Review of 2023

This was the year of a much quieter attendance and sales in the art world.  We also felt that the great rush to buy paintings in our newly decorated post pandemic homes had come to an end.

The year started well with an exhibition in February/March in Sevenhampton.  We introduced some new artists to the fold; notably Jane Boot from Bristol, Kerry Phippen and Samantha Wilkins and achieved sales for them all.  I also had some amazing raku ceramics by Miles Johnson.  Miles was a contestant on the Great Pottery Throwdown and I had seen his work previously at a ceramics fair in Oxford. 

Sales were also achieved for work by John Henry, Mike Ibbotson, Lorraine Houston and Betty Harrison.

In April, we exhibited at the FRESH art fair at Cheltenham Race course to a packed crowd.  Sales of work by Betty Harrison, Pete Monaghan, John Henry and Helen Slater Stokes were achieved.  However, despite the enthusiasm of the crowd there was a definite caution in the air with regard to the higher value pieces, with the cost of living crisis and increased interest rates beginning to bite. 

In June, on a gorgeous blue sky weekend, we held an enjoyable open weekend here in Sevenhampton for our subscribers and sold work by Malcolm Ashman RWA, Betty Harrison, Helen Slater and Mike Duckering.

In July we held a pop up exhibition in Montpellier Cheltenham on the them ‘Alone in a Landscape’ and met lots of interesting people as well as selling work by John Henry, Lorraine Houston, Fiona Boult and Helen Slater Stokes.

Another Open Weekend followed in September with sales for Janet James, Mike Duckering, Nancy Chambers and Nina Archer.

An Autumn exhibition in November was poorly attended as was a Christmas weekend in December, but sales of work by Sue Godfrey, Laura Howarth, new artist Lucy Inder, Ruth Gibson and Helen Slater Stokes were achieved.

We raised £150 from the sale of painted birdboxes for charity.