Your guide to the Banbury venues and artists to visit during Oxfordshire Artweeks 2023

This year, Oxfordshire Artweeks, the county’s giant visual arts festival, bursts into life on May 6 with an event that promises to be fit for a king.

The ethos is that artists and makers open their doors and welcome, for free, anyone who would like to see their art, their studios and chat about their work and inspiration. Pop-up exhibitions are often an easy way to discover the hidden talent of a

collection of artists in a single space, whilst a visit to an artist’s studio can offer a more in-depth insight into an artist’s practice and it’s a more intimate experience. If a picture tells a thousand words, then a studio is an epic adventure! All visitors need is a touch of curiosity.

In and around Banbury, venues will be throwing open their doors from Cropredy to Deddington and Milcombe to Middleton Cheney for the second week of the festival (May 13-21). Within a 10-mile radius of Banbury Cross you’ll find 34 art spaces - both open studios and pop-up exhibitions – where as many as 100 artists and makers are welcoming you, for free, to see their art and chat about their materials, methods and inspiration.

Here is a guide, put together by the team at Oxfordshire Artweeks

Banbury

In the centre of Banbury, there’s colour galore in the Banbury Mill Arts Centre where first-time exhibitor illustrator Meg Hiorns combines vibrant hues with feminist themes in an exhibition that’s both joyful and powerful. Encompassing a variety of themes, Meg presents femininity both with a gentle simplicity and explores when it becomes more angry and complex. Nearby visitors can

explore including Church Lane Gallery home of the Banbury Artists’ Cooperative and the Plum Gallery on Parson’s Street. Here you’ll find stylish art by Tom Eden who has been inspired by the urban environment including the Banbury canal at sunset, Hook Norton Brewery and Oxford scenes and layered abstracted scenes by Nadia Birkbeck. Here too, alongside paintings by Susan Andrews which dreamily observe the simple pleasures of the domestic sphere, artist Belinda Moore presents luminous vibrant colour as boldly dotted minibeasts and on boxes and furniture which she has characterfully upcycled.

Middleton Cheney

In Middleton Cheney there are six talented artists and makers in The Barn at The New Inn showcasing a variety of art – and if you think art is just paintings, then think again! You’ll discover stylised townscapes and funky boats bobbing in bright blue harbours, colourful animal portraits with wow-factor, organic ceramics inspired by the local countryside, delicate textile art, and hand carved wooden spoons by Great Bourton’s Martin Damen. You’ll also find Artweeks designer-maker Sharon Highway of Mallory Journals who hand-binds individual and custom journals to suit a myriad of characters and interests.

“I start by pairing either cork or a leather colour with a paper lining,” she explains. “I generally choose from a selection of more than twenty shades which I buy in large hides from Italy. These are generally classic colours, so it is always a delight when I occasionally come across small pieces of leather in less traditional hues."

“It’s the lining paper that really adds the character. There’s something magical about opening a plain journal cover and discovering an enchanting pattern, colour and style inside . Italian paper is top quality and has beautifully illuminated patterns such as feathers, flowers etc, often Florentine in nature with gold and silver flourishes. Japanese Chiyogami paper, as used for origami, feels very different – it’s smooth and silky and doesn’t feel like paper at all. This tends to be elegant and sophisticated, often featuring blossom, cranes, birds, waves and koi carp. Indian handmade cotton papers are different again; particularly vibrant and flamboyant in bold colours and patterns and sometimes they are enhanced with glitter. Alternatively, I might use a piece of a vintage map or atlas. Then I add ribbon, beads or buttons in a rainbow of colours to create the perfect places to hold treasured words and illustrations.”

Sharon has also made journals for two very famous authors and a celebrity gardener. Who? “You will have to come and find me this year’s Oxfordshire Artweeks to ask me!” she laughs.

Also in Middleton Cheney, in the Heseltine Gallery at Chenderit School, several award-winning artists are showing paintings and ceramics. These include Sarah Smith’s whose paintings speak, quietly, volumes about the countryside and local landscape, her imagination honing the views and feelings of the places around us with ink, stencils, and collage. With a simple colour palette of Indigo, Yellow Ochre and white, honied gold and midnight blues, they evoke moonlit nights or bright days as bees buzz, birds fly, dried seedheads swirl in the breeze, brooks meander and morning mist descends or dissipates.

Alongside, Rachel Cronin’s evocative abstract landscapes are a also response to the environment in which she explores dynamic colours and experimental mark making. Working from sketchbooks she records her surroundings, field lines, hedgerows, and patterns of perspective with a painting in mind. Her paintings are concerned with the way the past intrudes upon the present. Symbols, signs, animal tracks, and claw marks mix with telegraph poles, gates, and fenceposts as we search for ways to remember who we once were by seeking out the wild face of our surroundings.

"Though we may not be permanent, either individually or collectively, there is solace to be found in the reliable cycles of the natural world and perhaps one of the legacies of the last few years will be a move towards a more natural and sustainable way of life, not just in the environmental sense but also by abandoning the cycle of busyness and burn out that keeps us estranged from the feel of the earth beneath our feet,” says Rachel.

Adderbury

South of town, Adderbury Church is a new Artweeks venue for 2023, where sixteen artists will be welcoming visitors to explore a variety of art, including Laura Boffin who is showcasing different traditional and alternative photography processes whilst exploring the theme of nature Esther Rolls who is exhibiting stylish linocut prints by in which she takes a conventional subject and gives them a unique and playful twist. “I’m inspired by the passing seasons, birds, plants and seedheads and I can’t resist a mid-century vase!” she smiles.

Also in The Lodge in Adderbury, you’ll find stunning stained glass panels by Phillip Dove, silver jewellery and stylised landscapes by Oxford painter Neil Butterfield who says “When I paint, I’m always hoping to induce positive emotions in the viewer – whether that’s a cheerful exuberance or something more harmonious and restful – and I hope to make people feel good about life. And

that’s one of the wonderful things about Artweeks: people come to the exhibition and chat about the pictures over a cup of tea, and then at the end of the exhibition I’ll often deliver the paintings that visitors bought to their homes and see them where they’re going to end up. It’s lovely to see a painting through from a blank canvas to its final position, and to see the pleasure on the faces of the

people who’ve chosen that picture when they see it in situ. It’s very satisfying.”

Deddington

And for something unexpected for the home, head down to Deddington, alongside paintings and exquisite jewellery by Emily Fermor and paintings by Jo C. you’ll find upcycled furniture influenced by the sea, the spring, Escape to the Chateau and local folklore.

“Sometimes I’m inspired by art itself,” smiles Deborah Hunt of Doodledash Vintage. “I’ve recently made a piece inspired by Frida Kahlo in Mexican colours: expect an abundance of flowers in reds and oranges, blues and greens. I’ve also designed a cupboard for Artweeks decorated with a close-up of the head of Michelangelo's most famous sculpture, rendered flat in the style of antique drawings and paintings. David’s an instantly recognisable classic, striking without being obtrusive, and it’s far

easier to fit it into your home like this than as a 5m marble statue. He’s also much more useful in this guise as you can use him to store your bits and pieces out of sight: surely that’s a win-win for every art-lover!”

If you are unable to get to any venues for real, or you simply appreciate seeing art from the comfort of your own home, there is a vast on-line showcase too – visit www.artweeks.org/latestshow

Want to know more? Pick up a copy of the festival guide or visit www.artweeks.org

Full guide:

Venues in and around Banbury (including their venue number so you can find it on the official map)

Open from May 13-21. Check opening times for individual venues at www.artweeks.org

Venue 175 Sue Frances and Ian Staples

Drawing, Painting, Textiles

A vibrant display of colour and texture from these two experienced artists.

Acer Studio

The Old Wharf

Appletree Lane

Cropredy

OX17 1PZ

Venue 176 Lockbund Gallery

Mixed Media, Sculpture

Exhibition of sculpture by New Zealand artist Simon Allison.

Lockbund Gallery

Appletree Lane

Cropredy

OX17 1PZ

Venue 177 Bobbie Seagroatt and Geoff Jeal

Painting, Sculpture

Contemporary figurative and semi-abstract paintings & contemporary abstract bronze sculptures.

The Flat

Prescote Manor,

Cropredy

OX17 1PF

Venue 178 Juliet Bankes

Multidisciplinary, Printmaking

An exhibition responding to contemporary landscape, through processes which demonstrate how art can be made in and of the land.

Home Farm House

Williamscot

OX17 1AD

Venue 179 Julie Herd

Various

Julie produces art on paper and canvas using eco printing and expressive paint techniques.

Cannons Yard

Williamscot

OX17 1AB

Venue 180 Jenny Eadon

Painting

Paintings and drawings in a beautiful garden and studio setting - easy access.

Church Close House

Church Close

Great Bourton

OX17 1RW

07967 122139

Venue 181 Banbury Artists' Co-operative

Various

Original artworks, prints, jewellery, sculpture, pottery, textiles, glassware, millinery and homeware.

Church Lane Gallery

3 Victory Buildings

Church Lane

Banbury OX16 5LT

Venue 182 & 183 Belinda Moore, Susan Andrews, Tom Eden and Nadia Birkbeck

Various

Original work including art responding to the urban environment, depicting contrasting ways of using dynamic colour, and jewellery.

Plum Gallery

20 Parsons Street

Banbury OX16 5LY

184 Meg Hiorns at The Mill Arts Centre

Digital Art, Painting

Joyful powerful works by an illustrator who combines vibrant colours with feminist themes. Runs 6-27 May, closed Suns.

The Mill Arts Centre

Spiceball Park Road

Banbury OX165QE

Venue 185 & 186 The Heseltine Gallery

Various

Showing artists selected at Heseltine Open exhibitions: Rachel Cronin with a collection of atmospheric abstract landscape paintings in acrylic & mixed media, Sarah B Smith, Mia Parkinson, Caroline Nixon & Sue Clayton.

The Heseltine Gallery

Chenderit School, Archery Road

Middleton Cheney

OX17 2QR

Venue 187-192 Artists at the Barn: Penny Varley, Anya Simmons, Lis Mann, Martin Damen, Melanie Charles

Ceramics

Bright bold and colourful animal art painted in a modern and contemporary style; landscape-inspired ceramics using texture form and colour; original seascape and landscape paintings, mixed media with fabric and paper, stencil and stitch; hand-bound leather journals lined with beautiful papers and handcarved wooden spoons and bowls.

The Barn @ The New Inn

45 Main Road

Middleton Cheney

OX17 2ND

Venue 193 King's Sutton Collective

Various

Ten artists exhibiting painting, textiles and jewellery in a beautiful church.

St Peter & St Paul's Church

The Square

King’s Sutton

OX17 3RJ

Venue 194 Margot Bell OPC

Painting, Printmaking

Landscapes in oils and various woodcut prints in large garden studio in beautiful location near the church.

Bell House

5 The Square

King’s Sutton

OX17 3RQ

Venue 195 Helen Woolner

Ceramics, Sculpture

A selection of raku, pit-fired & stoneware ceramics, decorative & functional ware.

1 Astrop Road

King's Sutton

OX17 3PG

Venue 196 Deddington Pop-Up Gallery featureing Jo C (Stroke of a Brush) | Deborah Hunt | Emily Fermor

Various

Intimate venue bursting with creativity, paintings, jewellery and upcycled furniture.

Deddington Arms Hotel

Horsefair, Deddington OX15 0SH

Venue 197-199 Alison Morris, Phillip Dove and Neil Butterfield.

Silver jewellery, stained glass and colourful landscapes and still lifes.

Stained Glass. Exhibiting with Alison Morris (jewellery) & Neil Butterfield (painting) Parking nearby at The Green.

Groom's Lodge

Oxford Road

Adderbury

OX17 3NF

Venue 200 Adderbury Artists

Various

Painting, ceramics, stone-carving, textiles, papier maché, photography and more. 17 artists in beautiful church. Refreshments at weekends.

St Mary's Church

Adderbury

OX17 3LR

Venue 201 Belinda Ellis

Painting

Abstract paintings on canvas, linen and paper using oil, acrylic and watercolour paint and charcoal.

St Mary's Lodge

Church Street

Bloxham

OX15 4ES

Venue 202 Ronny Loxton

Painting

Watercolour and acrylic paintings from nature in Ronny’s new studio.

Little Owl Studio at Stoneleigh Cottage

Horton Lane

Milcombe

OX15 4RG

Venue 203 Cliff Kinch

Photography

Beautifully-captured images local to Oxfordshire as well as from further afield.

Old Well House

Main Road

Milcombe

OX15 4RR

Venue 204 Thomas Winter

Drawing, Painting

Artist & illustrator with a passion for equine & practice including portrait, landscape & animals. Enjoy our rural Oxfordshire village.

The Village Hall

School Lane

Wigginton OX15 4JX

Venue 205 Nigel Fletcher

Painting

A very popular exhibition open for two weeks from 13th to 29th May.

Swalcliffe Village Hall

Swalcliffe

OX15 5EQ

Venue 206 The Stour Artists & Makers

@ Temple Mill Loft

Wood, jewellery, mixed media art, artist blacksmiths, & pottery against the backdrop of the first mill on the Stour.

Temple Mill, Sibford Gower

(on Hook Norton to Sibford Gower Road)

OX15 5DA

Venue 207 William Gray

Photography

Discover the beauty of the Cotswolds through the eyes of an award-winning photographer, plus images from Cornwall, the Lakes and worldwide.

Barnes Cottage

Main Street

Sibford Gower

OX15 5RT

Venue 208 Jane Abbott OCG

Painting, Textiles

Watercolours, calligraphy, woolly sculptures, felted pictures featuring wildlife, nature, landscapes and magical beasties! Also open 28 & 29th.

Grange Farm, Church End

Swerford nr Chipping Norton

OX7 4AX

Venue 209 The Stour Artists & Makers @ Tyte Tap

Eight talented artists from different disciplines including ceramics, furniture, glass, jewellery, photography & sculpture in stunning village setting.

Tyte Tap House

Tyte End

Great Rollright

OX7 5RU

Venue 210 Anuk Naumann OAS

Glass, Painting

A celebration in paintings and glass of thirty years in a garden.

The Shrubbery

South End

Great Rollright

OX7 5RG

Venue 211 Rollright Rebels

Various

A welcoming friendly group of 10 talented artists & crafters, & tea & cake.

Great Rollright Village Hall

High Street

Great Rollright

OX7 5RH