Three Crowthorne and Sandhurst artists open their studios free on 7 and 8 November, 10:30 to 4:30, as part of the 30-artist Acorn Open Studios art trail.
Three artists in Crowthorne and Sandhurst will open their studios to the public on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, as the Acorn Open Studios art trail returns for its third year.
Oil painter and watercolourist Gill Foden, ceramic artist Helen Ormerod and printmaker and painter Paul Woolley are among 30 artists showing work at studios and other venues across Reading and East Berkshire. Entry is free, and every venue is open from 10:30am to 4:30pm on both days. The trail is self-guided: visitors pick the venues they want and go between them in their own time.
Elsewhere on the trail are painters, printmakers, ceramicists and makers in Wokingham, Lower Earley, Shinfield, Spencer’s Wood, Reading, Twyford, Charvil and Maidenhead, working in everything from painting and printmaking to sculpture, glass, mixed media and digital art.
The three local studios
| Venue | Artist | Work | Address |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Gill Foden | Oil painting, watercolour | 39 Heathermount Drive, Crowthorne RG45 6HJ |
| 26 | Helen Ormerod | Ceramics | 6 New Wokingham Road, Crowthorne RG45 7NR |
| 27 | Paul Woolley | Printmaking, painting | 122a Branksome Hill Road, Sandhurst GU47 0QG |
The addresses come from each artist’s page on the Acorn Open Studios website, which also lists parking, toilets and access at every venue.
Gill Foden, Venue 25, Crowthorne
Gill Foden makes cityscapes with gold, silver and bronze leaf, alongside paintings of mountain scenes and lakes, according to the organisers’ list of artists.
On her trail page she writes: “The artist’s journey is a long and winding one and one that for me really doesn’t end at a fixed style. Coming from a family of artists and art lovers, I was fortunate to have owned an art gallery for 11 years with my photographer husband, which also gave me the opportunity to display and sell my own paintings.”
“I enjoy using gold and silver leaf to express my love of the London skyline in mixed media. However the grandeur of mountainous landscapes and high places also fascinate me. Working in both watercolours and oils, my watercolours depict the forests and lakes that surround the area where I live, while my oil paintings reflect the mountains that stay in memory.”
She adds: “I also have a love of painting the most difficult subject of all, flowers.”
Her venue has accessible parking and an accessible toilet, and assistance dogs are welcome.
Helen Ormerod, Venue 26, Crowthorne
Helen Ormerod’s ceramics are “inspired by landscape and place, combining strong form with contemporary surface detail”, the organisers say.
In her own words: “I am a ceramic artist working in stoneware clay, creating bold sculptural forms for indoor and outdoor settings. My sculptures are composed of individually crafted pieces, carefully stacked to form striking vertical structures that command attention within a landscape.”
“Each piece is hand-built, allowing subtle variations in texture and form to create rhythm, balance, and movement throughout the work. Layered glazes interact across the surfaces, producing dynamic, abstract finishes that make every sculpture entirely unique. Fired to a high temperature for strength and resilience, these works are designed to endure while making a powerful visual statement in a garden setting.”
Her venue is step-free and wheelchair accessible, and a quiet space is available.
Paul Woolley, Venue 27, Sandhurst
Paul Woolley makes mixed-media paintings on handmade paper, inspired by the built environment and nature, alongside etchings using line, aquatint and colour. His trail page lists demonstrations among the things to expect at his studio.
“I am both a painter and printmaker and exhibit locally and nationally,” he writes. “My work uses images from the built environment, in conjunction with natural and organic forms. I work mainly from photographs that I have taken at a variety of locations and use them to make new images. I particularly like to use buildings that have structures with strong spatial aspects and textures to them.”
He studied at Bristol Polytechnic’s Faculty of Art and Design, now UWE, and graduated in 1974. “When I came out of college I worked as a picture framer and restorer for a variety of different employers in London and elsewhere. For the rest of my working life I have worked in industry and with the teaching and training of young people.”
A goodie bag for five stamps
The trail leaflet has a space for a stamp at each venue. Visitors who collect stamps from five or more venues go into a draw for one of three goodie bags, filled with contributions from the artists taking part.
The three local studios count towards the five. Wokingham has six more artists on the trail, at Venues 17 and 19 to 23: painter Celine Gilart, printmaker and potter Jayne Kozlow, ceramicist Shirley Smith, painter Connell McMenamin, printmaker Trish Roberts and Lisa Binnie of Binnie Pottery.
The full trail guide, with every artist and venue, is on the Acorn Open Studios website. Anyone who signs up to the group’s newsletter there gets a free guide to buying art.
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