About Creative Pathways Bursary 2018

Artist Rebecca Bruton, Hattie Moore, Luminara Starand Georgina Towler were selected to receive a Creative Pathways Bursary this year to access to mentoring support and create new work as part of the Somerset Open Studios Event (15th – 30th September 2018).

SAW would like to thank ACEarts and Contains Art for their support with this year’s Creative Pathways programme.Creative Pathways is funded by Friends of SAW and Arts Council England.

ABOUT THE BURSARY

Creative Pathways Bursary aims to provide tailor-made support for early career artists in Somerset to develop their practice and reach their audiences. Bursary opportunities usually open in Feb/March each year for those who wish to develop new work as part of the Art Weeks Festival event or Open Studios event.

Creative Pathways is part of Somerset Art Works’ Artist Development Programme which includes bursaries, mentoring, networking, events and advisory support for Somerset Art Works’ artist members at different stages of their practice.

For more about the programme, please see somersetartworks.org.uk/artistdevelopment

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

 

Rebecca Bruton

www.rebeccabruton.co.uk

Open Studios venue 115: ACEarts in Somerton

Rebecca is a Textile Artist based in South Somerset, specialising in free-motion embroidery and applique to build up intricate and vibrant textile artworks. She uses the sewing machine as a tool to mix colours, ‘paint’ and draw with a free-hand style using threads. During the event, she will be working at ACEarts Gallery in Somerton creating work that studies the fascinating world of seeds and beans and their sustainability. She will be working in this space alongside Artist Lydia Needle.

“I am over the moon to be awarded the Creative Pathways 2018: ACEarts Bursary and is honoured that I will be working in the amazing gallery space alongside artist mentor Lydia Needle. I am keen to embrace the opportunity to immerse myself into the Somerset community of artists and makers. I am most excited to receive mentoring and advice from SAW and ACEarts that will help me develop my own creative practice and to forge links that will last beyond the event itself.”

Hattie Moore 

hattiemoore.com
Open Studio Venue 119: Weston Bampfylde Village Hall

In 2017 Hattie completed a Masters in Fine Art: Sculpture at the Slade School of Fine Art, London for which she received the Clare Winsten Memorial Award. Most recently she has been researching traditional Asian gardens in China and Japan. In Weston Bampfylde’s victorian village hall Hattie will be using her experiences of these gardens to explore scaled down representations of larger landscapes with ceramics, sculptures and drawings. She will be holding creative workshops and be demonstrating her working methods in her pop-up studio.

“Having recently returned to Somerset after studying in London, I hope to meet other local artists and people interested in the arts by taking part in the Open Studios event. Receiving the bursary will allow me to create new work and explore my ideas in the context of the Somerset landscape.” 

 

Luminara Star

luminarastar.co.uk
Venue 132: Home studio in Bruton

Luminara Star gained a BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Kingston University, London. Her main inspiration comes from Folk art/crafts and her own Romanian heritage. As well as using traditional folk skills such as paper cutting and egg painting she also draws on digital media, creating such works as ‘The Digital Flower Garden’ which was exhibited as part of the Bath Digital Art Festival in 2017. Traditional forms of art and craft are juxtaposed with digital technology throughout Luminara’s art practice enabling her to bring these forms into a contemporary arena. During the Open Studios event, Luminara will be welcoming visitors to join her in her Home Studio based in Bruton.

“Through the Creative Pathways Bursary, my aim is to explore the conversation between contemporary art practice and traditional folk art/craft. I plan to further research and develop practical skills inspired by the traditional folk art and craft of my Romanian heritage while gaining a deeper understanding of how these skills can be translated into contemporary art forms through my own art practice.”

Georgina Towler

georginatowler.com

Open Studio Venue 41: Contains Art, Watchet

Georgina’s work is a visual conversation between the remembered experience and the physical environments that we exist within. She’s interested in the concept of the picture plane, how we pull environments together in our minds and the way we use pictorial imagery to visually make sense of space. Intrigued by the power the ‘landscape’ has to position oneself within the world, during Open Studios, Georgina will be using the courtyard at Contains Art to create a large scale installation exploring the way we encounter space. Supporting drawings, plans and experiments will also be available to see in her studio.

‘In receiving this bursary I am hoping to step away from my conventional practice and create a piece which engages viewers on a physical level.  I hope to dramatically expand the scale of my work whilst also introducing 3-dimensional forms into my practice. This will be a fantastic opportunity for me to push my current ideas in a new direction and create a piece of public art.’