Black & White licence

OHOS artist Robert Fitzmaurice recently exhibited at Progress Theatre, showing a selection of works on paper in response to the controversial play by Tracy Letts:


KILLER JOE - WORKS ON PAPER
18-23 May 2015
Progress Theatre, The Mount, Reading, RG1 5HL

The dress, mixed media on card, 2015

Night play, mixed media on card, 2015

 Click here to view more images and information about the production

In July Robert will also be part of a month-long black and white season at Espacio Gallery. In two consecutive exhibitions, Mono 1 and Mono 2, artists meet the challenge of making a purely monochrome statement, while being free to explore a variety of subjects, styles and media.

MONO 2

7-19 July 2015

Espacio Gallery, 159 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 7DG
Private View: Thursday 9 July 6-9pm

Participating artists:

Tania Beaumont, Mark Bell, Rosa Cives, Kanwal Dhaliwal,
Ahmed Farooqui, Kitty Finegan, Robert Fitzmaurice, Beth Gadd,
Laura Gompertz, Mehreen Hasan, Philippa Hilliard, Sal Jones,
Lisa Kreuziger, Peter Lang, Jill Meager, Rosana Miracco, Matt Smith,
Nora Velazco, Annie Zamero

Click here to view the online catalogue

Liberties I, mixed media on card, 2015

Liberties IV, mixed media on card, 2015

Desire Lines

Beautiful and thought provoking exhibition at Brock Keep in May 2015, excellently curated by Peter Driver, and including work by artists Sarah Britten Jones, Peter Driver, Robert Fitzmaurice, Ingrid Jensen, Ivilina Kouneva, Jon Lockhart, Kate Lockhart, Chris Mercier, Anna Mitchell, Richard Moon, Petre Nikoloski, John Percy, Katy Pike, Steve Perfect, and Roxi Tohaneanu Shields.  Visitors enjoyed studio tours as well as the exhibition, which was part of Open Studios West  Berkshire and North Hampshire.

365 drawings 365 dessins in Switzerland

Seven artists associated with OpenHand OpenSpace have been showing work in Galerie d'Anieres near Geneva as part of the 365 drawings 365 dessins project devised and curated by Tineke Bruijnzeels and Cally Trench.  Ingrid Jensen, Chris Mercier, Anna Mitchell, Steve Perfect, Julia Rogers, Jo Thomas, and Neile Wright were each invited to exhibit seven drawings.  The exhibition ran from 9 - 17 May 2015, and included a Vernissage with performances and presentations.  For more details and images please see www.365drawings365dessins.co.uk/open-day-switzerland.html
Tineke's meticulous organisation produced a rich viewing experience for gallery visitors.  The exhibition was first shown in Brock Keep in September 2014, and images from this can also be found on the same website.

But Is It Art?

For several years OHOS artists have wanted to improve facilities for our visitors, and especially to provide a wheelchair accessible toilet.  In a historic listed building with an unusual ground floor layout this was not entirely easy, but it is nearly done!  We have many people to thank, especially OHOS artists Ksenija Krotin, Petre Nikoloski and Jon Lockhart for giving their time voluntarily and devoting much effort to the project.  Ksenija made architectural plans for dividing one of the cells into a toilet and separate kitchenette, secured listed building consent, and dealt with building control compliance.  Petre used his knowledge of traditional building techniques to move and enlarge the doorway, and to repair brickwork in poor condition.  Jon used his encyclopaedic practical experience to do the flooring, build the partition, install the kitchen, and hang a period door that we salvaged from a sister Keep in Devizes last year.  We would also like to thank Nick Huzzey and Steve Marshall for providing affordable professional expertise with - respectively -  electrics and plumbing.  Further thanks are due to Reading Borough Council Planning, Property Services, and Building Services Departments for their sympathetic support for OHOS as it perseveres with this project without external funding.  Is it art?  Well, a lot of loving attention went into design and materials, and it has certainly been a creative process.  It's not a urinal of course.....

Richard Moon represents OHOS at Insight

Richard Moon has been representing OpenHand OpenSpace at the Insight exhibition at New Greenham Arts, Newbury, 2-25 May 2015, showing his etching and aquatint "Head Under Heels."  Insight is the flagship exhibition of Open Studios West Berkshire and North Hampshire.  It was curated by Paul Kessling, John Brazendale and Martin Eastabrook, and has attracted over 1100 visitors this year.  OHOS hosted one of the Open Studios satellite exhibitions at Brock Keep in Reading, curated by Peter Driver.
www.richard-moon.co.uk
www.open-studios.org.uk

Many thanks to our volunteer from Reading College

Very many thanks to Jared Williams for all his help at Brock Keep where he has recently been gaining work experience as part of his course at Reading College.  Jared worked hard on varous tasks, including scraping the wall in preparation for the installation of the new kitchenette and WC, organising a temporary bell for visitors to the ground floor, helping to hang up a new publicity sign outside, removing some unwanted fittings from the wall, organising our storage rooms, and helping to prepare and supervise exhibitions.  Jared also learned about health and safety, and about fire alarm maintenance.  We did let him out from time to time to enjoy his lunch in the garden.

Open Studios Workshop

Participants on the workshop "Lines and Forms from Andalucia" first used experimental drawing techniques to gain familiarity with projections of southern Spain and gather a personal library of images.  They then assembled these into evocative compositions, and produced exciting relief prints using polystyrene sheets and a roller press.  This all-day session was run at Brock Keep by OHOS artist Ingrid Jensen, funded by Open Studios West Berkshire and North Hampshire.  Photos by Jane Vaidya.

Draw, Paint, Print!

Works from recent OHOS drawing, painting and printing courses attracted many favourable comments at this exhibition in April.  Many thanks to all contributors, including Marie Ackers, Vivienne Akerman, Jennifer Allison, Matt Daubney, Ian Dinely, Carole Elleman, Steve Fisher, Ian Fulbrooke, Steve Gibson, Mariana Gomes, Vicky Hummel, Therese Lawlor, Ali Murray, Shirley Palmer, Tammy Renwick, Mary Riley, Sarah Scott, Carolyn Steed, Susanne Schindler, Simi Warah, Helen Westhrop and Neile Wright.  Tutors were Anna Mitchell, Peter Driver, Chris Mercier and Ingrid Jensen.