exhibitions

‘Sprezzatura’ – an exhibition

Art, Contemporary Women Artists, Events, exhibitions, painting

It’s action stations!

This week has been a full on one but it’s exciting. Two other artists in the studios have teamed up with me and we are going forward as a collective called ‘The Working Painters’. It’s a great boost to have a collaboration, and whereas I have generally worked a solitary bod I have really seen the power of working together this last few weeks. In the past we have loosely critted (is this a nice new word?) our work and thoughts together and now it’s time for a show of this year’s outputs.

Why now?

You know what? …. it’s hard to get gallery representation, or even work shown in the city art gallery where we work, and it’s sooooo easy to moan about that. So we decided to up the energy and organise a pop-up, renting the community hub which is a massive white ex-shop in the Mander Centre our city shopping mall here in Wolverhampton, England. The town is really down on its uppers, struggling to stay alive and the only thing we can do is to contribute to it with colour and hopefully inspiration for others to do the same. We want to buck the system!

Can we inspire?

We hope so – we want to show a way to beautifully curate on a limited budget to encourage others – individuals or groups – to have a go at doing the same. We are not having a catered Private View – but we are having one (!), and we are hanging in a way that others could replicate easily …. you’ll have to come to find out how.

‘Om Kara’ – Clare Wassermann – acrylic on paper – 73 x 73cm

About the title ‘Sprezzatura’

The exhibition title Sprezzatura typically means an appearance or style which assumes to be effortless but hides the endeavour involved in its creation. Many of the paintings exhibited here have been re-worked, painted back, painted over, scrubbed, rubbed, tonked, scratched, smudged, printed on, wrestled with and agonised over, and in fact the paintings often leave traces of these tussles. Some of the paintings came into being with less of a creative struggle as if not made by the artists at all. Nonetheless, the work of painting is always work, a matter of turning up and loading a brush. 

The artists

In a series of new work, Rachel Magdeburg has painted objects that have a personal resonance, and obliquely reference the practice, material techniques and processes of painting. Some of the pictorial imagery reveals a semantic playfulness, which is reinforced by the painting’s titles. Other paintings explore formal relationships within a work itself, and in relation to the motifs of other paintings. Rachel has just completed a doctorate in Fine Art and she is glad to be back to painting!

‘UnPalatable’ – Rachel Magdeburg – oil on board – 61 x 51cm.

Julia Burns’s recent large scale paintings employ a continuous dialogue, both intuitive and directed, with the very messy process of painting, along with a playful reference to a “mixtape” of Modernist and contemporary abstract painting, to create works that allude to the Urban landscape as an experience and an idea.

Julia Burns’s studio.

Clare Wassermann has been working with the symbolism of birds in her paintings as part of an ongoing investigation into the concept of liberation and alchemical transformation towards internal freedom as part of her PhD work.

‘River Swimming, Dolanog,’ Clare Wassermann – acrylic on paper, 120 x 79cm.

I you would like to purchase one of Clare’s pieces but can’t get to the exhibition 

There is an online catalogue here. Please get in touch to reserve your work – the beauty is there are no gallery fees so the work is affordable (subjective term I know!).
The work can be purchased online and posted at cost. Framing advice is available of course.

Please get in touch if you would like to purchase work by Julia or Rachel. Better still, come and meet us and see it in person. A catalogue will also be available online soon.

You can make quite a night of it!

You can go straight on to this if you come at the end of FridayEvery last Friday of the month, the doors of Wolverhampton Art Gallery will be opening after hours to welcome you in.

Each event will be inspired by current exhibitions. Expect live performances, music, workshops and curators talks throughout the gallery spaces.

Plus, the Glaze Café will be opening late to ensure you don’t go hungry or thirsty as you see your way into the night. Lates are adults-only, after-hours theme nights.

This Friday Lates is a double feature! Friday 27th & Saturday 28th October 6-9pm.

Friday 27th: there will be screening a documentary about the life and work of Derek Boshier.

Join British-Jamaican Artist and Educator, Exodus Crooks for an ink and collage workshop inspired by Derek Boshier’s Smile (1968). Throughout the workshop, participants will be invited to recreate an image they have on their phone, using found images, magazines and newspaper cut outs.

Info and booking here

How can we help you as an artist?

We are happy to work to mentor artists who would like to buck the system and put on their own show. We can offer advice and encouragement. Do get in touch with me if you think you would benefit from this service in the future.

And please do subscribe to my newsletter on Substack – I will be adding to it most weeks and I’d love your comments if you like!

An invitation to the Studio

Art, christmas, exhibitions

So it’s been a time of going inward and gradual emergence for all of us and it’s strange coming into the world again don’t you think? For me renewed contacts have been a joy where they have been possible, but it is not without caution.

However, during the time of lockdowns and insularities I have moved studio to Maker’s Dozen which is part of Wolverhampton Art Gallery and I have been painting in a beautiful bijou(ish) space.

oil on canvas

It’s time to welcome you, my friends and supporters to visit. I have an Open Day on Saturday November 27th from 11am until 4pm to wish you a happy Yule season and show you some endeavours. There will be prints, cards, seasonal cards, special offers and originals.

As an added bonus I am very excited that my lovely artist friend Rachel Shakespeare will also be opening her studio next door. Her work is divine (literally) and she creates a sacred space to show and tell within. She will also be displaying the work of Nicky Perriman.

Couple this with a visit to Wolverhampton Art Gallery and an exhibition there by Wolverhampton Society of Artists and you have a nice trip out seeing the good side of Wolverhampton. Incidentally there is going to be the British Art Show 9 coming to Wolverhampton from mid-January to April AND a beautiful new cafe in the Art Gallery opens to coincide with that. I was fortunate to be invited into the building site to see it developing this week. I can see it is going to be a favourite place in Wolverhampton to spend time eating, drinking and attending events.

oil on canvas

My studio can be accessed from the rear patio of Wolverhampton Art Gallery – either go through the gallery itself or go up the steps off Wulfruna Street opposite the Arena Theatre. We are asking for masks to be worn if possible.

If you can’t visit this day then do message me and we can happily open up another time.

Meanwhile – stay warm and safe.

Best wishes

Clare Wassermann

oil on canvas

Maker’s Dozen Studios
Wulfruna Street
Wolverhampton
WV1 1LX

5 minutes walk from the station.

July 2021

Art, exhibitions, meditation, Outdoor life, painting

I haven’t posted since April – where did the time go? Hope you are all staying well and enjoying some more freedoms than before and some lovely summer weather. I am revelling in the gardens and hedgerows at the moment – literally rolling around in grass like a puppy sometimes – I think it’s just a release from the darkness and enclosure of a strange winter.

There’s plenty of inspiration for shape, colour and pattern down there at welly level!

Much Wenlock, Shropshire – ‘The Spiritual In Nature Exhibition’

Now we can freely travel and visit places again, you may like to visit this gorgeous village in the heart of some beautiful countryside. There are antiques shops, bookshops, a yarn shop and plenty of lovely food outlets.

Excitingly I have an exhibition there for the whole of July – although please note that the venue, The Guildhall, is open Fridays to Mondays 11am – 4pm. It’s an amazing building itself – built in 1540. You can go into the courtroom and the council chamber which features the most exquisite wood carvings and furniture.

Cards and prints will also be on sale and I will be there on some of the days – this morning, next Friday afternoon and the 11th July. Other times I will drop in too. Let me know if you would like to meet.

The exhibition is my response to lockdown, featuring birds and wildlife that we could see through windows as we felt so trapped inside. But didn’t we come to appreciate it? Didn’t we notice its importance? Also I am addressing in my work, the need for new myths and tales to be told for our future generations about what we have learned about changes to environment through the actions of mankind.

Poster for the exhibition.

The address of the Guildhall is 1 Wilmore St, Much Wenlock TF13 6HR.
There are stairs to climb to the first floor. The exhibition and entry to the building is free but please expect to wear a mask. The red blob below on the map is opposite the Guildhall.

The Guildhall, Much Wenlock
Here are a few of the paintings in the exhibition. There are thirteen altogether.

In other news

I have achieved the desire of a lifetime which is to by myself a Campervan (not a VW trend-setter one!) to travel, read, write and spend time discovering more of our beautiful natural world. You could call it a mobile ashram and painting studio! There is loads of room for art materials and the potential for lots of silence, stillness and solitude. Expect more of this:

… anyway it’s all too exciting – I am looking for places to park up cheaply, walk and paint. I could deliver a mindfulness and art workshop near you with a group of your friends?

Wolf Town Art Club

I have decided to take a small break from our fabulous art club which has happened monthly online over the past year and we will resume in the latter part of the year. We all need to be out there at the moment, whilst we can!

Community Art Projects

I’m in the middle of two funding bids at the moment for some funding for great projects – watch this space – should know more at the beginning of August.

Meditation and Wellness Sessions

These are still online – you can find out more and book here (Gatis Community Centre) and here (Boundary Way Project).

That’s it folks!

Meanwhile get out there, smell the roses, make some marks, draw some and ENJOY THE SUMMER!

Love and best wishes

Clare Wassermann

Paintings from the van! Stone Circles and Crows by Clare Wassermann.

April 2021

Art, exhibitions, painting, PhD, workshops

Well the lockdown is lifting and we are not sure what the future holds. Many people in shops and pub gardens enjoying themselves but I am wary. Not anxious, but more practising being in the field of the unknown and working on being OK with that.

Fortunately I have a happy hermit mentality for the most part and making art, writing in notebooks and growing plants and veg keep me fairly isolated. What I am looking forward to is a few visitors to the studio and chats in person about art and meaningful stuff. Meaningless babble welcome sometimes. 3D people would be a bonus. In moderation. Introverts unite (well, the unite bit can be tricky!).

So I have enjoyed working on the PhD – very in the head with that but I also need to get out in the air, move my body, practice yoga and sitting in total silence as a contrast. I am working on the balance.

Words Paint Myths #1

Pieces like this run daily at the moment alongside written thoughts.

  • Burgeoning #1
  • Burgeoning #2

Studio Work

I am working on some larger oil paintings and small pieces for a solo exhibition in July in Much Wenlock, Shropshire. Some are inspired by new myths created for changed times for we are sorely in need of new narrative.

The exhibition is part of the ‘Word In Edgeways’ storytelling festival which covers July in the town. The paintings can be viewed at The Guildhall, Much Wenlock. More details when I know them.

12″x12″ oil on canvas
  • in progress 30″x30″ oil on canvas

Art Club

I am still running Wolf Town Art Club online once a month on a Sunday lunchtime – if you fancy a bit of art fun do join us for the cheaper than chips price of £5.80.

Next session is Sunday April 18th 11am-1pm – no experience necessary – the theme is birds this time – read all about it and book here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wolf-town-art-club-sketchbook-art-club-online-april-18th-tickets-147603926317?aff=erelexpmlt

Meditation and Wellness Sessions

Something else I love to do – the practice is my total foundation. I am qualified and overjoyed to share. Please find sessions on the Boundary Way Project events pages and also Gatis Community Centre’s Eventbrite listings. These sessions are competitively priced or free.

Wolverhampton Art Gallery has re-opened

If you are visiting and would like to visit the studio please drop me an email clare.wassermann@gmail.com or call 07976 350062 to see if I am in and covered in paint!

Stay well and safe

Best wishes

Clare Wassermann

2019 Round Up and Onwards to 2020

Art, exhibitions, PhD, workshops

Well here it is – the blog post that is there because I haven’t yet written all my Christmas cards – who else uses displacement activities?

I’m keeping it brief but just to say it has been a busy year. The first part was taken up with the Japan Exhibition in Ironbridge which then ran from August to November and was really successful.

In between I have had a lot of illustration projects, some commissions and some lovely workshop teaching as well as pursuing development of my own painting techniques and ideas.

Apart from this I have very much enjoyed completing a two year meditation teacher training course which has in itself furthered a meditation practice which I have had for over thirty years.

Zen Garden by Clare Wassermann

So, on to 2020… In relation to the above, I am teaching a morning workshop on January 8th called “A Practical Introduction to Effective Meditation” which will be a lovely taster session to some ongoing sessions throughout the year. Several techniques for meditation will be used plus some easy movement and deep relaxation. These will be held in my beautiful studio in Wolverhampton. Details and booking here: on Eventbrite

Looking ahead to 2020 I am pleased to announce that I am undertaking a PhD starting at the beginning of the year and work is already hotting up for that. I am really excited to be joining a research environment in an art context to develop ideas related to art and meditation.

Other workshops so far planned are my popular “Clare Wassermann’s Journaling and Travel Sketchbook Workshop” – back by request on February 1st – information here and it’s again in Wolverhampton at Newhampton Arts Centre.

The Arabian Deer from Clare Wassermann’s Travel Journals


Ongoing will be Wayne Attwood’s oil painting workshops every 8 weeks or so according to his availability. He’s a busy man as he is now President of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and his painting career is burgeoning. Our next session is on January 23rd and you can find out ore here – beginners and experienced folk all welcome – he’s a great teacher.

Finally I would like to draw your attention to an exhibition. It is in Wolverhampton at the Art Gallery. It is the Centenary Year of the Wolverhampton Society of Artists and this year’s exhibition is very special.

It runs from now until February 16th and has three sections – one for work by very highly regarded alumni, which has been gathered from around the country and national collections, one is a collection of work loaned by the Courtauld Gallery in London (Courtauld was an avid collector of fine art and of course had a rayon factory here in Wolverhampton before taking it further as an internationally strong textile industry).

The third room is this year’s entry for the exhibition which is carefully selected and beautifully curated by the Art Gallery. I am very honoured to have two large pieces in this especially as it is my first time of entering. Here is novelist and Times journalist Sathnam Sanghera with my work when he was guest of honour to open the exhibition last Saturday. Do pop in. Our Art Gallery is one of the finest in the country and is internationally known for it’s collection of Pop Art.

Photo credit: David Hamilton, Express and Star December 2019
…and here is me in matching scarf and painting
a salon hang – nice way to display work here at Wolverhampton At Gallery, Society of Artists’ Show

So here’s to a very Happy Christmas to all of you and to more art and developments in 2020. Thank you to all who have supported and believed in me – you know who you are and it is very much appreciated.

Stay creative in whatever you do!

Comments and suggestions welcomed below.

Best wishes Clare Wassermann

Japanese Exhibition etc.

Art, exhibitions, sales, workshops

Notoriously bad at keeping up this blog….must try harder (usual end of term report)!

Anyway here is a bit of news about my solo exhibition at Café 86’d in Ironbridge. It opens on August 7th and as I am away then we are holding a meet the artist evening on September 6th so do come if you can.

The café is my fave place to eat in the area…fresh and healthy food. All home cooked and mostly local ingredients. Well worth a visit any day. All the work is available to purchase and depicts peaceful memories of temples and still places in Japan on my travels. I hope the feeling of calm is transmitted through these works which are multilayered, stitched and drawn or painted.

Here are just a few examples:

  • If you miss this I am open as part of Wolverhampton Open Studios on the weekend of October 12/13 2019 at my studio at Newhampton Arts Centre, Dunkley Street, Wolverhampton UK

For YOU

there are all sorts of opportunities to MAKE ART at the studio

  • Friday 2nd August – all day 10am – 4pm. Like our Sunday club but longer! More time for chat, working and supping. Bring your own lunch – this session is to be booked in advance here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/clare-wassermanns-sketchbook-and-art-making-day-tickets-64466336548  Currently 9 places left. You can pay me direct instead but place is only held on payment. Cost £10
     
  • Thursday 15th August Women’s Wellness Circle: 7 – 8.30pm not art but a lovely way of staying healthy of mind £5 – let me know if you are coming – pay on the night.
     
  • Friday 16th August –  Nature Inspired Sketchbooks (SOLD OUT)
     
  • Sunday 16th August – 2.30 – 5pm – Self Care Sunday – Yoga and Intention Setting – let me know if you want to book via Marie who runs this lovely session. £20
     
  • Sunday 8th September – Sketchbook and Art Club 11.30 – 1.30  please let me know if you are coming. £5 Bring your own work as usual.
     
  • Thursday 19th September  10.30 – 3.30 Oil Painting with Wayne Attwood – President RBSA – details and booking  here  £34 Beginners or experienced painters welcome.
     
  • Sunday 22nd September – Sketchbook and Art Club 11.30 – 1.30  please let me know if you are coming. £5. Bring your own work as usual.
     
  • Saturday 28th September – Travel Journal and Sketchbooks Workshop with Clare 10.30 – 4 £35 details and bookings here
     
  • Thursday 10th October – 10.30 – 3.30 Oil Painting with Wayne Attwood – President RBSA – details and booking here. £34 Beginners or experienced painters welcome.
     
  • Saturday and Sunday 12th & 13th October – Clare Wassermann Open Studios – Studio Sale. Paintings, Textiles, etc. plus Jeweller Mojo and The Maker sharing my studio – lots of other artists exhibiting at the NAC this weekend – and all round Wolverhampton. Xmas gift ideas?!
     
  • Saturday November 9th – Travel Journal and Sketchbooks Workshop with Clare 10.30 – 4pm £35 details and bookings here.
     
  • Sunday November 10th – Sketchbook and Art Club 11.30 – 1.30  please let me know if you are coming. £5. Bring your own work as usual.
     
  • Looking forward to inviting Helen Hallows to come and run a workshop early next year – look her up!

Lotus Sanctuary

This is a small charity in Wolverhampton providing housing and a route into a better life and work for women in the city who have suffered trauma and homelessness.

Lotus Sanctuary is a community interest company with the pure and simple intention of housing and empowering vulnerable women suffering a range of complex issues; from rough sleepers to domestic violence victims, sexually exploited women and those seeking to get free from drug and alcohol addictions.

I have really enjoyed starting fortnightly art sessions for residents recently and am pleased to be continuing in this rewarding work. Some of their pieces will feature in an exhibition called ‘Recovery’ at The Lighthouse in September. More info another time, but this is how art can heal. You can donate to them here

Summer Sunshine

Art, exhibitions, Outdoor life, workshops

At last it is truly here! The British Summer. Time to throw the studio windows open and get out and about in the garden and plein air sketching.

I have just had an enjoyable time in Wales discovering the area between Cwmtydu and Cardigan. Unspoilt and rugged, the cliffs inspired some sketching and the beaches and hedgerows inspired some walking. Waterfalls on beaches and quiet roads have made this place a new favourite for me.

Tresaith Sketch
Plwmp Tart, Penbryn sketch

Japan Work

This year has mostly been taken up with a consolidation of two visits to Japan. I cannot begin to describe how this country appeals to me so much. The people, the countryside, the efficiency and ethos captivate and of course the temples are an utter sanctuary. In these tranquil places every angle seems to be a perfectly framed view.

I kept several travel sketchbooks whilst there and have been invited to make an exhibition on the theme this summer. Here is a glimpse but there are about twenty works in total. The date is to be confirmed but it will be at Cafe 86’d in Ironbridge, Shropshire for a couple of months. This is one of my very favourite eating establishments in the UK – my go to for lunch when in the vicinity.

These pieces feature many, many layers of collected papers, stitch, pencil and ink. Others are painted but layered in the same way. It has been a definite labour of total love.

Events in the Studio

As ever there are plenty of things going on in my lovely studio at Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton. Tonight there is a Women’s Circle which will also happen on July 2nd, the next New Moon. Only £5 – a chance to connect in peace. Let me know if you would like to come. Info here although the second date is wrong – it should read Tuesday 2nd July
https://www.facebook.com/events/673197123130651/

Otherwise there are more events on the Workshops page

Boundary Way

Boundary Way Allotments Project has had a new round of funding and this year some of the focus is on the role of fungi in nature. We had a superb visit from Rich Wright of Kew Gardens. He is a Mycologist and told us so many interesting facts about mushrooms and the amazing mycelium layer below the ground connecting plants and trees that we were all really inspired.

Hannah Boyd and myself had a lovely afternoon sketching fungi and making folding books from abstracted mushroom related art with a group of Bpoundary Way artists. More events are to come for the public in the Summer. One is here but I think it is sold out – watch this space for more.

Wolverhampton Society of Artists

I have recently joined this Society which is 100 years old this year. There has recently been an exhibition for new members to exhibit in. I was pleased to have sold these two pieces and look forward to spending more time with the society.

  • Holcome Pink Foot – oil on canvas 12″x12″
In The Womb Of The Earth – Hare – oil on canvas 20″ x 12″

There is one other available in the series:

In The Womb Of The Earth – Foxes- oil on canvas 20″ x 12″

and a sketch for a badgers piece is waiting!


I am sure there is a lot more to say – but it is time to go and enjoy the sunshine! See you soon.

Clare xxx

Christmas card Image

Workshops 2019 and other news

Art, christmas, exhibitions, sales, workshops

2019 Plans

Journal and Travel Books workshop with Clare Wassermann

Plans are afoot in Studio 103 for lots of new workshops both hosted and delivered by me. Please let me know if there is anything you would like to see here other than what I have put in so far. I can do my best to accommodate requests and it’s good to know what art folks would like to participate in next year. I don’t know if you don’t tell me!! 

There’s art jewellery making, felting, lino printing, poetry, journaling with me and more ….

Here is the link

Art jewellery workshop by guest artist Linda Alton

Current Work

I am currently starting a series of new large oil paintings influenced by Hundertwasser depicting Gaia as the Goddess of the Earth. Working as an artist last year at Boundary Way Allotment Project has been hugely influential. Thank you to the Arts Council and Heritage Lottery Fund from the artists- we are hoping to receive more funding to continue this wonderful work in the community next year. 

The piece I am currently working on is Gaia under the Wrekin spreading her rays through the allotment site. The Wrekin is a large hill surrounded by flat land and is very much a landmark all around the area. You can see it from our site and the sun setting behind it is a wonderful thing.

very early stages of Gaia and the Wrekin

The site is wonderful and has a camera obscura, a community garden, sensory garden, a wildlife pond and an orchard. It also has a large polytunnel where we have held art workshops. There are several open days a year and the public are welcome. Here is the link. It’ a beautiful website.

Christmas Cards

I have the new 2018 Christmas cards available in my studio – please come and visit if you are local. Profits go to Compton Hospice (Compton Care) in Wolverhampton where my father was looked after wonderfully over Christmas just before his death last year.

You can buy these cards here on Etsy. 

This is the 2018 design:

The cards are £4 for six cards with envelopes A6 size.

There is another design to choose from too.

Peace Dove – Syria

Saatchi Gallery Visit

Yesterday I happened to be in London so I took myself off to Sloane Square for a snoop around the gallery – I haven’t been for ages. I was waylaid for ages though in the beautiful Taschen Bookshop next door. A whole shop of the most beautifully printed art books – it was a must.

Anyway eventually I made it into the gallery and it was certainly enjoyable even if some of the art was a little difficult to look at.

A major exhibition there currently is  BLACK MIRROR: ART AS SOCIAL SATIRE featuring the work of 26 contemporary artists, open until 13th January 2019.

Black Mirror explores art’s role in social satire, and how political uncertainty has influenced art of recent years.

Using media such as collage, caricatures, photography and installation, the exhibition shows how satire can provide both light relief as well as unsettling commentary on the tumultuous, divisive climate of modern-day politics.

Black Mirror features some of the world’s most exciting contemporary artists making work about the world we live in, exposing anxieties our modern obsessions create. Artists featured include Turner prize nominee Richard Billingham, whose photography series of his parents Ray’s A Laugh pioneered “squalid realism” as he confronted the art world with the reality of poverty; Polish artist Aleksandra Mir who parodies newspapers by crudely drawing them with childlike tools – bringing new meaning to “fake news”; and Chilean sculptor Alejandra Prieto, who transforms rejected lumps of coal into a beautiful, desirable object of opulence, confronting class disparity and the commodification of luxury over function.

At a time of collective unease, Black Mirror emphasises the importance of art and satire in dissecting power structures, questioning societal norms, and visualising political unrest, providing light relief to life’s uncertainties.

The Saatchi Gallery was founded in 1985 with the aim of bringing contemporary art to as wide an audience as possible by providing an innovative platform for emerging artists to show their work. Over the last five years the Saatchi Gallery has hosted ten out of the top 15 most visited exhibitions in London, according to The Art Newspaper’s survey of international museum attendance, and also has more followers on social media than any other museum in the world. Entry to all the Saatchi Gallery’s exhibitions is free.

More info:

Saachi Gallery
Duke of York’s HQ
King’s Road
London
SW3 4RY

OPENING HOURS
10am-6pm, 7 days a week, last entry 5:30pm
Admission free.

I love the spaciousness of Saatchi



Open Studios and Other News

Art, exhibitions, workshops

Blackberry-Hare-clare-wassermann

“Blackberry Hare” above celebrates the Autumn Equinox – greetings cards available at Open Studios

I’m not very good at keeping up with my blog so I think it’s about time I filled you in with what’s happening with exhibitions and workshops as the Autumn progresses and we look to the bright colours of art to cheer us through the Winter.

I had a wonderful start to the year preparing for a solo exhibition which was really successful in terms of footfall, scores of lovely comments in the visitors book and sales. It took a huge amount of dedication and hard work to fill the space with thirty-two paintings for an exhibition spanning nearly two months but it certainly paid off. Thank you so much  to The Museum of Cannock Chase and all who attended to support me. Thank you too to everyone who cheered me on along the way!

So now to the future:
Wolverhampton Open Studios are nearly upon us
October 13/14th
This weekend sees many artists fling open the doors of their workspaces and homes to display their work and for you to see behind the scenes. This has been organised by Wolverhampton Society of Artists and there is a beautiful website here for information www.wolverhamptonopenstudios.co.uk
I will be open along with several artists exhibiting at Newhampton Arts Centre from 10am-3pm both days that weekend. Come and see my lovely Victorian room and see what’s in the studio sale. I also have my lovely friend and jeweller Sarah-Jane Whittaker with me with some of her beautiful work. We will probably be giggling and possibly eating cake.

Breathe 50 x 40 inches Clare Wassermann copyright 2018

“Breathe” 50 x 40 inches Clare Wassermann copyright 2018

Exhibition News
Wolverhampton is currently having a surge ahead with art. There have been some fabulous exhibitions at Wolverhampton Art Gallery recently. Smaller venues are also showing art. The Lighthouse really need our support to stay open and there is an exhibition called “Transformation” on at the moment, so please think about attending – much of the proceeds of sales are going to the venue to help it to stay open. The exhibition runs until October 30th.  I have three pieces in this exhibition.

At Boundary Way Allotments there will be a lovely exhibition in the polytunnel on October 13th as part of the Open Studios and I have some textile work here along with some books made on a workshop I ran as part of the Arts Council and Heritage Lottery Fund project that I have been part of. Do go and have a look – it is quite an extraordinary site with lots of things going on for the public throughout the year. More details in the Open Studios website and on the wonderful Boundary Way website.

Autumn-hare-clare-wassermann

“Autumn Hare” Clare Wassermann – oil on canvas Copyright 2018

Workshops
Plenty of lovely workshops happening in my studio into the new year both hosted by myself and other visiting artists – it’s always good to make art together. Here are the dates so far – but do keep checking back as I update often.

Garden homemade book page 1

“Garden” handmade book Clare Wassermann Copyright 2018

Other
Otherwise I am still out and about sketching in nature when I can, preparing for more exhibitions and hanging offers (more exciting news on that another time), painting and learning and enjoying a Yoga and Meditation two year teacher training course. I’m always looking to develop and learn – that is for me the joy of life.

You can follow some of my travels this year in my sketchbook blog here.

I hope you feel the same about whatever you are doing. Do come and have a cup of tea with me some time or better still see us over at Open Studios.

That’s all for now

Clare xx

PS Did I mention I love hares and birds?

Why I have walked and sketched in the cold so much this long winter

exhibitions, Outdoor life, workshops

Welcome to Spring!

At last the weather is warming, the buds are unfurling and the blossom is about to burst. We are starting to think about going outside in our gardens and sampling some country air. For me I am excited to be out in nature walking in the woods and having a bit of a commune with some trees!!

I’ve done a lot of walking and sketching this long cold winter …. why?

 

My first solo exhibition

I am incredibly happy to announce that I have been asked by The Museum of Cannock Chase to produce a large amount of work for an exhibition in their lovely gallery.
I have been busy walking Hednesford Hills, Brocton Coppice and other areas of The Chase and exploring the animals, scenery and plant life, painting and sketching in the landscape. It’s been a long and cold winter and sometimes the paint froze on palette and paper. Sometimes I used my iPad to sketch in a David Hockney fashion to alleviate the problem. It has all resulted in a growing fondness for the area and a body of work that I have really enjoyed. I have worked in oil, acrylic, mixed media and textiles and have relished the focus that it has brought to my practice.

 

I’d love you to come

The exhibition runs from Saturday 28th April until 17th June and the museum is open from 11am until 5pm 7 days a week (last entry 4.30pm).
There is a nice little coffee shop and other exhibits to look at plus some gorgeous walks right on the doorstep. There’s plenty of parking and the gallery is accessible to all.
Here is a link to the website so you can find out more

 

Workshops for You

A new list of exciting creative workshops in this lovely light and spacious Victorian Studio at Newhampton Arts Centre over on my website – click HERE.

They range from oil painting, encaustic wax art, a day of pastel tuition, meditative sound baths to creative textile work and feltmaking as well as batik and an art club every month.

Some of these days are run by me and some by a lovely group of tutors who are experts in their fields.
Newhampton Arts Centrre is a hive of activity in Wolverhampton and it’s website is here – please see what else there is for you.

Please get in touch if there’s something else you’d like to see happening or if you would like to run a workshop yourself.

Do keep revisiting the website because more is always being added!

You will always be made most welcome so why not explore your creative side and try something new?

 

 

Meanwhile enjoy the warmer weather and stay well, happy and creative