Five artists have moved in to newly converted Artist Studios at Chiswick House & Gardens, working across disciplines including ceramics, portraiture, printmaking and found-object sculpture.
The recently converted studios complete Chiswick House & Gardens Trust’s project to restore and revitalise historic working buildings between its Conservatory and the Kitchen Garden. The five new recruits bring the number of artists working in the Studios to 24.
The artists are:
• Sophie Balhetchet, exploring nature through ceramics and watercolour
• Anna Booth, a photographer and printmaker looking for pattern, texture and colour in the overlooked
• Margarida Fernandes, a painter using mixed media and processes such as sanding, layering and monoprinting to echo the way we remember and forget
• Tony Lancaster, a Chiswick-born-and-bred painter of landscapes, people and local scenes
• Emma Turpin, a second-hand materials based artist responding to the climate crisis through textile sculpture and slow fashion.
The Studios have been developed in partnership with the charity Artist Studio Company, who have also matched artists to the new creative workspaces at Chiswick House & Gardens.
Xanthe Arvanitakis, director of Chiswick House & Gardens Trust, says: ‘We’re thrilled to welcome these new artists to our Studios, and really excited to see what they create here and how this historic and beautiful setting might inspire new works. Visitors will also have a chance to see the Artist Studios and their resident makers at work – and our brand new indoor and outdoor spaces – at our next Open Day on Sunday 20 September.’
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Peter Flack, CEO of Artists Studio Company, says: ‘Studio space in London is increasingly expensive, forcing many creatives to leave the capital. The studios at Chiswick House and Gardens provide affordable workspace in a unique and inspiring setting, giving artists the opportunity to establish and sustain their practices in London.
‘It has been a pleasure to see the first cohort of artists settle in and establish such a thriving creative community. We look forward to welcoming our new artists and continuing our work with Chiswick House & Gardens Trust, exploring future opportunities to support creatives while also bringing more visitors to the gardens.’
The Artist Studios are part of a wider project which will also see the opening this month of three new community spaces at Chiswick House & Gardens:
• Learning Hub with the Clore Learning Space – a net-carbon-zero building which will be open year-round to support the expanding school and community programmes and to welcome people to connect, learn and celebrate
• Foyle Learning Yard – an outdoor space for everyone, in the working heart of the estate, for learning, celebrating and watching the world go by.
• Kitchen Garden Hub – a kitchen, sheltered seating area, storage, a drying room and an accessible toilet, all ensuring more people will be able to help with the everyday care of the gardens and enjoy the benefits of working together.
This £5.5 million project is generously supported by: London Borough of Hounslow, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Kusuma Trust, Wolfson Foundation, Clore Duffield Foundation, Foyle Foundation, The Linbury Trust, Mayor of London, The Headley Trust, Bernard Sunley Foundation, the Architectural Heritage Fund and many generous individuals and organisations.