Spring Fling is welcoming a host of fresh talent with 10 new artists and makers taking part in this year’s event.
All with have online studios and some will be taking part in the two Spring Fling Pop-UPs.
More than 60 artists and makers have been selected for this year’s event, which is from 29 May to 6 June, and range from painters, potters, photographers and printmakers to jewellery, film and glass makers plus many others.
Among the newcomers is Anne Waggot Knott, a contemporary visual artist and original printmaker based in Cumbria. It will be the first time Anne has exhibited in Scotland – she will have an online studio, will have work at the Mill on the Fleet pop up, and will be giving a live online printmaking demonstration.
Anne, who is part of the Spring Fling Neighbours scheme through which artists from adjoining areas are invited to take part, said: “My abstract prints are inspired by the ever-changing landscape on both sides of the Solway.
“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to showcase my work at this prestigious event in Dumfries and Galloway. It’s a region I love, where I feel very much at home.
“This has obviously been an uncertain year for emerging artists, but my collection of new pieces celebrates the energy and dynamism I feel bubbling below the surface for many of us right now.”
Anne is in the process of renovating a studio space in Auchencairn.
Peter Machell, is a woodworker whose creations include beautifully hand painted wooden clocks. Despite having lived in Galloway for 30 years it’s the first time he has applied to take part in Spring Fling.
Peter said: “A while ago I left my huge woodworking workshop in Kirkcudbright and built a one-person sized workshop near Mossdale, on the edge of the Galloway Forest Park.
“Lockdown allowed me the freedom to just try out a few ideas I had in the back of my mind and in sketch books, as there was no living to be earned for the duration. I was pleased to return to highly coloured work, this time painting by hand, and started my forays into detailed ornamentation.”
The other new faces are:
- Briony Anderson – visual artist
- Janet Carson – visual artist inspired by nature
- Aileen MacEwan – semi-abstract visual artist
- Ella McCreath – potter making wheel-thrown ceramics for the home
- Ian Mckinnel – visual artist
- Rachel Shnapp – filmmaker and artist
- Astrid Weigel – designer and maker working with printed textiles
- Sian Yeshe – freelance filmmaker
Rachel and Sian are also the young artists who were selected for Upland CIC’s annual six-month Emerge scheme. This provides emerging artists with a bursary, support and mentoring – plus the chance to take part in Spring Fling – in order to help them develop their careers.
Joanna Macaulay, Assistant Director for Upland which runs Spring Fling, said: “One of the real attractions of Spring Fling is that it’s always such a rich mix of regular and new participants. This year’s new faces are a really exciting mix of emerging and established artists and makers from many different disciplines, all of them bringing their own distinctive extra dimension to the event.”
Both Rachel and Sian will have Spring Fling online studios. Rachel’s dystopian film installation 17 Hertz will be shown at Gracefield Arts Centre (book at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/Gracefield-Arts-Centre).
Sian is based in Langholm and works in documentary film and installation. Her work explores issues faced in often underrepresented communities, particularly in a rural context. She hopes her work can uplift the communities she engages with and shine light on the diversity of life within them.
Much of Spring Fling is online but there are physical activities.
The programme includes:
- Spring Fling Pop-UPs showcasing work by 32 participants at Ottersburn Gallery, Dumfries, and Mill on the Fleet, Gatehouse of Fleet, 29 May to 6 June.
- Wish You Were Here! online exhibition of small-scale work that celebrates the Dumfries and Galloway region, from 29 May to 23 June.
- The Call, a roaming audio artwork by Katie Anderson which can be seen (and heard) by visitors to the Mill on the Fleet and Ottersburn Spring Fling Pop-UPs.
Outdoor workshops
- Sketchbook Walkshop with Elizabeth Gilbey
- Garden Adventures in Paint with Hazel Campbell
- Pen, Ink & Watercolour with Pamela Grace.
Online talks
- Sow a Little Wildness Back with Peter Smith.
- Creative Conversations with Clare Dawdry & Kate Ive.
- SSA and Spring Fling Participants
Online demonstrations
- Live Print Demonstration with Anne Waggot Knott.
- Jewellery Demonstration with Alison Macleod.
Online for children and families
- Draw Along with Lucy – A Spring Fling Special.
