The countdown to the BIGGEST EVER Open Studios Art Festival has officially started

The brochures have landed, the countdown has begun, and artists across the whole of Northamptonshire and Rutland have been busy creating for the biggest ever Open Studios event in the county.

A total of 317 local artists are taking part in the hugely successful Open Studios event which returns this September, including the annual takeover of the stable block at Lamport Hall for the central exhibition - and this week sees the launch of Open Studios brochures, so visitors can start planning which artists they’d like to visit!

Artist Mark Curtis Hughes

Northamptonshire and Rutland Open Studios invites local people to visit the artists, potters, sculptors, printmakers and craftspeople in their local area, to see where they work and explore the art that people are creating near to you. The brochure details all the artists taking part and is widely distributed to hundreds of public shops, cafés and public places. This year the successful event includes artists from the Rutland area too, so there’s lots of new work to explore. And to kick things all off, each artist taking part produces up to two pieces for the annual Central Exhibition at Lamport Hall, which fills the historic stable block with a vibrant showcase of the artistic talent across Northamptonshire and Rutland.

The Central Exhibition opens on 1 September at 10am and is open Wednesday to Sunday every week of September 10am-4pm. Entry is free to the exhibition and there is a café and parking on site. There will be a variety of artists on site at Lamport giving live demonstrations and creating art within the gardens each day. Plus, the very popular mini masterpieces mystery postcard sale is making a return where visitors can purchase a postcard for £10 but won’t know which artwork is theirs until the end of the show.

Artists who are opening their studios to visitors are listed in the widely distributed brochure and on the NROS website, and you can expect a warm welcome as well as sneak peek into their creative processes. There is also a raft of group exhibitions at galleries, art centres and museums across the area and pop exhibitions at lots of other venues.

Artist Alyssa Robinson

Artist Alyssa Robinson, who is opening her studio on 14/15 September in Wilbarston said: “I'm thrilled to be exhibiting in Stamford Art Centre during the NROS festival with a fantastic group of Rutland artists. It's been lovely getting to know them and I'm sure the show will be really exciting and varied. Then I have two weekends at Kettering Art Centre with a small but mighty team, with some live demonstrations of our work - which is always fun to do. Then a final weekend opening my work room at home. It's going to be a busy month, but I love the NROS community feel, it's a joy to be involved.”

Artist Jackie Cheetham from Exton near Oakham is opening her studio on two weekends and added: “I opened my Rutland painting studio for the first time last year as a member of both the Rutland and Northants events. I’m excited this year to be opening jointly with Sue Johnson, another Rutland artist. Now the two regions have joined together, September has become a major part of my year, as we are also exhibiting in a group show at Stamford Art Centre and in the central NROS event at Lamport Hall. This has become a huge art festival, and I count myself very lucky as a relatively new artist to have found this dynamic and supportive art community.”

Artist Louse Brooke

Artist Mark Curtis Hughes from Thrapston opens on 14 September. He says, "I'm so excited to be taking part in my first Northants summer festival. Many artists are used to working in isolation, and this is a fantastic showcase for what local artists are doing and putting their work out in our community. When I moved back to the Midlands, after 10 years in London, it was incredible to see such a vibrant, thriving art scene with the Northants Open Studios at its centre."

Artist Louise Brooke from Middleton Cheney in the south of the county agrees, ‘Northants and Rutland Open Studios is a wonderful, vibrant celebration of local art and artists. Since joining last year, I have been blown away by the variety of artistic talent right on my doorstep. The September Festival is the perfect way to explore and enjoy this .. for free!

“I am excited to welcome visitors to my studio in Middleton Cheney for the first time this year. I will be working on some exciting new pieces throughout, as well as being on hand to share insights into my artistic journey, inspiration, and practice.”

More information about all the artists and events is available on the NROS website or you can pick up brochures in loads of places across the two counties.