The Wivenhoe Encyclopedia

A Wivenhoe Carnival of Art and Crafts

An article by Peter Kennedy which first appeared in Wivenhoe News, Spring 2006

Once again the art galleries of Wivenhoe put on a glorious show in the run up to Christmas.  The opening evening on Friday 25 November 2005 was particularly exciting, people swirled around within and without the galleries, admiring the glittering jewellery and enticing artworks.

At The Show Room in Park Road, Pru Green and Elle Robinson had filled the whole ground floor with an Aladdin's cave of East Anglian treasures.   There was a stunning display of Pru's beautiful pottery, and also of the work of eighteen other artists and craftsmen.  In Elly's own words "what's more, five of these excellent artists live and work in Wivenhoe".  One of course is Pru.  Then painter, printmaker and publisher James Dodds with superb linocuts from Longshore Drift; Meriel Ensom's beautiful birds and fish on driftwood; Robina Jack's enchanting glass work; Nel Moy's captivating hats (a visitor from Tunbridge Wells secured one of these hats and since reports getting admiring glances all round the town whenever she wears it).  And there was lots more.

Further up Park Road at Seeing Red Alison Stockmarr had -- in conjunction with firstsite -- amassed a first rate exhibition of handmade items and they comprised a collection of superb quality.  The many visitors could see that there was indeed a lot of red about, in the textiles, ceramics, jewellery, and decorations, and as well as that there was evocative photography by Richard Hayward.

In the atmospheric space of The galleries in Alma Street one could find work from a galaxy of talented artists.  The beautiful furniture of Sarah Dean was on show, with paintings and textiles by Annie Bielecka and Eliza Kentridge, jewellery by Sara Barker, and other jewellers and ceramicists.  Another gorgeous feast to the eye.

The Over the Sofa Gallery at the Bookshop was doing its thing, and people were crammed, along with their glasses of wine, into the truly cosy back room to see the 7 x 9 exhibition of small works by artists who have previously exhibited there, including Annie Bielecka, James Dodds, Paul Rumsey and Tessa Spencer Pryse.

At the same time, at Andrea Vaughan's studio in the High Street, paintings by Pam Dan, Roseanne Barr, and Andrea were to be seen on the studio walls, and a high old time was being had by all.

The word is that the galleries all did wonderfully well.  I hope this was so, and that it will be the case for a long time to come.  The pre-Christmas openings are now something of a cherished institution.

Peter Kennedy

Note:  Many of the artists mentioned in this review are featured in the Artists section of this web site. Click here to find them in the Artists section home page. 

For more pictures from the Christmas art shows, click here

Last updated:
26 October 2008