Talent in spades was on display over the Bank Holiday weekend for the latest Henley Arts Trail.
Hundreds of visitors were able to discover original artworks and explore hidden corners in the beautiful towns and villages along the Thames near Henley.
Participants could meet over 200 creatives, learn about the inspiration behind their work and buy direct from the makers. The 34 varied and characterful venues provided the perfect canvas for showing off the work of so many talented creatives, some of which fell under the Wokingham borough.
Once again Sarah Pye collaborated with the Big Plant Nursery in Hare Hatch, the perfect venue to compliment her large paintings featuring nature’s colour, light and life.
The Coach House is home to four resident artists and makers. Vallari Harshwal, ceramics; Steve Hedger, reclaimed wood furniture and home accessories; Claire Howlett, Land & Seascapes and Ekta Kaul, stitched maps & abstract art. For the trail they also invited seven guest artists and makers along.
Vallari, who studied art in India before opening a studio 15 years ago told My Wokingham she worked with ceramics which was creative but still had its limitations, switching to terracotta during lockdown. “The collections you see now are part of my childhood narrative, capturing my story. Being part of the trail is lovely because you can showcase your work and talk about it to people where it is made. You can walk them through the whole process and there is an instant connection.”
Steve Hedger is the man behind the venue and he exhibited for the first time last year. He works with people at neighbouring Yeldall Manor, a residential drug and alcohol recovery centre, a healing community with a holistic approach. By encouraging the residents who have diverse backgrounds of drugs, prison and alcohol to get creative, emphasising the therapeutic nature of art, it has led to them discovering new hobbies.
Steve said: “I loved the experience of exhibiting at the trail last year which led to me creating a community of artists. The Henley Arts Trail was the obvious next step. And for many of the guest artists here with us, this year is their first time exhibiting.”
Chantelle Ferrer and Virginia Davis teamed up to display their work. For Chantelle it was her first time exhibiting and she admitted it was a big learning curve. “You don’t realise how much work goes into the preparation. But it has been lovely to meet people and hear them talking about art in a different way.”
And she added: “I love figurative paintings and I love to paint friends and family and of course take commissions, otherwise I seek out photos which are paint-worthy, found or taken, and I play about with them exaggerating bits, ignoring others; altering focus, colour, exposure then I paint it using the edited photo as a starting point until I am happy with the result. I am interested in the psychology of the person – a bit of tension, a relationship, or just an enjoyable moment.”
Virginia, exhibiting for the third time, is a deaf photographer and often notices quirky details
that she likes to capture with a camera or her phone.”