Suffolk Open Studios - June 2014

I love living in Suffolk and one thing that I look forward to every year is the Suffolk Open Studios season.

This occurs in June and during the 2014 season, over 120 Suffolk painters, potters, photographers, printmakers and textile artists will be opening their studio doors to the public.

This month-long initiative has been running since 1993 and offers visitors the chance to interact personally with each artist and learn more about their working practices.  There is no obligation for visitors to purchase studio artwork, but it is always lovely to take away a truly unique piece of artwork from an artist that you’ve met in person!

To help visitors navigate around the studios, a series of artists’ trails have been coordinated covering 11 different areas of Suffolk. The Sudbury Trail occurs over the weekend of Saturday 7th – Sunday 8th June 2014. This trail allows you to visit 10 artists in the area including the Long Melford studio of Katie Green - weaver and landscape painter, photographer Emily Fox, and glass artist Gail Bushell. To view the Sudbury trail map click here. 

One of the artists that I hope to visit is Felixstowe based printmaker Clare Curtis, who will open up her studio during every weekend in June.  Having grown up on the Suffolk Coast, I love the whimsical coastal themes that Clare features in her linocuts alongside her beautiful and striking prints that feature a variety of flora and fauna. Clare has over 20 years of experience as an illustrator and printmaker and her iconic artworks have been used by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the National Trust.

Copies of the Suffolk Open Studios programme will be available from our office at The Old Water Tower, Southwold from May 2014.  If you are staying in one of our Suffolk cottages during June, I thoroughly recommend a visit to at least one of Suffolk's open studios!