMA, and from 5-6 there will be live music featuring some of our Open Mic Night regulars. It would be wonderful to see you! Please do come and join in with the creative buzz! Sometimes working as an artist can be isolating and often it’s a job with no colleages, so this is a chance to meet up with people in the same boat, to share the highs and lows and reflect on how the month has gone. It would be amazing to see you there! Our quarterly artist gatherings are another great way to meet other creatives from all disciplines. They have been a catalyst for several new artistic endeavours, collaborations and friendships. If you’d like to come to future Artist Gatherings, please email us at redmudarts@gmail.com. https://redmudarts.co.uk/The-Art-Pod Thu, 05 Jun 2025 21:26:01 +0000 Red Mud Arts https://redmudarts.co.uk/The-Art-Pod The Art Pod In association with Ruth Smith Gallery and Red Mud Arts, The Art Pod presents interviews led by artist Ruth Helen Smith with a diverse range of artists who have exhibitions or are artists in residence at the gallery in North Tawton.Supported by Durant Trust and generously produced by Clear Water Studios.&nbsp; The Art Pod with Ruth Helen Smith, in association with Red Mud Arts and the Ruth Smith Gallery. Generously produced by Clearwater Studios and supported by the Durant Trust. We have been recording interviews and talks with artists and we are so excited to share them with you! They will be available here, and on the Red Mud Arts website, as well as on our Youtube Channel and other audio streaming sites. Watch this space!! If you have an idea for an interesting conversation you would like to share, get in touch with me at ruth@ruthsmithgallery.co.uk to discuss more. Hear the episodes on our Youtube Channel or on SoundCloud via the icons below 1. Sam Godfrey 2. Anthony Richard Martin 3.&nbsp;Bethenie Carriaga4. Matthew Jones5. Damon Kowarsky <img width="4500" height="4500" width_o="4500" height_o="4500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8b5d91a8857c26e47ff628834cc60920b39a2196d021ec9e716398ace5accb63/The-art-pod-Sam-Godfrey.png" data-mid="234251297" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8b5d91a8857c26e47ff628834cc60920b39a2196d021ec9e716398ace5accb63/The-art-pod-Sam-Godfrey.png" /> <img width="4500" height="4500" width_o="4500" height_o="4500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ee399cefbd2eaa7b5dc4d37865f26c922e168efc5ad93b6c7f6858699413f4f5/The-art-pod-Anthony-Richard-Martin.png" data-mid="234561533" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ee399cefbd2eaa7b5dc4d37865f26c922e168efc5ad93b6c7f6858699413f4f5/The-art-pod-Anthony-Richard-Martin.png" /> <img width="4500" height="4500" width_o="4500" height_o="4500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ace57151d84579e50e611184b8cab797b5fd5c8e34cf1fc344700666008b2992/The-art-pod-Bethenie-Carriaga.png" data-mid="234251293" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ace57151d84579e50e611184b8cab797b5fd5c8e34cf1fc344700666008b2992/The-art-pod-Bethenie-Carriaga.png" /> <img width="4500" height="4500" width_o="4500" height_o="4500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/072d1238ef5fa27850f10801c2ceebbcea6c2effb89f9fc6985fa552c20d03cb/The-art-pod-Matthew-Jones.png" data-mid="234251296" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/072d1238ef5fa27850f10801c2ceebbcea6c2effb89f9fc6985fa552c20d03cb/The-art-pod-Matthew-Jones.png" /> <img width="4500" height="4500" width_o="4500" height_o="4500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/99267e4d323e9e440decc1f61e54bd4e1972f8b92eb82fb4278c163cf545be18/The-art-pod-Damon-Kowarsky.png" data-mid="234251294" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/99267e4d323e9e440decc1f61e54bd4e1972f8b92eb82fb4278c163cf545be18/The-art-pod-Damon-Kowarsky.png" /> <img width="4500" height="4500" width_o="4500" height_o="4500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dba6b2d35ebe471f59d1cd2e3b744ce74a81eceb54ac8a929be80208d1e38547/The-art-pod-Ineke-Van-der-Wal.png" data-mid="234251295" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/dba6b2d35ebe471f59d1cd2e3b744ce74a81eceb54ac8a929be80208d1e38547/The-art-pod-Ineke-Van-der-Wal.png" /> https://redmudarts.co.uk/Smocked-Building-Project Thu, 23 Oct 2025 22:37:29 +0000 Red Mud Arts https://redmudarts.co.uk/Smocked-Building-Project Smocked Building Project Installation: 16th January - 15th February 2026 Workshops: 2pm-4pm Sunday 11th January &amp; 2pm-4pm Saturday 17th January.North Tawton Community Centre, EX20 2HN £15 per session. Smocking Workshops- BOOK HERE A smocked art installation covering Ruth Smith Gallery, a film piece with local archival images, and smocking workshops.Installation and workshops by New York based artist Annie Coggan. Film in collaboration with Exeter/Berlin artist Sam Godfrey. We're very excited to be pioneering the first Smocked Building Project by New York based artist, Annie Coggan, who will be covering the facade of Ruth Smith Gallery with an enormous site-specific textile installation using smocked hessian. Smocking involves pinching together fabric in patterns to create a dense almost padded textile. Its roots lie in farming work wear as it was highly durable, but it began to be used in finer clothes due to its connotations to the ‘rural idyll’. Annie's practice incorporates interiors and architecture to explore our relationship to space through materials. By working with this very sculptural and traditional technique she connects people to place and heritage through haptic experience. The installation at Ruth Smith Gallery will use the honeycomb technique associated with the rural English smocked frock, whilst the hessian it will be made from nods to its traditional use covering buildings to regulate the drying times of lime render. Through this installation, which acts as a type of inside/outside upholstery, she pushes a traditional building material and sewing technique to an extreme to play with ideas of decoration and functionality. Along with smocking a North Tawton building, Annie is teaching a series of smocking workshops&nbsp; has collaborated with Berlin/Exeter artist Sam Godfrey to research images depicting the history of smocking and its contemporary uses. These will be shown during the talk at the workshops and in future collaborations in connection with the project (stay tuned!). On Sunday 11th January Annie will teach the honeycomb stitch that Ishe is working with to Smock the Building and on Saturday 17th January, Annie will teach the bird beak stitch. Smocking Workshops- BOOK HERE <img width="4021" height="3821" width_o="4021" height_o="3821" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bebf18cd0b4320df62becb3883abdbbc53b903b60e31f412c9858fff0647c5a6/Image-Credit-Ruth-Smith-Gallery-1768932937285.jpg" data-mid="243700736" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bebf18cd0b4320df62becb3883abdbbc53b903b60e31f412c9858fff0647c5a6/Image-Credit-Ruth-Smith-Gallery-1768932937285.jpg" /><img width="1439" height="1079" width_o="1439" height_o="1079" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e39fca09d4386ffa0a59740e3a2142cd484e1cc1cb4a26c936ac011385b087a0/Image-credit--Oren-Ford--Spirit-Sounds-Studios-1768516173223.jpg" data-mid="243700788" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e39fca09d4386ffa0a59740e3a2142cd484e1cc1cb4a26c936ac011385b087a0/Image-credit--Oren-Ford--Spirit-Sounds-Studios-1768516173223.jpg" /><img width="2048" height="1536" width_o="2048" height_o="1536" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/558080d356ab8b2f9bcb9c5f832f10ecc4ae27be3ff9e7acecde91d8249d156b/Image-Credit--Oren-Ford--Spirit-Sounds-Studios--Smocking-Setup--24.jpg" data-mid="243700787" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/558080d356ab8b2f9bcb9c5f832f10ecc4ae27be3ff9e7acecde91d8249d156b/Image-Credit--Oren-Ford--Spirit-Sounds-Studios--Smocking-Setup--24.jpg" /><img width="2048" height="1536" width_o="2048" height_o="1536" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/856b25651ac39d60dbe8af025d0513bb9373dad9f6628bb280d860270f225656/Image-Credit--Oren-Ford--Spirit-Sounds-Studios--Smocking-Setup--02-1.jpg" data-mid="243700786" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/856b25651ac39d60dbe8af025d0513bb9373dad9f6628bb280d860270f225656/Image-Credit--Oren-Ford--Spirit-Sounds-Studios--Smocking-Setup--02-1.jpg" /><img width="3264" height="2448" width_o="3264" height_o="2448" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3369ae64c5ca63edbff4a6297b2b720c9ab580c0bff24fd8a9337e127bd4fe43/1768842651729.jpg" data-mid="243700789" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3369ae64c5ca63edbff4a6297b2b720c9ab580c0bff24fd8a9337e127bd4fe43/1768842651729.jpg" /><img width="1440" height="1691" width_o="1440" height_o="1691" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fdb3e7923c6ee5216c06592b90d24079ab08ff1e32ba13e9cc4b82683cd8e5fe/1000075909.jpg" data-mid="243700790" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fdb3e7923c6ee5216c06592b90d24079ab08ff1e32ba13e9cc4b82683cd8e5fe/1000075909.jpg" /><img width="1440" height="1691" width_o="1440" height_o="1691" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9f3a879056a0c54e735e5b479e9d73b2f842ee28dfb92c671f12368a2f343e08/1000075908.jpg" data-mid="243700791" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9f3a879056a0c54e735e5b479e9d73b2f842ee28dfb92c671f12368a2f343e08/1000075908.jpg" /><img width="1440" height="1691" width_o="1440" height_o="1691" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/296d9477e7f159165faa62d787b06e22a4929e06ac36b11968016dd1a47dc250/1000075615.jpg" data-mid="243700792" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/296d9477e7f159165faa62d787b06e22a4929e06ac36b11968016dd1a47dc250/1000075615.jpg" /> <img width="3552" height="3552" width_o="3552" height_o="3552" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/157569a079f3c836ea0680069ec03d459710f8945013f175c232844c57a8b18c/L1033183.JPG" data-mid="241931071" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/157569a079f3c836ea0680069ec03d459710f8945013f175c232844c57a8b18c/L1033183.JPG" /> Honeycomb Stitch- Annie Coggan<img width="2850" height="3493" width_o="2850" height_o="3493" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1ebc755742a025883efd429f24f9073f8091aac32acf71b79560c3d1cbeaf313/L1033322.JPG" data-mid="241931073" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1ebc755742a025883efd429f24f9073f8091aac32acf71b79560c3d1cbeaf313/L1033322.JPG" /> Bird Beak Stitch - Annie Coggan <img width="1920" height="2120" width_o="1920" height_o="2120" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bf35e4d33bb4d28b6ae965c1fb9103ce1a1df151960e2f9524f3d619015c4497/thumbnail_L1033141.jpg" data-mid="239831723" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bf35e4d33bb4d28b6ae965c1fb9103ce1a1df151960e2f9524f3d619015c4497/thumbnail_L1033141.jpg" />Smocked Hessian - Annie Coggan <img width="3060" height="4080" width_o="3060" height_o="4080" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9463eca7417a6c6f8246512d9560879e5b95f7647ec95de5037b0955bcf6d1c7/20250411_145031.jpg" data-mid="239831724" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9463eca7417a6c6f8246512d9560879e5b95f7647ec95de5037b0955bcf6d1c7/20250411_145031.jpg" /><img width="2048" height="1536" width_o="2048" height_o="1536" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/856b25651ac39d60dbe8af025d0513bb9373dad9f6628bb280d860270f225656/Image-Credit--Oren-Ford--Spirit-Sounds-Studios--Smocking-Setup--02-1.jpg" data-mid="243700786" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/856b25651ac39d60dbe8af025d0513bb9373dad9f6628bb280d860270f225656/Image-Credit--Oren-Ford--Spirit-Sounds-Studios--Smocking-Setup--02-1.jpg" /> Corn Harvesting at Rill, Buckfastleigh, c. 1911, Devon Rural Archives. <img width="1214" height="1619" width_o="1214" height_o="1619" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3a2ece28dbda5a1878ba1f271f877b2772eb168bde142ced0720d63eb2dc333a/Annie-Screenprint.png" data-mid="239870350" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3a2ece28dbda5a1878ba1f271f877b2772eb168bde142ced0720d63eb2dc333a/Annie-Screenprint.png" /> Annie Coggan, Silkscreen Edition LITTLE SMOCKED BUILDINGS, Edition 35, Printed by Kingsland Editions <img width="2551" height="3171" width_o="2551" height_o="3171" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/589a5523aa1a4313e7dc2a4d7ea61cf03e4669964ecac24072be8668902d751e/Smocked-Building-Project-NEW.png" data-mid="241935668" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/589a5523aa1a4313e7dc2a4d7ea61cf03e4669964ecac24072be8668902d751e/Smocked-Building-Project-NEW.png" /> https://redmudarts.co.uk/Spoken-Word-Evenings Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:21:42 +0000 Red Mud Arts https://redmudarts.co.uk/Spoken-Word-Evenings Lend Me Your Ears Spoken Word and Poetry Evenings 7pm 17th July 2025, The Bookery, Crediton. Tickets available at: www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/crediton/the-bookery/lend-me-your-ears/2025-07-17/19:00/t-eaogxqd. If you’d like to share some original writing, email Arran R. Hawkins at lend.me.your.ears.2023@gmail.com. Next Lend Me Your Ears - 7pm 17th July 2025, The Bookery, Crediton. Drawing on the incredible talent locally, and bringing in writers from further afield, the Spoken Word Evenings are perfect for writers to get together and share their work to an attentive and friendly audience. Tickets available at:&nbsp;www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/crediton/the-bookery/lend-me-your-ears/2025-07-17/19:00/t-eaogxqd. Open mic spots available, so if you have new original writing you would like to share, get in touch with Arran R Hawkins at lend.me.your.ears.2023@gmail.com to sign up. https://redmudarts.co.uk/The-Art-Box Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:21:43 +0000 Red Mud Arts https://redmudarts.co.uk/The-Art-Box The Art Box A monthly column opening up conversations around the arts, in association with Ruth Smith Gallery and Red Mud Arts A new art column in the Roundabout, the parish magazine for North Tawton, Honeychurch, Bondleigh and Sampford Courtenay, designed to open up the conversation around the arts. Contributions welcome! If you would like to contribute, please email ruth@ruthsmithgallery.co.uk. September 2025- Art Gathering Saturday 6th September, Taw Valley Brewery YOU ARE INVITED to our next Art Gathering on Saturday 6th September at Taw Valley Brewery, where we’ll be getting together to have fun and celebrate what Red Mud Arts has been up to this year! From 3pm, local paint makers from Art Scribe will be leading a communal drawing activity involving mud, sticks and an infamous massive piece of fabric that keeps coming in handy. At 4.30 we’ll hear a mini low-down on what’s occurring with RMA, and from 5-6 there will be live music featuring some of our Open Mic Night regulars. It would be wonderful to see you! Please do come and join in with the creative buzz! Ruth :) August 2025- Celebrating Community and Showcasing Musical Talent at North Tawton’s Tawland Music Festival On 21st June, we had the great pleasure of hosting the&nbsp;Red Mud Arts Open Mic Stage&nbsp;at&nbsp;North Tawton’s second Tawland Music Festival&nbsp;– and what a day it was! Glorious weather, brilliant music, delicious food, family activities, a bustling craft market, and a strong sense of community all combined to make it a truly memorable event. With 13 acts&nbsp;performing across&nbsp;two open lorry stages&nbsp;(a huge thank you to&nbsp;Gregory Distribution&nbsp;for making that possible!), the festival was a celebration of local talent and togetherness. A massive thank you to Tawland Events CIC&nbsp;for inviting us to showcase some of the performers from our regular&nbsp;Open Mic Nights&nbsp;at&nbsp;The White Hart, North Tawton&nbsp;– held every&nbsp;second Wednesday of the month, hosted by&nbsp;Wez Cutler&nbsp;and&nbsp;Oren Ford. For some of our acts, this was a fantastic opportunity to perform on a much bigger stage in front of a larger audience. From folk and bluegrass to indie, pop, and rock, the Red Mud Arts Open Mic Stage&nbsp;and main stage offered something for everyone. A huge thank you to our Red Mud Arts acts: Andrew Hill-Shaw, Muzz Murray, Amanda Arscott, Wez Cutler, Tim and Stuart of Hooked, Rob Husband, Charlotte &amp; Andy, and Pete Matthews, for their fantastic performances, which kept the music flowing between main stage sets from the likes of&nbsp;Bicycle Repair Man,&nbsp;Alysha Vine,&nbsp;The Dockneys,&nbsp;Amy and the Fireblockers, and headline act&nbsp;The Wreckords. A special mention goes to Oren Ford&nbsp;of&nbsp;Spirit Sounds Studios, part of the&nbsp;Red Mud Arts team, for bringing his expert sound engineering skills to both stages throughout the day. We’re incredibly lucky to have such vibrant, inclusive events happening right here on our doorstep – and they wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of so many behind the scenes. Huge thanks to Christina Agar Tina Bird and Tawland Events CIC, our&nbsp;Red Mud Arts team,&nbsp;The Rugby Club&nbsp;(for hosting us),&nbsp;Gregory Distribution, and all the brilliant&nbsp;local businesses&nbsp;who continue to support this and many other fantastic events in our town. Save the date – 20th June 2026Riding high on the success of this year’s event, Tawland Events CIC&nbsp;has already announced next year’s festival – which is set to be even bigger and better. We can’t wait to be part of it again, and we hope to see you there too! - &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Cathy Page July 2025- Finding My Voice: From Therapy Room to Local Pages Before my husband and I retired and moved to beautiful North Tawton, I spent many years as a psychotherapist and counsellor. It was a career that profoundly shaped how I see the world, and indeed, how I write. I vividly remember my tutor once telling me that clients will keep telling their story until they truly feel it has been heard. I think, in a way, that's precisely why I write – to give voice to observations and experiences, and hopefully, to be heard. People, and perhaps even more so, the intricate relationships between them, have always fascinated me. In my professional life, I was given the incredible privilege of stepping into other people's lives, often at their most vulnerable moments – when they were feeling depressed, anxious, or facing overwhelming emotional challenges. Being with someone as they wrestled with a problem often meant that my most important role was simply to listen and observe. This is where I truly learned the value of noticing the smallest things; the tiny, often overlooked details in people's everyday lives. It's often this very detail, the seemingly mundane rhythm of daily existence, that I find myself drawn to writing about. There's something deeply connecting about sharing our own vulnerabilities, especially when we're with someone who is feeling vulnerable themselves. I believe it's a powerful way we can feel truly connected to one another. So, many of the pieces I write explore things that have genuinely affected me over the years. I'm a passionate advocate for the strength and resourcefulness of women, particularly older women. As many of you know, I'm an active member of our local WI. It's no secret that both older women and organisations like the WI are sometimes unfairly seen as boring or outdated. I have a real ambition to overturn that idea! Being the age I am, with the wealth of life experience I've accumulated, offers me an endless supply of material from which to draw. There are so many stories to tell, so much wisdom to share. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a "writer" in the grand sense, although I suppose anyone who puts words on paper technically is! While I harbour a secret dream of one day writing a novel, I'm content for now with my current path. The pieces I typically create are usually brief and observational. I write about relationships, the world I see around me, my internal thoughts, and the multifaceted experience of being a woman. Sometimes, I draw from my professional life, given that I've worked with thousands of people over the years – each with their own unique and fascinating story worthy of being told. Having the opportunity to read my words aloud, and then to have others truly listen to what I've written, is possibly one of the most scary, nerve-wracking, yet incredibly exciting things I've ever done. I'm so grateful to Red Mud Arts for allowing me to do this at their open mic nights held right here in town. And I'm thrilled that I've been invited to share some of my work at an event being held at The Bookery in Crediton on July 17th. I hope to see some friendly faces there! Jan Gray, June 2025 (Jan Gray will be headlining Lend Me Your Ears Spoken Word and Poetry evening at The Bookery in Crediton on July 17th 7pm. Tickets available in advance at: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/crediton/the-bookery/lend-me-your-ears/2025-07-17/19:00/t-eaogxqd. Open mic spots are available, so if you have new original writing you would like to share, get in touch with Arran R Hawkins at lend.me.your.ears.2023@gmail.com to sign up.) June 2025- Regular readers of this part of “Roundabout” will have seen how recently it has drawn attention to local opportunities to take part in &nbsp;Lino Printing, Open mic festival, Acting and Movement workshop, visiting artist demonstrations and exhibitions, all designed to encourage interest and participation in local events by bringing them closer to your doorstep. &nbsp;Now comes another musical event to Sampford Courtenay where, in 2018 and 2019 a programme of choral and orchestral music was given, the proceeds from which were given to local charities. There was to have been a third programme in the Spring of 2020 but it was cut short by the Covid ourbreak. &nbsp;Musicians, choral and orchestral, amateur and professional, were particularly hard hit.&nbsp;&nbsp;While artists, mask makers and lino printers were able to work on in isolation, musicians were forbidden to meet.&nbsp;&nbsp;The aftermath of Covid has made it difficult to restore activities like the 2018 and 2019 Sampford Courtenay concerts. (For a time choral singing in church was forbidden;&nbsp;&nbsp;it takes time to recover from an enforced lay-off like that!) But we are rolling back the effects of Covid after presenting two successful choral concerts in 2024. &nbsp;The orchestra will be back (see page X).&nbsp;&nbsp;There will be a broad selection of music from 16th&nbsp;century to the present day and we hope for as good an audience as we had in 2018 and 2019 so that we can offer support to two deserving local charities from the efforts of local musicians.&nbsp;&nbsp;So do bring your cushions along to St. Andrew’s Church in Sampford Courtenay.&nbsp;&nbsp;We look forward to seeing you there! Richard Edwards. May 2025- I couldn’t decide which to write about for this month’s Art Box, there’s so much that’s on or has happened this month, so hold on to your seats as I’m going to try and mention everything! We’ve recently said goodbye to our Australian artist in residence, Damon Kowarsky, who has been drawing in and around North Tawton in order to turn them into his exquisite etchings and aquatints. He’s hoping to have a show of the finished works next year, so do keep an eye out for that! My uncle, Neil Musson, is working on an art installation at Exeter Cathedral, based on their collection of medieval wax votive offerings (the only remaining in the UK!). His art duo, Musson + Retallick, have been running workshops inviting people to mould something they’re grateful for out of wax blanks they’ve cast from 100kg of Devon beeswax! (I found it a surprisingly mediative process, and by the sounds of it it’s been pretty profound for a lot of people). The finished installation ‘From The Vow Made’, will include suspending these 1000 objects moulded by 1000 people in the cathedral nave, opening on the 31st May for a few days. Do check it out! A day trip to St Ives meant a compulsory visit to the Tate gallery, where there’s an exhibition of Ithell Colquhoun’s work. She was interested in mysticism, the subconscious and surrealism, and the works were a really interesting balance of allowing the painting materials to lead the picture-making process, whilst also demonstrating a huge amount of care and attention to detail. A trip to Anima Mundi (a wonderful contemporary gallery with beautiful exhibitions in the middle of St Ives) was almost a sad moment as the sign on the door read ‘closed for installing new exhibition’, but at the perfect moment Jamie, who works there, walked past and said we could have a sneaky peek mid-install. The show, called Murmurations, is based on how in a murmuration each starling only considers the placement of around seven of its nearest neighbours, not the entire flock. Quite a timely idea to consider I think- both as a warning but also a hopeful and important message of our own individual empowerment. The Red Mud Arts Critique Group has been developing an exhibition, ‘Dreams of Togetherness’, for 25 April – 7 May at Manor Street Galleries in Plymouth. The title conjures positive feelings of closeness and love, but also painful feelings of distance and a deep longing for something that has broken down or never was. What is clear from the artists’ interpretation though, is that we are wired to desire connection and harmony. This has been expressed through the lens of mental health, sustainability, politics, and more personal connections. We hope you can make it! The opening event is 25th April, and there’ll be a themed open mic event on 2nd May. On the 10th May, 10-5 at Crediton Arts Centre Shivdev has organised a clowning workshop with international clown and yogi, Annie Lockerbie Newton. Annie writes: ‘In this unsettled and confusing world, there has never been a better time to embrace the absurd art of clowning! In this workshop, we explore how to embrace failure and chaos, re-learn how to play, and experience a different way of looking at the world - through the eyes of a ridiculous, innocent clown! We so often take things far too seriously, but clowning reminds us of the lightness and absurdity in life.’ It sounds like it’s going to be a great laugh! Finally, it’s a good time to say I’m having an exhibition in the gallery at the beginning of June so do come up to North Tawton’s Square at some point to see it! More details to follow. Have a wonderful May! Ruth Smith April 2025- This month’s Art Box is from Julie and Marie who are launching a series of art retreats at Julie’s off-grid cabin, Silent Haven, in East Chilla. ‘Connecting to Wild Nature through Art’ is a weekend retreat for women following the cycles of nature with therapeutic art. Wilderness guides you to reconnect to your roots and rediscover your natural self and this is an opportunity to escape into sanity of peace, beauty and sanctuary, feeling healed by nature. The workshops are for women who want to discover their inner nature by releasing old patterns and blocks that no longer serve. It offers time to look at life through an elevated perspective by using art and nature as teachers helping to discover what are your needs, what beliefs form your life, and how you find faith in yourself. Workshops include therapeutic painting, learning technical skills, guided visualisations, forage walk and sustainability, nature inspired art, craft, woodwork, discussion and a fire ceremony to close the weekend. Get in touch if you’d like to know more! The facilitators: Julie: BA Graphic Design FdA Integrative Counselling, has been making art for over 50 years. Combining a variety of materials, techniques and styles, building an off grid retreat to steward the woodland and to heal. Marie: Learned therapeutic arts through ‘Tobias’, Allowing the images and forms to flow through to release emotional pain and struggle. Now helps others to find their own capacity to heal themselves through art. For details of the next retreat visit: artinnature-devon.eventbrite.com, and to book on for June, contact: 07935269279 or 07939998549. <img width="450" height="338" width_o="450" height_o="338" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bba4150efbe271eaafe915242d42eca9d48b73279a7a2ff8f70ac789a0070987/Picture1.jpg" data-mid="228813388" border="0" data-scale="52" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/450/i/bba4150efbe271eaafe915242d42eca9d48b73279a7a2ff8f70ac789a0070987/Picture1.jpg" /> March 2025- Coming up at Ruth Smith Gallery - Ineke Van der Wal We are really looking forward to having Ineke Van der Wal (b. 1954, NL) exhibit at Ruth Smith Gallery this March. The paintings in the new body of work 'The Return ' are neither completely abstract nor figurative; they are suggestive of both. Whilst the strong intense layered colours, depths of surfaces of dark and light spaces, move you to go deeper and deeper into the painting, they also propose to step back, and to be enticed to pause and contemplate. They could be suggestive of landscapes and they could be suggestive of portraits. At times fragmented and disjointed, the visuality of the work reflect or suggests the process of coming to terms with the past and the memories of a past which has been lost, yearned for and found again but with a different kind of body. 'The Return' paintings bring with them an air of wistfulness and melancholy as much as a sense of abrupt confrontation. Ineke’s exhibition, ‘The Return’ will be up 1st-22nd March, with an opening 6-8pm on Saturday 1st March and an artist’s talk at 1pm on Saturday 22nd March. We hope you can come! <img width="3264" height="2448" width_o="3264" height_o="2448" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1d58b96b810ec8cbdf22baaa35bc8dcb00bb8463dbc82fa121d28815d68f7de9/1741085044319.jpg" data-mid="228394551" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1d58b96b810ec8cbdf22baaa35bc8dcb00bb8463dbc82fa121d28815d68f7de9/1741085044319.jpg" /> February 2025- Artist Matthew Jones at Ruth Smith Gallery – written by Ruth 2025 has been kicked off here by Texas-based artist, Matthew Jones, who has been staying at Ruth Smith Gallery for an art residency, with his wife, Ashley. Matthew has been making works in response to hikes around Dartmoor and trips to the coast. It’s pretty staggering how much work he has produced even in the one week since arriving, easily 10 paintings and 8 sketches already, only one and a half weeks in. That’s pretty impressive given the labour-intensive technique he employs- Matthew works in encaustic, which involves painting in molten beeswax mixed with pigment, which cools quickly on application. He’s also been incorporating moss which adds to the already extremely textured surface of the paintings. Matthew has been working on top of card he has made out of old mount board and moss that he has soaked, turned into a pulp and then pressed to make a beautiful grey-brown and very textured paper. The charcoal and chalk drawings show it off at its best. An exhibition is planned for Matthew’s last couple of days here, with a late opening on the last night to celebrate his time on the residency, and today he gave a workshop on his methods to 6 or 7 of us North Tawtonians. Due to needing to travel light, Matthew ordered his equipment directly to the gallery and intends to leave much of it here. We hope to make it available through the Library of Things, so that others can try their hand at this really interesting technique! <img width="1440" height="1440" width_o="1440" height_o="1440" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1e64296205f44d05d5e363bac4aedbd36dc29268b8ad968816ec2cd8b63de91c/1736528080091.jpg" data-mid="228394554" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1e64296205f44d05d5e363bac4aedbd36dc29268b8ad968816ec2cd8b63de91c/1736528080091.jpg" /> December/January 2024- An Art Day In London ~ written by Philippa Sims Back in June this year, I read about a Van Gogh exhibition entitled ‘Poets and Lovers’ at the National Gallery in London opening in September.&nbsp; It looked really interesting, so I got it in the diary and booked train tickets. What to do with a day in London? I decided on an ‘art day’, taking in the National Gallery, the Van Gogh exhibition and then the National Portrait Gallery. The National Gallery was first, it was quite busy but I enjoyed wandering from room to room, pausing in front of paintings that caught my attention.&nbsp; On my wanderings I discovered some paintings that weren’t hanging on my last visit such as Stubbs’ ‘Whistlejacket’ and a darker, more dramatic ‘Waterlilies’ by Monet. Next was ‘Poets and Lovers’, the main reason for my visit.&nbsp; I had booked an audio tour so that I could look and listen instead of trying to read information – it worked well!&nbsp; The collection includes many oil paintings, some instantly recognizable others not so well known, and some pen, pencil and graphite drawings. The painting below; ‘Mountains At St Remy’ which is normally housed in the Guggenheim in New York, was an unmistakable example of Van Gogh’s signature paint marks and abstracted forms in beautiful blue tones with the very pale sky behind increasing the impact of the landscape. One of my favourites. I also liked ‘The Rock of Montmajour with Pine Trees’, a black ink drawing that reminded me a little of Dartmoor.&nbsp; An interesting landscape created with a range of pen and pencil marks. I enjoyed this exhibition so much so that when my audio had finished, I went back to the first room and walked through again. My final planned visit was to the National Portrait Gallery.&nbsp; Here, amongst all the ‘treasures’, I found a Portrait Artist of the Year commission of Jane Goodall.&nbsp; Having watched the television series, it was exciting to see the painting up close. There’s a considerable amount of human history on display there – a lot to take in. Energy levels were running a bit low but as the gallery was less busy, there were plenty of seats! My day ended with a walk back to the tube station and home. All in all a fabulous day that has given me lots of ideas for a return visit next year. <img width="800" height="645" width_o="800" height_o="645" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ca70dbbfb06ce0a9569040780b31bbcff084616b184292bc424cf705c07d5896/vangoghmuseum-d0344V1962-800.jpg" data-mid="228394568" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/800/i/ca70dbbfb06ce0a9569040780b31bbcff084616b184292bc424cf705c07d5896/vangoghmuseum-d0344V1962-800.jpg" /> November 2024- On the afternoon of Saturday 28th September, in North Tawton Town Hall, Bronwen Stephens-Harding of Rogue Opera led an innovative&nbsp;Acting Sound &amp; Movement workshop which encouraged everyone to ‘embrace new things’! &nbsp; Hosted by Red Mud Arts in association with ANTS (Actors of North Tawton Society),&nbsp;it proved to be a fun session, where participants were able to try out new approaches to movement and sound, and gain invaluable insights and confidence which can be applied in developing future creative endeavours, including acting, singing, dance, word and poetry readings, character-development, choreography, and other performance arts. The challenges that Bronwen suggested for the group included: walking tall while staying grounded, using the Alexander technique; moving and speaking in eight different ways, based on the Rudolf von Laban’s Movement Method; communicating with each other suing non-verbal sounds; imitating the posture and movements of one or two famous people; moving like the Toreador in Bizet’s opera ‘Carmen’; moving like Madame Butterfly in Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly. As a grand finale to the afternoon, the challenge was to sing two operatic refrains: the Toreador Song from Carmen and then the Humming Chorus from Madame Butterfly! Rudolf von Laban’s innovative theory of movement formed the inspiration for some of the activities. Laban was a pioneer of modern dance, expressionist dance and theatrical movement. Coincidentally, Laban is also part of our Devon heritage, having taught at the exceptional centre for creative activity, Dartington Hall, from 1938 to 1942. His eight different movement styles – “Wring, Press, Flick, Dab, Glide, Float, Punch &amp; Slash” - inspired everyone to be creative in their interpretations and expression through movements and through voice! Huge thanks to Bronwen Stephens-Harding and Rogue Opera, the Durant Trust, and North Tawton Town Hall Committee, for making this possible! -&nbsp; &nbsp; Written by Susi Kirkwood, co-founder of Red Mud Arts <img width="906" height="693" width_o="906" height_o="693" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8c650c8af56b73489d9163eadb349f1d20c1a41d2512a639a4b94b5119782526/IMG_20240930_135348.jpg" data-mid="228394701" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/906/i/8c650c8af56b73489d9163eadb349f1d20c1a41d2512a639a4b94b5119782526/IMG_20240930_135348.jpg" /> October 2024- It’s been such a delight to show the work of 12-year-old Lola Grehan in the gallery window this month. She has a passion for making masks out of cardboard and other recycled materials and is especially keen to share her enjoyment of making them by showing how she does it. As such, the window display features a series of masks at varying stages to show her step-by-step process. Furthermore, on Saturday 7th September, Lola ran a workshop for a group of friends where the gallery was filled with the smell of hot glue guns, and the busy chatter of eight mask-makers. A special thanks to Lola’s mum, Starla, for organising the day and for bringing all the materials. I hope you’ve had a chance to admire Lola’s masks in the window. Maybe it’s time for a masked ball in North Tawton? -&nbsp; &nbsp; Written by Ruth of Ruth Smith Gallery and Red Mud Arts <img width="1080" height="720" width_o="1080" height_o="720" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9634154da3cfb9b3cdad10218a9d948c18caec78e61f84f420a6f520c214a8c8/456055831_2278323229178857_6467840941557708372_n.jpg" data-mid="228394707" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9634154da3cfb9b3cdad10218a9d948c18caec78e61f84f420a6f520c214a8c8/456055831_2278323229178857_6467840941557708372_n.jpg" /> September 2024- Red Mud Arts and ANTS (the Actors of North Tawton Society) are delighted to be collaborating with the innovative Rogue Opera company to offer a free Acting, Sound and Movement Workshop, on Saturday 28th September from 2pm to 6pm, at North Tawton Town Hall. &nbsp; We are thrilled to have top professional Devon-based Bronwen Stephens-Harding from Rogue Opera to lead and inspire this exciting workshop for young people &amp; adults living in North Tawton. This is an amazing opportunity for all ages (11 years upwards) to explore sound, movement and improvisation in a creative way. A dash of Opera’s most famous characters and music will provide extra inspiration, including the Humming Chorus from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. Refreshments will be provided, so book your place and come ready to have fun and unleash your creative side! There will be space for up to 20 people, with a minimum of 8 people. Bookings can be made through Eventbrite via www.redmudarts.co.uk before 14th September. Any queries, please email&nbsp;redmudarts@gmail.com - &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Susi Kirkwood co-founder Red Mud Arts August 2024- Celebrating Community and Showcasing Talent at North Tawton’s First Tawland Music Festival! On 13th July, we had the pleasure of hosting an open mic stage at North Tawton’s first-ever Tawland Music Festival. The day was a huge success, blessed with sunny weather, nonstop music, delicious food, fun family activities, and a great sense of community. The event featured 11 acts across 2 open lorry stages, thanks to Gregory Distribution's generosity. We want to say a big thank you to Tawland Events CIC for inviting us to showcase talents from our regular open mic sessions, held every second Wednesday of the month, hosted by Cathy Page and Wez Cutler, with expert sound engineering by Oren Ford of Spirit Sounds Studios. For some of our performers, the Tawland Music Festival was a fantastic chance for them to shine on a much larger stage. Special shoutouts to Cathy Page, Wez Cutler, Kate Dixon, Muzz Murray, FiddleFit, Andrew Cutler, Noah Smith, and DJ Sharkie for their wonderful performances on the Red Mud Arts open mic stage, which ran in between main stage Southwest acts like Mariners Away, Alysha Vine, Sundog Slide, The Strange and the Beautiful, The Wreckords, and headliners, Diving for Pearls. The event showcased a range of musical styles, from sea shanties and folk to bluegrass, indie, pop, and rock. We’re lucky to have such fantastic events in our town, made possible by dedicated organisers and volunteers. Special thanks to Tawland Events CIC, our Red Mud Arts team, North Tawton Events, Gregory Distribution for the stages, and all the other local businesses for their kind contributions. Here’s to many more unforgettable festivals in North Tawton! - Written by Cathy Page, co-founder Red Mud Arts <img width="5184" height="3888" width_o="5184" height_o="3888" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/937c437697205e56fa8965cfe88cfa0f0a8b53470ff48018a58fda063b134173/Fiddle-Fit-026.jpg" data-mid="228394722" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/937c437697205e56fa8965cfe88cfa0f0a8b53470ff48018a58fda063b134173/Fiddle-Fit-026.jpg" /> July 2024- As mentioned in last month’s Art Box, Red Mud Arts is arranging a fantastic opportunity for 11 to 16-year-olds in North Tawton to attend a free Lino Printing Workshop. They will be taught by well-known local artist Emmeline Webb. This fun creative session will run from 10am to 3pm on Friday 26th July 2024 - the first Friday of the summer holidays. Emmeline will inspire participants to create one or more prints to take home. Places will be limited. To register for a place on this workshop for your young person, please email redmudarts@gmail.com. <img width="1999" height="1332" width_o="1999" height_o="1332" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/43f353d7c76183e91ea1cc9494ecd945e79d685197116ae59dd1661a05c3b653/DSC_3135-adj.jpg" data-mid="228394728" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/43f353d7c76183e91ea1cc9494ecd945e79d685197116ae59dd1661a05c3b653/DSC_3135-adj.jpg" /> June 2024- Red Mud Arts has arranged a fantastic opportunity for 11-16 year olds living in North Tawton to attend a Lino Printing Workshop alongside well-known local artist Emmeline Webb. This fun creative session will run from 10am to 3pm on Friday 26th July 2024 - the first Friday of the summer holidays. Emmeline will inspire participants to create one or more prints to take home. Places will be limited. To register for a place on this workshop for your young person, please email redmudarts@gmail.com. Many thanks to everyone who came to our first Meet the Maker event with animator and illustrator John Lumgair. The workshop was interesting and a good laugh, and the evening talk where John introduced the kickstarter for his new animated sitcom, ‘Jazz Cow’, was brilliant and prompted very interesting discussions. If you missed the talk, look out for a recording of it that will be uploaded soon, and join the mailing list to be kept up to date with future exciting events. As always, our monthly artist gatherings happen 4-6pm on the last Sunday of each month at The Copper Key, North Tawton. Artist Critique Group happens 7-9 on the first Tuesday of each month (email ruthhelensmith@outlook.com or phone 07910590954 for more info), Open Mic Night happens at The Copper Key 7.30 on the second Wednesday of the month, Life Drawing happens 7-9pm at the Community Centre on the last Tuesday of the month. Stay tuned for more events and workshops! <img width="1999" height="1332" width_o="1999" height_o="1332" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/817932db18fbc34c096f65fc1fa9bdb648f8d8d31c1c25d6adff22994095f2cc/DSC_3166-adj.jpg" data-mid="228394730" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/817932db18fbc34c096f65fc1fa9bdb648f8d8d31c1c25d6adff22994095f2cc/DSC_3166-adj.jpg" /> April 2024- This month’s Art Box is written by Jan Gray, a creative piece based on Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self Portrait as St Catherine of Alexandria in The National Gallery. This piece won Jan the WI Lady Denman Cup. The broken wheel Each day I look out at the faces who stand before my image. I listen to those who know of me and my work; those who on their trip here, stopped by the gift shop and bought their guide. I hear time and time again the story of my life- of how in a world where some women were often seen as simply objects or worse, not seen at all, I&nbsp; accomplished so much. The gallery viewers who stop before me discuss my portrait in hushed tones. There are those who see a warrior, proud and defiant, whilst others talk of martyrdom and sainthood.&nbsp; Those who are curious take time to read the passage printed below the frame. My life, fixed in a short paragraph between two dates; a momentary interest sparked before passing on. My story is one that has been told may times and by many women who, like me were used to gratify another’s lust. Although I fought back, although I survived, if you look carefully into my eyes, you will see it all&nbsp; reflected there. Many will never see, knowing nothing of me. They pass by my image on their way to other rooms in the gallery to marvel at famous images by artists more famous than me. My face is not one to entice some people and my modest pose and robe holds no titillation for those seeking suchlike. Despite this, some people do stop as they are drawn in by my gaze and, as I look on them, I hope they see the story I show to them in my pose. How many of them see that like the wheel I hold, I was broken; made not whole, unable to function as I should. My body was raped, destroyed in a moment where power was concealed in passion and I was left powerless, unable to recapture&nbsp; my innocence even though I fought back with words, then paper, oil and brush. I did survive as survival is instinctual, but as a survivor I was only half alive, anger and vengeance replacing the joy and hope of my youth. I am not hard on those who do not see this; I have worked hard to&nbsp;mask my pain and fear and to fight instead. I created a shell within which my pain lies black, and dark and waiting.You might ask for what does it wait? To be seen and understood; it waits to be heard by those of you&nbsp;out there who too have this pain but a voice much louder than mine and can speak for me. You will see. Those of you who, like me survive abuse, will see. And from where I am captured in my portrait, our eyes will meet&nbsp;in a silent greeting of recognition. For that I wait, for someone to understand that despite all I achieved, despite all I created. I did this with part of me broken.&nbsp; <img width="770" height="800" width_o="770" height_o="800" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/61ca874f620b72ccb501cad7f6c1b3527f6a529f9ae6385da5601c0cd93ec7c5/N-6671-00-000075-wpu.jpg" data-mid="228394751" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/770/i/61ca874f620b72ccb501cad7f6c1b3527f6a529f9ae6385da5601c0cd93ec7c5/N-6671-00-000075-wpu.jpg" /> March 2024- It won’t be too long now before we slowly creep out of hibernation and prepare to embrace springtime. It will be away with the bedsocks and box sets that have sustained us through this cold and wet winter, and out with the garden trowel and seed packets, ready to welcome the green shoots of a warmer season. At first glance, some might think North Tawton a sleepy little place with not a great deal going on, but tucked away in isolated spots are pockets bursting with creativity. The silversmith, tap, tap, taps away hammering metal, transforming it into earrings, bangles, rings and necklaces. Sculptors, with blocks of stone or wood, wield chisels – chipping away with precision, or they twist and bend metal to formulate their vision. The potter throws lumps of wet clay onto the wheel and with sleight of hand gently moulds it into bowls, cups and vases. Textile artists create inspiring patterns while the painter, brush in hand, boldly applies colour to excite, to disturb, to please, to intrigue. Writers juxtapose sentences on pages to create meaning, while poets dance, twist and somersault with words to create scenes. Actors find quiet corners to rehearse their lines while guitarists strum away in bedrooms and singers practise songs to provide a musical melody in choirs and bands. Photographers capture that precious moment for posterity while video editors splice and cut their film into meaningful stories. All this creativity mostly takes place behind closed doors – in townhouses and garden studios in and around the area. Artists, performers, and craftspeople perfecting their trade in isolation – some earning a living by it, some semi-professional, and some for the sheer joy of it. There are many opportunities this year to see this creativity showcased: in addition to individual events staged by artists and performers, the NT Events Group are planning an exhibition at the Community Centre 24th-26th April; on 12th July we look forward to a music festival brought to us by the new local organisation Tawlands; Ruth Smith Gallery looks forward to hosting two photography exhibitions, by Tim Bradshaw and Arran Hawkins; and Red Mud Arts has a whole host of different events and groups to get involved with including open mic nights, life drawing, artist meet-ups and critique groups. So here’s to a creative, prosperous and fruitful springtime where, with the help of these catalysts for creativity, people can exchange ideas, gain feedback and become even more inspired to hone their craft. - RMA supporter, Anne Wilby February 2024 - Gallery Musings – a jaunt to Penzance and Newlyn’sStorm Warning This winter I went to an exhibition split between Penzance’s The Exchange and Newlyn Art Gallery. It was an exhibition on, of course, climate change… and amongst other things, it got me thinking about the role of art and science. Being an artist and husband being a climate scientist it was quite a good exhibition for us to go round together. It was interesting that husband’s favourite piece was a bit debatable on the ‘art front’, though absolutely not on the ‘science front’. It was a well-researched and well-communicated documentary on what coastal communities are doing about the climate crisis where they are. I too thought it was fantastic, and I gave it the most time of all the works in the show (partly due to its long format) but I wasn’t really sure what it was doing in a gallery. It was certainly artistic, and in some ways I believe anything is art if someone says it is (that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ‘good’) but this piece was very ‘educational’. Is the place of art to educate? I think its job is to ‘bring to light’, but should art ‘tell’ or ‘make think’? My favourite piece was much more open to interpretation. An army locker type arrangement with camo-clad mastic-guns stacked like rifles on a stainless-steel rack. In-between them, laid out on a table, was a detailed map of a small section of coast with a clear plan of action. After a bit of reading, it became apparent that the ‘guns’ were full of sea grass seed in a type of natural cement that people have been using to plant under water in appropriate coastal locations. Husband and I chuckled and said ‘sticks most stones’ which is in the small print of the miraculous CT1 which you can use underwater. This new understanding of what it was I was looking at shone a new light onto the camouflage. Suddenly it was not wolf in sheep’s clothing, but actually an attempt to blend in and be in harmony with nature. The army-type badge which at first glance appears like crossed guns, suddenly makes sense as two harmless and life-filled seeded-paste mastic-guns with sea grass flowing from the nozzles. In the context of our terrible wars, with people against people, this makes far more sense as a battle to unite us in caring for one another and the planet, bringing life instead of destruction. Was it educational? It certainly took my thoughts on a journey,&nbsp;but did it excite me more to make my own connections through its strange poetry? Yes it did. - &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ruth Smith 2024 Image: embroidered badge, a detail of Costal Defence – seeds, spores, spats and sausages, 2023 By Something and Son (Andy Merritt and Paul Smyth) <img width="566" height="566" width_o="566" height_o="566" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3a86444d4fcc3a370283e9cae8914a229ea73eac020756834f05f42d4ead7915/Picture1.png" data-mid="228394763" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/566/i/3a86444d4fcc3a370283e9cae8914a229ea73eac020756834f05f42d4ead7915/Picture1.png" /> December/January 23/24 - As we enter the season of woolly jumpers and wet windy welly walks, here’s a few Autumn events and updates at Red Mud Arts. We haven’t got another Gathering planned this side of Christmas BUT we DO have a Spoken Word, Poetry and Storytelling Evening Sunday 19th November at The Copper Key. We’ll be gathering for drinks and chat beforehand as a warm up of something we’ll be starting from the New Year, the last Sunday of every month, 4-6pm at The Copper Key, North Tawton. An informal relaxed space to gather regularly and share how it’s all been going. Sometimes working as an artist can be isolating and often it’s a job with no colleagues, so this is a chance to meet up with people in the same boat, to share the highs and lows and reflect on how the month has gone. It would be amazing to see you there! Open Mics continue every 2nd Wednesday of the month, 7.30 at The Copper Key. It was pretty special to have guest poet, S’Phongo all the way from Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone at a recent Open Mic Night, as part of a tour of the UK with his poetry. If you missed it, head over to the Facebook page where you can find a short video. Artist Crit Group continues every 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, 7-9pm. Email ruth.helen.smith@outlook.com if you’d like to join! Life drawing on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month, 7-9pm at the Community Centre has taken a short pause, but please get in touch if you’d be interested in joining as we’ll be starting it up again soon. Email ruth.helen.smith@outlook.com. We’d like to extend a massive thank you to Durant Trust for approving our recent application for funding. We can’t wait to share more about this and get to work in putting it to great effect in inspiring and encouraging creativity in North Tawton! Till then, Red Mud Arts team November 2023 - In Oct 2021 I popped into the Ruth Smith Gallery for the first time. Having recently moved to the area and a gallerist myself, it was one of my first port of calls. I was met with the warmest of welcomes by a friendly artist, happy to chat and pass the time of day - I knew instantly that this gallery was a special place. Ruth’s vision for arty inclusivity for the whole community was evident in that first meeting, and her gallery is about so much more than art. Since that first meeting she has gone on to champion and help establish Red Mud Arts. See Octobers Art Box for more information. As a new resident to North Tawton, I’ve been struck by how friendly the community is here. I’ve been welcomed and included by other creatives and residents of the town, in a way that isn’t always forthcoming everywhere. From Devon Artist Network, to Open Mic events at the Copper Key, it’s obvious this small community has a huge breadth of talent nestled within it. Working as an artist can at times be quite isolating, so to have this kind of community support is a real gift. It is great to have had opportunities to connect with the local primary school, and the Red Mud artist meet-ups and critique groups. I’ve also been asked to join in with some local art exhibitions this autumn and winter too. Drawn By Nature is a show with 3 other artists; Janet Jarvis, Jo Purdue &amp; Celia Olsson. All of us are visual artists, inspired by nature, the local landscape and it’s botanical bounty. The exhibition takes place on 11th &amp; 12th of November at North Tawton Bowls Club between 11am - 4.30pm. It would be wonderful to meet you, so do pop along to say hello, and see what we’ve all been creating recently. Then during December I will be moving my studio practice to the Ruth Smith Gallery. As a multi media artist, I’ve worked on a variety of mediums over the years. From tiny illustrated ceramics to large scale digital billboard type designs. I trained as an illustrator, and enjoy creating images in their many forms. I’m particularly inspired by the link between art and craft. My next collection of work will include the gentle art of quilt making, perfect for those long winter nights. Within this theme I’m exploring Devon Folklore, local tales and fables, and would love to hear from anyone with a local story to share. My hope is to produce a series of linocut images, that I can print onto textiles to create my quilts. If any of this is of interest to you, or you think you may like to get involved with more art locally, please come along to the Ruth Smith Gallery this December. I will be opening up the studio space on Wednesday mornings (6th, 13th &amp; 20th) for coffee, biscuits and friendly chats between 10am -12noon. It would be great to meet you, it doesn’t matter if you don’t feel you’re creative, just a chat and a coffee is all you need to enjoy. If the events are well attended, we will spill over the road to Jen’s Café, and maybe grab a minced pie too! So I look forward, and hope to meet more of you soon. Kindest wishes, Emmeline (artist and resident of North Tawton) <img width="602" height="578" width_o="602" height_o="578" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1f1b0145884d14fe81779323a6a3621380cbeb7885d478b4859ddc01c188f41b/Picture3.png" data-mid="228394871" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/602/i/1f1b0145884d14fe81779323a6a3621380cbeb7885d478b4859ddc01c188f41b/Picture3.png" /> October 2023 - One winter evening several years ago, where we used to live, some forty neighbours joined us for a ‘bring-and-share’ gathering. But it wasn’t just food we were sharing! It was talents and skills and resources! We’d discovered that many of our neighbours didn’t really know each other. So we’d looked for a way of helping them connect and feel part of a community. People were soon offering everything from how to use a potter’s wheel to coaching in English and French, hedge-cutting to curtain-making! Mutual support started happening! Red Mud Arts is encouraging a similar sharing approach. Starting last year at the first Red Mud Arts get-together, this continued at a recent Red Mud Arts event at the Taw Valley Brewery, with people posting their ideas, offerings and requests on large boards. Offerings range from music theory to paper supplies, from bass playing to theatre workshops! A synopsis of the creative-related ideas, skills and resources is now on the Red Mud Arts website: www.redmudarts.co.uk. Scroll down and click on the ‘Ideas Boards’ box! If there are talents and resources you’d like to add, please email the details to redmudarts@gmail.com . We can add these in, and then try to connect providers and requesters. Recently a Red Mud Arts Facebook group was also set up to enable creatives to share and connect more directly with each other. Please do head over to ‘Red Mud Arts – Community Group’ and join it. It’s been wonderful to see it so busy with creative comings and goings already. Creativity can enrich lives and bring joy, wonder, and new perspectives. Our hope is that by helping people to share talents, skills, resources and ideas in the creative sphere, Red Mud Arts can further encourage a strong sense of community and mutual support locally among established creatives, emerging talent, and those who like to support the arts. Susi &amp; Rob (local residents and co-founders of Red Mud Arts) <img width="718" height="539" width_o="718" height_o="539" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d4c87fe8ab7e3d365785b7dd0ae7237ce042b1abc742e277032cf092b15e27b7/WhatsApp-Image-2023-08-28-at-18.26.00-2.jpg" data-mid="228394876" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/718/i/d4c87fe8ab7e3d365785b7dd0ae7237ce042b1abc742e277032cf092b15e27b7/WhatsApp-Image-2023-08-28-at-18.26.00-2.jpg" /> September 2023 - Sunday 6th August saw a kind of first birthday for Red Mud Arts, with its fourth gathering. About 60 of us ambled up to Taw Valley Brewery for a sunny afternoon filled with live music, top-notch beer and an opportunity to skill-swap and bounce around ideas for future events. There was a pleasant symmetry with our first gathering, hosted at The Old Rectory about a year ago, where there were boards, pens, and paper, for people to suggest needs and ideas for what we could all help get off the ground. It was nice to reflect on what suggestions have been set in motion by those attending North Tawtonians over the last year: open mic nights, regular meet-ups for visual artists, spoken word evenings, youth arts events, folk nights, a dark room, cinema club… This time, everything felt bigger by about double, and it is exciting to see momentum building! Suggestions on this year’s (much bigger) boards saw more specific professional help needed and offered, and more ambitious ideas suggested (was that a ‘Mid-Devon Minack’ I saw?) There will always be more ideas than actually happen, but together we can definitely see more of them come to fruition, so let’s get together and do something really cool in North Tawton! Who knows what could happen. Let’s change the world! If you would like to be involved in the exciting creative happenings buzzing around North Tawton and Red Mud, then please do get in touch and ask to be put on our mailing list to be kept in the loop. Here’s to whatever’s next! Ruth (North Tawton artist, do-er of Ruth Smith Gallery and co-do-er of Red Mud Arts) <img width="1440" height="960" width_o="1440" height_o="960" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2f34e604a6f914f9b611915ed9b38fe8dc7a3c209b4715567cbd3c2bef5eaeed/Ideas-boards.png" data-mid="228394881" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2f34e604a6f914f9b611915ed9b38fe8dc7a3c209b4715567cbd3c2bef5eaeed/Ideas-boards.png" /> August 2023 - A hot, steep, uphill walk through a field of rattle clattering at my heels to the tune of birdsong brought me to Ashridge Great Barn, already humming with excited conversation and filled with art works. I’d arrived at Red Mud Arts’ exhibition. On two levels, large and small artworks were displayed prompting admiration and earnest discussion about techniques, skills and topics. Refreshments and cake contributions fuelled the talk as friends and strangers mingled, drawn in by a common interest in arts. ‘How do you work with green?’ ‘Why don’t you sign your paintings?’ were among the questions after each artist had spoken about their work and I left with my head buzzing with ideas and feeling good about the two weeks ahead of me. I am in North Tawton as the first of three Summer Artists in Residence awarded by the Ruth Smith Gallery. Creating new opportunities for artists like me, and those in Red Mud Arts, often begins with a few like-minded individuals discovering each other and recognising shared aims. Supporting each other, developing friendships and building networks of contacts establishes a presence in your local community but it doesn’t need to stop there. Too often ownership of ‘The Arts’ is claimed exclusively by establishment institutions and organisations but the reality of art is that it is everywhere, created and generated by us within our communities; we make art part of our everyday lives, often without realising we are doing it. The carefully chosen hand painted signs above our shops &amp; premises, the things we have in our homes, the sewing and crafting we do together in pub rooms and community halls and the gathering of like-minded folk sharing in the successes of others at exhibitions, open mic nights and performances. Sharing what you can do, learning from others, reaching out beyond your boundaries, is rewarding and making work alongside and in the company of others makes for happy lives. Thank you Ruth and Noah, and North Tawton for your friendly welcome and making my visit so fulfilling – my story of the town in stained glass will be full of joyous memories. Jane Vincent, glass artist and academic, and resident artist at Ruth Smith Gallery (24th June – 9th July 2023). <img width="1440" height="1440" width_o="1440" height_o="1440" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7159e7fd67fee2b6ae03a62d07a3c63c153b19290120c80b1cda9e99e9417292/PJ-Work-barn.jpg" data-mid="228394887" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7159e7fd67fee2b6ae03a62d07a3c63c153b19290120c80b1cda9e99e9417292/PJ-Work-barn.jpg" /> July 2023 - With this year’s Government decision to slash arts funding by half in higher education, it has become even more imperative for rural communities to keep local creativity alive – and not just alive but attractive, enticing, and vibrant. The effects of the internet – that silent stalker of young minds – which can influence the way youngsters think, feel, and communicate, can also be kept in check by the arts. While modern technology can make our lives easier, research shows an excessive reliance can insidiously dull sensitivities and dampen creativity – the very cornerstones of artistic appreciation. Old-fashioned boredom – a frequent precursor to creativity in the young – no longer exists. Reaching repeatedly for one’s smartphone can help keep the imagination behind bars. And who knows how the looming prospect of dependence on artificial intelligence will affect the brains of future generations of young adults? As our local primary school is now putting mental health tuition on its curriculum, encouraging active creativity is even more important. Adults too need it in their lives – and now with the NHS in crisis, there is an even greater need to be more self-reliant on our own healing therapies. To produce something from nothing or to appreciate another person’s artistic creation, is not only rewarding but nourishing too. It feeds the soul – be it with music, theatre, paint, clay, fabric, or plain old words moulded into poetry and creative writing. Red Mud Arts aims to provide just this. The dedicated core of people behind the project are brimming with ideas to make the arts more accessible, especially to younger members of our community. The group has achieved much over the last year in formulating their plans and establishing their presence, so now is the time to support their future ventures in whatever way we can. RMA supporter Anne Wilby, North Tawton. June 2023 - I agree with Arran Hawkins (May Roundabout) that poetry may be considered ‘niche’ and that it really shouldn’t be this way. Sadly, the problem stretches beyond poetry.&nbsp; Many forms of art - literature, poetry, visual art, music - have the capacity to be intimidating.&nbsp; What’s needed is an easy means of handling them, so that we can enjoy the experience. First, we need to rid ourselves of the idea that a piece of art must have ‘a meaning’ and that it is our job as receivers or consumers of art, to find it.&nbsp; This is just not so.&nbsp; People sometimes say that poetry belongs to those who need it. I think that is a good way of thinking about art.&nbsp; Once a poem or a painting, or any piece of art is launched onto the world by its originator, in whatever form, it becomes the possession of those with whom it comes in contact.&nbsp; It is the same when we hold our own views on a whole host of things. &nbsp;We are looking for understanding and appreciation - what something means for us - not trying to guess what was in the mind of the creator. Over the years, (and thanks to a creative colleague) I have found the following technique handy when approaching art of most kinds.&nbsp; I’d like to sketch out this approach here, hoping that you too might find it of use. There are just four questions to ask oneself. 1) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How does this poem, picture, sculpture, piece of music etc., make me feel? Does it make me feel happy, sad, angry, excited or even none of those (‘none’ is OK)?&nbsp; The important thing is to acknowledge one’s feelings. 2) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How has the creator of this piece of art made me feel this?&nbsp; What techniques within the particular discipline have been applied and have affected my feelings?&nbsp; So, in poetry it could be the rhythm of the words, the length of the lines or the actual sound of the poem as a whole.&nbsp; Does it seem soothing, excited, menacing etc?&nbsp; All forms of art have their own ways of communicating, but you don’t need to be an expert to appreciate them. What is important is self-awareness of how your emotions have been affected and why.&nbsp; Doing this puts us in control of the process – gives us confidence as we begin to be a part of the art process itself.&nbsp; The famous art historian, Ernst Gombrich, called this ‘the beholder’s share’. 3) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What other things is it possible to find out about this artist, writer, painter or poet?&nbsp; A quick look around the gallery, programme or a poke around on Google, will probably reveal interesting information about other work… created before or after the piece that you are considering.&nbsp; All this may have a bearing on what you think, or how you feel, about this creator. 4) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Finally, taking these points together, what does this piece of art mean for you?&nbsp; Is it passingly pleasant, unpleasant, or perhaps so profound you know you will return to it in your life, again and again? I’d be glad to know if this works for you. Dr Peter Brickley, North Tawton resident, formerly a tutor with the Open University. May 2023 - There is a certain pretense that comes with the word POETRY. A pretense that is most often regarded in a negative light. Poetry is 'niche'. Poetry is 'pretentious'. Poetry is 'intellectual'. Poetry is for professors of literature and word-nerds, angsty teens that will 'grow-out-of-it' and older folk who 'need a hobby'. It's not for regular people, surely? &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Well, I'm here to tell you that view is wrong. (How pretentious is THAT?!) Poetry IS for everyone. Anyone can write it, and I guarantee that everyone can get something out of it. What is poetry, really, other than song lyrics without the music? Rap without the beat? A story told in rhyme? &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; My love of poetry came at an early age. My mum used to write stories and poems to read to my sisters and me. They were about things we could relate to. The fairy tale worlds that inhabited the wallpaper that graced my sister’s room. Staring up the nose of our dentist as he delved painfully about our gaping mouths. Being pirates and adventurers on the high Cornish seas. It was less Dylan Thomas, more Pam Ayers. But it was ours. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; My introduction to 'grown-up' poetry came during my angst-ridden teen years, and the discovery of Henry Rollins self-published poems of his touring years with Black Flag and Rollins Band. This muscle-head, heavily tattooed punk rocker from the crime-riddled streets of downtown Los Angeles was far removed from my experience growing up in a quiet Cornish town, yet his words spoke to me, and inspired me to start putting pen to paper. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; So I started writing. And I started to search out more poets. Keats and Whitman, and Edgar Allen Poe. Sylvia Plath and Thomas Hardy. Heck, even Spike Milligan and John Hegley! Philip Larkin's 'This Be The Verse' blew me away, and is still one of my favorites. (Go check it out! It's great!) Songwriting lyricists such as Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave galvanized poetry as popular culture to me. And of course, the master himself, Charles Bukowski, who, truth be told, I cannot ever get enough of. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Cut to 30 years later, and I'm still writing, from my home in the town where Ted Hughes lived. My words were never to be shared, with anyone. And yet share them I did. First with my partner. Then with my best friend. And they in turn persuaded me to share them with our community. You see, that pretense that inexplicably goes with the word POETRY had polluted my view too. If I read these, I'm pretentious, and people will hate it. But I did. And they didn't. The feedback was fantastic. And people got things out of my words that I hadn't realized were even in there. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It's become a bit of an addiction now, sharing my work, with friends and strangers alike. And enjoying hearing the work of others read aloud. I've been attending as many spoken word and poetry events as I can find in the local area. And I started a spoken word evening of my own, to showcase local Devon poets and writers and give them a platform here in North Tawton. Our first event last month was packed full, with a diverse range of readers, and a fantastically supportive audience, and people have been asking when the next one will be. Soon, I promise. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Poetry may always be considered 'niche', but it really doesn't have to be this way. So for all those of you reading this who have never been to a spoken word event, or who write, but have never considered sharing it out loud, I urge you to get in touch, and come and join the next LEND ME YOUR EARS spoken-word, poetry and storytelling night at The Copper Key in North Tawton. Arran R. Hawkins,&nbsp;North Tawton resident, writer, performer, artist and one of Red Mud Arts’ co-founders. For more info or to get involved, email: lend.me.your.ears.2023@gmail.com. April 2023 - It was a fine Sunday afternoon in Iddesleigh, with a spotless cerulean sky and nothing but sun-warmed green stretching out to the crisp shoulders and hips of Dartmoor lying against the blue. The concert we’d just witnessed was nothing short of magical. Poems by Ted Hughes read by Carol Hughes, by Sean Rafferty read by Clare Morpurgo and by Michael Morpurgo read by himself, interspersed with chamber music played by Kerenza Peacock, Josh Michaels, Steve Doman, and Joe Roberts. One particularly powerful poem Michael read to their clear and heartfelt music was about the yew tree just outside the church whose deep ancient wisdom reminded us that ‘to be is enough’. On leaving, we paid our respects to the tree, and to the memorial of James Ravilious, the great photographer who captured rural life in these parts. I’m struck by the incredible artistic wealth here, its deep connection to a sense of place, and how clearly these creative friendships have galvanised and inspired one another’s work. It makes me excited about the artistic friendships I have here and reminds me how important it is to encourage and build each other up. We have some strong shoulders to stand on.Ruth Smith, 27th February 2023 March 2023 - In my early 30’s I put myself through a traditional art training in Italy. The first two years are about training the eye to see and the hand to comply. It’s methodical, the same as how a musician develops their ear and fingers or a cook develops their taste. This is very different to UK art universities where I believe you are taught to capture ideas, feelings and be impulsive.&nbsp; There is definitely place for both schools of thought in this world. I believe that really looking, over time, enables us to question and understand. It’s very easy to ‘see’ a bird - our brain classifies it as bird and forgets - yet Darwin changed our theory of evolution by looking. Maybe this is more important today as phones provide click bait, pop songs are designed to have us hooked in the first 10 seconds and attention spans are shortening. Portrait painting from life takes a great amount of time from the sitter. The painter will however notice changes throughout the sitting, the way the light hits, if they are tired, happy, you can see the colour fill or drain out the skin, the posture change and you get to know the character. Oil paint allows you to paint multiple translucent versions of your sitter’s personality to create depth. Rembrandt was the master of this. Sargent wanted his paintings to look fresh, but still spent the same duration painting, then each day scraped off the paint until he captured the sum of all of those sittings. Humanity is timeless. For the viewer, artwork hung on the wall changes, we notice new subtilties, it talks us over time as we age and have different experiences under our belt. Gemma Quickenden. To see Gemma’s work, visit www.gemmaquickenden.com <img width="3840" height="4752" width_o="3840" height_o="4752" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5ece672282f7bf1ad4e4b7bbef20d8fe1ca9b09036d9f257d13d5bb113194adc/75070783-8d7f-4928-aee1-de32a3ea03dd_rw_3840.jpg" data-mid="228394893" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5ece672282f7bf1ad4e4b7bbef20d8fe1ca9b09036d9f257d13d5bb113194adc/75070783-8d7f-4928-aee1-de32a3ea03dd_rw_3840.jpg" /> February 2023 -Watercolour Investigations: Prussian Blue – Emma at Art Scribe, North Tawton’s watercolour makers. The deep midnight colour of Prussian Blue has an interesting story. From dyeing the Prussian army uniform to starring in many iconic works of art from Hokusais' Great Wave to Picassos' Blue Period. Prussian Blue has always been a much loved colour in my palette. Surprisingly to me, not everyone shares this love. Here are some reactions people gave when I excitedly announced we were adding it to our range of watercolour paints: “It's very staining”, “that's a hard colour to work with” and even; “I wouldn’t give it the time of day!” Well we did give it the time of day, many hours in fact. Hand mulling is a traditional paint making process that suspends coloured pigments with a binder. It's a methodical, hands-on approach that allows us to become connected with the unique characteristics of the pigments therefore allowing us to add more colour, tweak the binder or control how much we mull. As Reg mulled Prussian Blue, I became mesmerised by the deep dark blue pigment as it changed from powder to paste then into the paint that flowed out across the glass slab in increasing circular movements. Like a black and magical mirror, the depth of the colour reflected back the room and ourselves, while streaks of brilliant electric blue shone through. Eagerly I set about exploring what our freshly made Prussian Blue watercolour paint could do. My initial instinct was to work it with minimal dilution and use it over subtle yellows and bright greens to allow them to pop through the midnight blue-black and give contrast. I threw salt crystals upon the wet surface in order for abstract stars to appear. I worked wet on wet, dropping Prussian Blue into pools of Hansa Yellow to watch it creep and blend organically. When diluted with water, Prussian is a pale, cool greeny blue. I then explored some more deliberate and formal colour mixing. The results were beautifully subtle and delightfully surprising. For the deepest darks you can't go wrong with adding Prussian to the mix. Try mixing Prussian with a Deep Crimson Red for dark shadows. When mixed with yellows and greens your green palette will expand a hundred fold! Depending on the yellow you use, Prussian mixes both vivid and earthy greens perfect for painting foliage.&nbsp;Skies and seascapes become atmospheric with interesting granulating effects when mixed with Graphite Black or Burnt Umber as greys, teals and earthy browns are produced. It’s worth going slowly though, Prussian Blue is indeed staining, so it can dominate a palette if you add too much. It can also leave interesting and subtle watermarks if you try to lift it once it’s laid down. Bear these factors in mind and Prussian Blue will reward you with a diverse and exciting colour and tonal range. Prussian Blue will continue to be a favourite in my palette and I recommendexploring its qualities if you haven’t already. Finally, I invite the sceptics to&nbsp;give it another go and embrace its (magical) power! Visit our website: artscribe.uk to learn more about our traditionally&nbsp;made watercolour paints and to see our full colour range available to buy, and follow us on Instagram: artscribe.uk Emma Allan, co-founder of Art Scribe <img width="2048" height="2048" width_o="2048" height_o="2048" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/317d86b0164d8088f1cd53f2103a6e9c24035fb6dccd712a7bd7f4cc91c0a6e5/IMG_8493-2-2048x2048.jpg" data-mid="228394976" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/317d86b0164d8088f1cd53f2103a6e9c24035fb6dccd712a7bd7f4cc91c0a6e5/IMG_8493-2-2048x2048.jpg" /> January 2023 - WHY DO WE NEED CONTEMPORARY ART? It’s easy to think that art is periphery, an unnecessary luxury, that it is unhelpful, it doesn’t do anything, and that it’s a downright waste of money. Consciously or subconsciously this seemingly logical conclusion is reached by many, but here’s what they miss: Art is ‘useful’ on many levels. It unites, it mobilises, it inspires, it documents, it questions, it critiques. However, I would go further to say that art is necessary, and it is necessary precisely because it is unnecessary. Call me a dreamer, but is there not more to life than keeping warm, dry and fed? If that makes you suspicious of me sounding like an overly comfortable slug, unsympathetic to those who are only just holding on, then consider how the greatest art movements have been born out of the deepest struggles. Maybe this shows how much more important art is in times of dire need, and less meaningful to those who have it all. Art plugs us into what it is to be human and creates a space in which to share the full breadth of this experience. In homage to the author bell hooks (name in lower case) at London Art Fair this year, the gallery Aleph Contemporary pondered how the subjective realm of feeling is a universal language shared by all. Being human is so much more than survival and the accumulation of possessions. It is about experiences of joy, connection, love, sorrow, peace, fear, anger and compassion. Contemporary Art is an expression of this human experience in relation to the here and now. It breaks through utilitarian biases and connects us in an open and free-thinking way to the present, involving us in a dialogue in which we can partake. This makes it empowering and therefore dangerous to power structures. It is no wonder that authoritarian regimes have historically clamped down on ‘degenerate’ art. Art is a protest against this and proclaims freedom. Contemporary Art is relevant, current, exciting, important and engages us in what it is to be human now. We make history, which is why we must participate in the present. - Ruth Helen Smith, June 2022.&nbsp; An article written originally by Ruth for Aleph Contemporary in the summer. December 2022 - WALKING BETWEEN THE LINES Olga Brereton at Ruth Smith Gallery, 15 November - 4 December Olga Brereton infuses her work with light and air. You can almost walk between the layers of brushstrokes in the landscapes and wriggle your hands through the stems of her botanical drawings, with their sinuous yet hesitant and careful winding lines. Despite their meandering quality it is clear that their drawer knows about plants and their individual structures. The 'structure within anarchy' as she described, and the free handling of ink and paint coming together to create a cohesive whole is testament. Olga as a child would play with her grandfather's gold chain, lowering it onto the tabletop to create infinite configurations. It seems that there her fascination with line began. The ability of line to mean something has fascinated us for millennia, and its potential to create an idea of space on a flat surface has been central to art since it began. Olga's paintings and drawings are an equal marriage between the flat abstract quality of the marks, and the sense of space and subject that they depict. One can flit freely between enjoying the formal design of the work to the flowers and landscapes they describe. Olga's work goes further still. Not only can one enjoy the slippage between abstract and figurative, but it also feels as though one can slip between the marks themselves. Olga makes use of the white ground, be it paper or canvas, to shine through thin layers of paint and line drawings to create a light airiness to her work. It is possible to imagine the marks sliding off their support, like the gold chain off the table, and to be able to walk between the lines. - Ruth Smith, November 2022. <img width="602" height="602" width_o="602" height_o="602" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c4435661670518f0bc7cc4f727310cae20bc54cd215f1bc3f46af2173659e1a0/Picture4.jpg" data-mid="228394991" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/602/i/c4435661670518f0bc7cc4f727310cae20bc54cd215f1bc3f46af2173659e1a0/Picture4.jpg" />