Skip to main content

Art Walk in Southsea

Saturday is chores day, but I cannot miss the Created in Portsmouth arts and crafts trail, which saw local artists and crafters opening their studios to the public.

I had very little time so briskly made my way to Darlington Road, where bookmaker and paper artist Adrian Munday was opening his front room to showcase some of the fabulous books he has made. The photographs of the books were enticing enough, but to actually feel the books yourself was quite something. I know I have a thing about stationary, but these books were exquisite!

Adrian's mother Shirley also had her crafts on display and she was an amazing woman who has a passion of beading and embroidery. You cannot miss her enthusiasm for the crafts and she couldn't avoid infecting me with her delight in crafting. Safe to say that I could not walk away without purchasing one of her beautifully crafted beaded bracelet.


Having had such an inspiring visit with these two I thought it would be churlish to skip the studio on Waverley Road. It's so near and on the way to Waitrose, sort of.

Artist Tracy Hodder displayed her dolls collection and talked enthusiastically about the joy of making the dolls. Such fascinating faces, some great for a present to your mother, others displayed a quirkiness that only your friends with a sense of humour could appreciate. I had a giggle seeing some of them.


Evagelia Hagikalfa's art stemmed from her Greek heritage, mixed with comments on current affairs. They prints make a beautifully classical look for any home, with inspiring quotes.

Helena Symes jewellery I like because they are made with interesting materials as oppose to the traditional precious stones. Her work is inspired by nature and tribal use of materials. In fact, glass artist Elisa Mott and I had quite a conversation with Helena about her amazing necklace, akin to a Masai Mara warrior neckware.

Sharon Justice had a huge collection of jewellery she actually made in her studio The Southsea Workbench. It was hard to tear myself away from the beautiful jewellery and especially the company, but I had to go.

It was an enjoyable afternoon and I look forward to more arts trails like this.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Delicious thinly sliced pork in Korean marinade

Sometimes you found a recipe and wrote it down on a piece of paper to try it out. Having done that, you forget where the recipe came from. Likewise this Korean recipe for pork, which turned out to be so delicious we have cooked it for everyone. The marinade is simple to make and yet really packed with flavours. For the Korean marinade you need  3 garlic cloves 1/2 brown onion 1/2 a pear or apple Blitz these ingredients together and then add 5 tablespoons soy sauce (I use Kikkoman) 3 tablespoons caster sugar 2 tablespoons sesame oil 3 tablespoons mirin black pepper For dinner for 2 people, 200g pork tenderloin is enough. Slice this thinly, and bash it to an even thinner piece with a meat mallet. Marinade in the sauce and leave it in the fridge for an hour. Then heat a frying pan on medium heat with a teaspoon of vegetable oil and fry the thin pork pieces until browned. You want some of the edges of the meat to be dark brown and caramelised, if you can. Don't cook too many pieces or

‘Southsea dinosaur’ returns

Luna Park 2021, an eagerly anticipated new public artwork for Portsmouth designed by internationally renowned artists Ivan Morison and Heather Peak of Studio Morison will be launched on 2 October 2021 on a celebratory day in Southsea Common.  The 1.4 metres bronze sculpture is a tribute to the original 53-foot high 2010 artwork Luna Park, which tragically burned down on Southsea Common. The artists will unveil a new sculpture that responds to ten years of public demand to ‘bring back the Southsea Dinosaur’.  The new public artwork will be located within a direct sightline to the position of the original Luna Park sculpture. It will sit on top of a fossil Portland stone plinth with a QR code which when scanned with a smartphone will connect to an Augmented Reality experience. People will be transported to a digital rendering of the original artwork, seemingly standing life-size in front of them on Southsea Common. Viewers will also be able to use their mobile devices to visit a digital

Explore the rich musical tradition of the Royal Navy at a special two-day event at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Whether you love sea shanties full of salty metaphors and swashbuckling action, or the stirring sound of a military band with brass and drums, there will be music across Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in a new event on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th June 2023, which is completely free with a valid ticket to the given attractions. The rich history of music in the Royal Navy is being explored at a brand new two-day event, featuring a wide range of musical performances and styles, from The Royal Marines School of Music to Tudor Opera singing with Jay Britton. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard comes alive with music, beginning on Friday 23rd June, with a special Solent Shanty singing event in collaboration with the Portsmouth Music Hub. This special collaboration has allowed the museum to host a special performance of sea shanties by over 700 children in the shadow of the legendary HMS Victory. This new event continues on Saturday 24th June, featuring performances across Portsmouth Historic Docky