A Strange Phenomena Seen on Chapel Green

Festival Organiser Richard Cook reports on a strange sighting on Chapel Green during the opening Saturday of the Festival.

"Instead of the more familiar sight of the hooded crows that populate the town, a very strange flock of fifty highly coloured birds descended on the Green, accompanied by a rhythmic sound that may have been the beating of their wings in the warm Autumn air. A local twitcher stated that he had never seen such a flock in Crowborough, let alone anywhere else.

Local children, along with their parents had been busy all day making these fantastically colourful birds in a craft workshop run by Cathy Cherry and Denise Fisk, and were able to parade around Chapel Green, accompanied by the beating of drums from a drumming workshop organised by Peter Welch. After the parade the children were rewarded for their efforts by a picnic kindly donated by Tesco, who supported the Festival.

Allyson Cook, Chair of the Festival, attended the workshop and said that support from the people and businesses in Crowborough had been really heartening and justified the effort put in by the Festival Team during the year."

Well done, Crowborough children. Keep those colourful birds flying for your town!

Group photographs by Richard Cook. The bird picture from Erica Adams.

The Festival - How Was it For You?

The Festival Organisers would love to have your comments on any aspect of the Festival so please feel free to let us know what you think.

For instance: Did you think our promotion and advertising was adequate and accessible and did it tell you enough? What else could we have done?

What events in particular appealed to you and did they fulfil your expectation? What did you think of the quality of the work on show?

If you attended a concert, the Improv Comedy Workshop or any of the art workshops, what did you think of them? Where they good value for money?

Was there enough for the children?

Did you notice any particular buzz around the town during the Festival? Did it get people talking?

What do you think about the town having more of such events?

If you wold like to comment on any of these questions or give us your personal views on the Festival, please do so by adding a response to this post. Every comment is welcome and will be considered in future planning.

Thanks in anticipation from the Festival Team.

Crowborough Arts Festival Guides

The Festival Guides are out this week. Find full details of concerts, events and venues and some tempting images from some the of the exhibiting artists in this attactive publication. They are free of charge and are available to collect at W. E. Cro, Jewellers, High Street - British Bookshops and Stationers, High Street - Cafe Baskerville, The Broadway - "High Spirits" Cafe Bar, Croft Road. They will also be found at other locations around Crowborough, Tunbridge Wells, Uckfield and some outlying districts. Don't miss a thing. Pick up your copy now!

Festival Exhibition Artist - Jo Ferrell

Jo Ferrell is a highly-qualified Art Therapist from Australia who, by the vagaries of the job market has ended up in Crowborough "-and loving it! Although formally trained, I label myself more as a naive kind of artist - never one for a formal study - I get seduced by cheap, yummy materials and quickly executed, cartoony images - more about meaning than substance."

Jo's skills go beyond drawing and painting into craft work, ceramics and jewellery. She has exhibited extensively in Australia for places such as Fremantle Art College, Curtin University, the Craft Council of Australia and the South West Tourist Bureau. Her work is delightfully quirky and full of humour, gentle yet thought provoking. You must not miss the opportunity to see some of this work at the Festival Exhibition and at the gallery presented by World In Need, Mill Crescent, Crowborough and which will be open every day of Festival week. See separate blog entry for full details. joeyblossum@dsl.pipex.com

Garage Gallery - Hoath Cottage Gallery

Hoath Cottage Gallery invites you to visit them on 18th/19th and 25th/26th September between 11am - 4 pm to view work by photographer Linda Smith, author and artist Erica Adams and quilting expert Corinne Simpson. The Gallery is hosted by Frances Arrowsmith who will be serving up delicious home-made refreshments. Work is for sale and will include cards and prints. The ladies say "we plan to take you into our secret garden, to the beach and finally into the freezing winter. Come and see what it is all about." Curious? You will find Hoath Cottage Gallery at the junction of Croft Road and Mill Lane, Crowborough. Visit them on one or both Festival weekends . You will not be disappointed. To discover more about the artists, look on their separate blog entries.

Festival Art Exhibition - United Church, Croft Road

The Festival Art Exhibition to be held at the United Church, Croft Road, Crowborough from 18th - 26th September offers a wide selection of work in many media including oils, acrylics, watercolours, photography, embroidery, sculpture, collage, pencil drawings and printing. Most of the artists also have work on display in some of the town centre and Jarvis Brook shops and in their own Open Studios and Garage Galleries.

Visitors will see work presented by: Anne Acott, Erica Adams, Angela Vernon Bates, Mary Bradley, Jan Brine, Raphael Che, Frank Collard, Pauline Dixon, Marina Elphick, Jo Ferrell, Sarah Gauntlett, Colin Goodes, Mary Harris, Sheila Hay, Elizabeth Hunt, Lynn Inglis, John Killens, Chriss Langworthy, Hannah Muskett, Steffi Pusch, Shaheen Razvi, Valerie Riley, Betty Robey, Linda Smith, Barbara Todd, Justin Todd, Deborah Tompsett and Molly Williams.

The Exhibition will be open on Weekdays and Saturdays between 11 am and 7 pm and on Sundays between 12.30 - 5 pm. Some of the work will be for sale and admission to the Exhibition is free of charge.

The Festival would like to thank the Reverend Dominic Grant and the United Church for the use of this beautiful building and for all their continued support.

Festival Exhibition Artist - Justin Todd

Justin Todd is a well-known artist and illustrator with work in many fine books. He exhibits regularly and his detailed style and humorous approach has made him extremely popular.

"My pictures describe human activities, which are sometimes amusing and occasionally quite rude. I try to vary the content, shape and scale of every painting while keeping the arrangement balanced by imposing a simple geometric structure."

Enjoy more of Justin's work at the Festival Exhibition, in Quiffs Hairdressers, Croft Road and at the Craft Design Fair.