Hello and welcome to Newsletter #17!
This is Ann’s partner, Gary: Wow: this one’s taken its time, hasn’t it?
Since our last Newsletter back in May, ‘Leap of Faith’ has now been completed and is shown here for the first time. I might be biased, but it’s a stunning work, beautifully painted. One of Ann’s best…
Technical problems this month? Oh, yes, but let’s not dwell on them: on with the show!
G + A
‘Leap of Faith’ is about… Well, it’s about leaping into the unknown, when you can’t see the other side…
About trusting in a safe landing. And that delirious giddiness when you commit to something greater than yourself. Some might call it ‘belief’!
Oh, and it’s about Bumble-Bees: especially armoured Bumble-Bees!
This one took forever to come together, but Ann’s so pleased with the end result. When you think about it, the decision to move into this fantastical, magical realm with her art practice, was yet another ‘Leap of Faith’!
From out of the dark & moody jungle, flies a Toucan (who we first saw in ‘Keeper of the Keys‘). He’s in such a rush to join the fun, that he’s snagged a flower somewhere along the way!
Then there’s a Cheetah, who’s ‘breaking the 4th wall’, by staring out at us, the viewer. I wonder what he makes of us? A quick mention for his armour, as it’s using the same finish Ann gave the Owl in ‘Pearls of Wisdom’; a sort of anodised finish, the blue & gold really pops against the night sky.
Then there’s the Daschund! In fact, so joyful is our diminutive hero, that he’s even wearing tiger-stripes alongside a superhero’s cape! Oh, and have you noticed his little Fez?
There’s a Ring-Tailed Lemur, too, in honour of one of Ann’s most beloved sculptures from years back; can you see the green mango in his pocket? You’ll notice that the Lemur is hanging on for all he’s worth, to one of the streamers tied to the Zebra’s saddle…
Of all the characters in the scene, the galloping Zebra is the one leading the charge, I’d say.
Such balanced nuance in the collar, with delicate tonal work in the stripes & mane, too…
I thought I’d show you some detail of the Zebra’s saddle, with its rich quilting and embroidery. If you think you’ve seen the pattern before in Ann’s work, you’re quite right: the quilting is inspired by an early work called ‘The Pilgrims’.
But the true star, is of course the Queen Bee itself. Look closely, and you can make out the trail of golden pollen mingling in her dusty wake: a magical trail, leading everyone else to follow.
‘To Bee or Not to Bee?’
Ah, but that is the question, is it not?
In what’s becoming another common theme in many of the pictures, we see a child’s balloon, with a familiar purple ribbon, lazily drifting through the clouds…
Last of all, we find a Luna Moth skirting
around the edge of the forest. These magical moths, are naturally translucent and appear to glow.
Ever since Ann discovered them, they’ve begun creeping into pictures where a little light, or extra contrast is required!
We’ve made changes to the store, with a new – permanent – voucher-code, offering 15% discount to all new subscribers to this newsletter!
After many trials & tribulations, we found a winner for our 2nd free prize-draw: Alice Taylor, so our congratulations to her.
We’re planning to hold further draws soon, but getting hold of prize-winners, has proven to be a LOT harder than you might think, so a rethink to the format is called-for.
Bear with us: Ann and I are working all this out as we go along…
Well, here’s a thing…
It’s also been a challenging time at the Craft Market in Cirencester! The challenges of Covid over the past 18 months or so, have meant that we haven’t yet seen a full trading year at the Corn Hall.
As a result, we’ve yet to recognise – and plan for – the pattern of trade across each season.
Since returning back in May, visitor numbers have been fluctuating dramatically week-to-week. As a result, we’re not seeing the sales we need to justify appearing every week. Veteran traders reassure us that this is just echoing the normal pattern, but in order to conserve our resources, we’ve decided to trade on the FIRST and THIRD Saturdays of each month until September, when trade is expected to pick-up…
Mark your calendars!
Ann Richmond Studio
44 Whittonditch Road
Ramsbury
SN8 2PY
Open 11.00 – 17.00
Sunday – Thursday
July sees the Marlborough Open Studios programme, and we’re pleased to report lots of solid traffic & sales, so our continued thanks to all those who’ve ventured out to our little corner of North Wilts!
I’ve made a little gallery out of what’s usually my ‘print room’; the place where I assemble
framed work and store the materials needed to get Ann’s work out to the World.
We’ve crammed all-sorts into this space: signed prints in our usual sizes, plus some rare originals that seldom see the light of day.
Open Sun – Thurs, 11.00 – 17.00.
No Appointments necessary.
Outdoor seating for appraisals.
With no access to the rest of the house, surfaces cleaned between visits and ample ventilation, the space is as ‘safe’ as any other ‘non-essential’ retail space now re-open.
Something unexpected…
More SOON!
Well, that’s it for now: thanks for having made it this far!
Until next time, Ann & I wish you well and we look forward to seeing & hearing more from you in the weeks to come!
Stay Safe and Here’s to Saturdays-to-Come in the Corn Hall!
