September Newsletter

We have been experiencing the Back to School chaos as term starts in the wider college and our studios feel busier now the tenants, artists and customers are back from their holidays. But September has always been an extra exciting time for the West Studios Gallery.

September means the beginning of our Annual Open Exhibition! This is our 5th year and again the participating artists have not disappointed us.

Running until Friday 27th September, the exhibition is open Monday - Fridays 10am-4pm and Saturdays 10am-1pm. This week, we will also be uploading the gallery onto the website and will be able to sell pieces through enquiries via the website. This means you definitely won’t miss out on that perfect piece by one of our artists!

See below our up coming exhibitions in West Studios!!

The White Light White Peak Exhibition runs in West Studios from Friday 3rd October - Thursday 10th October.
Our new Theatre Studio is also hosting an evening with the artist Simon Corble on Thursday 10th October, full details and to book tickets, click here

White Light, White Peak Exhibition and Live Experience evening

We are very excited to announce woodwork artist, David Robinson will be hosting an exhibition Monday 14th October - Sunday 10th November.

Pieces from Dave Robinson’s previous West Studios Exhibition.

What’s On
You may not realise the range of regular groups West Studios hosts these days. It is fab to now have babies singing Tuesday morning, followed by our Community Choir on the Thursday. Below is our current week plan:

Music with Mummy - Tuesdays 9:30am - 11:30am
Life Drawing with John King - Tuesday 3rd Oct, 12th Nov, 3rd Dec 6:30pm - 9pm
Youth Theatre and Gekkota Arts - Tuesdays 6pm-8pm
Choir - Thursdays 10am-12noon
Stop…Breathe…Yoga - Thursdays 5:15pm-6:45pm & 6:45pm-8:15pm

We don’t just take regular group bookings. We have a range of creative spaces suitable for performances, talks, business catch ups and board meetings. Contact us on 01246500799 or hello@weststudios.co.uk to organise your tour.

Warning! I am about to talk about Christmas…

We are on the look out for Christmas stock for our shop launching Saturday 23rd November. If you have any cards, decorations or gifts, please get in touch with Hannah!
This will be done on a sale or return basis, with a 20% commission applied to products that sell.

In connection to this, we will be running a series of creative Christmas workshops on:
Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th November
Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th December

We have 8 spaces available across the 4 dates. Deadline to book and confirm workshop is Wednesday 9th October. Contact us on hello@weststudios.co.uk to start your conversation!

Or keep an eye out on our Instagram for instant updates!!

White Light White Peak - The Live Experience

In October 2019 Found Theatre will be bringing ‘White Light White Peak’ to our theatre and gallery space. The exhibition will run from October 3rd - 10th with the performance on the final night of the exhibition (October 10th). To book tickets for the live performance click here.

We spoke to Simon from Found Theatre to get an insight into the themes and inspiration behind the exhibition and performance.

What is your background/the background of your group? (How long have you been a practising professional, when was the group founded, previous projects etc.)

I trained as an actor, originally, but quickly started to create my own work for the theatre, firstly as a site-specific theatre maker, working in some very wild places and then as a writer.  It was during this phase of my career that I started getting into photography, as the productions were by their nature highly photogenic.  I only started to take my self seriously as a photographer when other people told me I had an eye for it.  At about the same time I got more and more into poetry and the subjects for both poems and photographs began to merge, quite naturally.  Around ten years ago I moved to the White Peak area of Derbyshire and it is my life here that is the source of inspiration for this current work – as the title suggests.

What is the name of the exhibition?

White Light White Peak.  The musically knowledgeable might realise that is it a play on “White Light White Heat” – the title track from an album by The Velvet Underground.  Every time I picked up the local Ordnance Survey map “Peak District: White Peak”, this hypnotic track would play in my head.  When I realised that I wanted the photography to be in black-and-white, it became a no-brainer as a title for the whole project – so much of it is all about the clean light we get up here.

What materials have you used to create the work in the exhibition?

The black-and-white prints are on both canvas and aluminium sheets. Something about the clean texture of aluminium chimes well with the monochrome images, while the canvas brings a feel of classic landscape painting to the wider subject.

What have you taken inspiration from to create this exhibition?

It is all about my feelings for the natural world, and our place within it.  As with “the live experience” and the book, there is also a journey through the seasons, with different kinds of weather an important part of the changes in mood.

What made you chose West Studios when deciding where you should exhibit your work?

We are performing in the theatre space here, so having the gallery adjacent was an obvious draw. When I saw the space, with plain white walls and so much gorgeous natural light, I realised it was perfect for the exhibition.

So what is the West Studios Open Exhibition?

Advert calling out to local artists. Submission deadline has now passed.

So what is the West Studios Annual Open Exhibition?

Each year, in the summer, West Studios calls out to the artists in the Chesterfield and surrounding areas. By allowing artists to submit up to three of their pieces, it creates a varied and fascinating glimpse into the talent that lies on our doorstep.

Sometimes this talent can be something that has been hidden or undiscovered for years. By having a maximum of three pieces per artist, it eliminates the need to be massively prolific with an inventory of many, many pieces to choose from. Some artists don’t realise they’re artists until they see their work on the white walls of a gallery with exhibition tags stating its title. I’ve seen it inspire people to create more and boost their confidence. Some artists have been experiencing a creative block or a feeling of overwhelm. Some more experienced artists enjoy knowing that their work is reaching more people who can enjoy it and be moved by their images.

Most of all, the Open Exhibition is accessible. Art can sometimes be given this lofty profile that puts it on an elitist pedestal. At the end of the day, if you can make a mark; on paper, clay, material, video, a computer; you have the capacity to be an artist. Art is communication from the soul and by allowing it the care, dedication and work to flow out of your mind into the real world you are allowing the enrichment of others; opening up conversation; creating a peaceful place; provoking a reaction; playing with colour; development of an idea.

The Open Exhibition gives us another view of our area and the thoughts and experiences of the people who live here. Come and have a look for yourself. Could you be exhibiting on our Gallery walls next year?

Lino Printing with Sombrero Printmaking

Dave from Sombrero Printmaking will be guiding you through the process of lino printing. He said participants of his workshop will be able to “design, carve and print a design (approximately 5x5 inches) which you'll be able to re-use afterwards. You'll be able to print it onto cards or paper at home.”

90 minute sessions £10:  10am-11.30am, 11.45am-1.15pm, 1.30pm-3.00pm.

Click here to book your place.

[Under 12’s must be accompanied by an adult due to the techniques and tools used]

For details of other workshops available on the day, Click here

Stop-motion Animation with Sparky Ink Studios

Jane from Sparky Ink Studio will be guiding mini-sessions for Under 9’s and Over 9’s who would like to learn the basics of stop-motion animation and editing. Jane from Sparky Ink Studios says…

Films will be published and promoted on our social media and YouTube channel. Participants can also have the MP4 copy if they bring in a usb memory stick or I can make it available for them to view online and copy to their own PC.

…how exciting is that?! You can share your animation with your friends and family.

Under 9’s: 45 minute session £7.50

• 10.00am-10.45am (1 child), 11.15am-12.00pm (1 child), 12:30pm-1.15pm (1 child), 1.30pm-2.15pm (1 child)

Over 9’s: 1 hour session £12.00

• 10.00am-11.00am (2 places available), 11.15am-12.15pm (2 places available), 12.30pm-1.30pm (2 places available), 1.30pm-2.30pm (2 places available)

Click here to book your place.

[Please Note: Adults responsible for the children attending must stay in West Studios whilst the workshop is running.]

For details of other workshops available on the day, Click here