West Bristol Arts Trail: meet the artists

Over the weekend of October 15-16, over 50 homes, studios and public spaces across Clifton, Redland and Hotwells will open to the public for the ninth West Bristol Arts Trail.

Building upon Bristol’s year as European Green Capital, this year’s WBAT has been given a green theme. Many of the 100-plus fine artists, photographers, potters, ceramicists, printmakers and sculptors will address this theme, either in their subject matter or materials used. Look out for the green balloons marking each venue.

Here are four of this year’s artists to introduce their work.

Annabel Allen
Hats, fascinators and accessories
“I’ll be displaying works from my collections of women’s hats [pictured top] and headpieces, as well as a range of smaller pieces created exclusively for the art trail. I use traditional millinery techniques, as well as beading, silk painting and sculpting to emulate the ever-changing colours, textures and forms found in nature. I am often inspired by the smallest details – an individual dandelion seed, or the way the wind lifts the autumn leaves.
“This is my first year as an exhibitor but being a keen visitor in past years I’ve enjoyed seeing the trail diversify, moving from more traditional concepts of art to incorporate a much greater variety of media – and more accurately reflecting the wealth of artistic talent in Bristol.”

Sophie Howard
Sculpture and ceramics
“I will be showing some brand new ceramics, and maybe some of the tiny dogs and bronze resin horses. Mostly it will be women on horses which is my newest series of larger work, and little stoneware boats with people and dogs.
“My sculpture is emotional and allegorical. The stories it tells, via colour and subject matter, are about experiences. They are physical spells, visualisations of what I want to happen. One is called Wish Horse – a reference to the saying ‘If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride’. “

Sonya
Paintings and ceramics
“I love painting but my real discipline is ceramics. Hence, I will be displaying my Passion salsa paintings, some of which will have been reworked into abstract paintings, alongside a couple of new ceramic collections.
“The Passion collection was inspired by my love of dance. I visited Bristol’s Salsa Souls group and, hidden in a dark corner, took over 300 photographs. The paintings describe the story of courtship using salsa as the conduit for expression.
“My Sonoran ceramics range is inspired by my travels to the Arizona desert, where I fell in love with the calm serenity of the Sonoran cactus. I have developed a range of functional vases and bowls which mimic the intriguing texture of the cacti and are decorated with serene white glaze edged with platinum lustre.”

Mary Rouncefield
Prints, textiles
“This year I am showing animal prints, mathematical ladies – and The Corsetarium. This year I’m planning to exhibit ALL my corsets. These have been made over a period of several years, and I realised recently that I have never shown them all together. The Mathrobatics corset features screen prints on a copper corset. 
“Since returning to paint at Upfest earlier this year, I have been experimenting with spray painting on canvas. These paintings all have a green theme featuring birds and animals.
“I have lost count of how many times I’ve exhibited at the West Bristol Arts Trail. Before that, I showed my work at Art on the Railings, a free event held on the streets of Hotwells. This is where it all started!”

West Bristol Arts Trail Saturday, Oct 15 and Sunday, Oct 16. For a full list of artists and venues, visit www.westbristolarts.com