There’s no place like it - Worthing's creative hub is all art for Open Houses

Worthing's creative hub Colonnade House is playing its part in the 2018 Worthing Artists Open Houses by hosting two exhibitions for the event.

Art Trails are thriving these days, and Worthing is no exception with nearly 60 venues taking part over three weeks in the town's annual extravaganza.

At Colonnade, which is in Warwick Street in the heart of Worthing’s cafe quarter, the popular gallery space is hosting two exhibitions for the three weeks of the Open Houses.

‘There’s no place like it’ by Ruth Mulvie explores the “endless potential” of colour. Comparisons are often made with Hockney: glamorous women in 1950s bikinis lounge around swimming pools, palm trees speckle the horizon, while the sky holds the rich intensity of LA heat. As well as the themes and motifs, Mulvie also captures that same, compelling sense of flat perspective that Hockney is known for, yet she manages to create depth at the same time, building up foreground elements or adding in distant detail.

For this exhibition she jokingly plays with the idea of the holiday resort as a place of pleasure and escape. However all is not as it seems. Ruth carefully crafts her paintings from digital collages using found imagery creating scenes familiar yet strange - here you will find the Beach House in Worthing nestled amongst flying elephants and a candy floss machine.

Ruth said: "The imagery I pick varies depending on what I feel like painting, but it all fits into several broad themes of pleasure. It started when I was at art school and made trips to Blackpool to photograph rollercoasters. I remember driving down to Blackpool from Glasgow and sleeping in the car on the promenade so I could be out first thing to capture the feel of the place with my camera. I fell in love with the Tower Ballroom and and I just love all things seaside. Living in Lancing in a beautiful Victorian house across from the sea felt like coming home."

‘There’s no place like it’ opens Wednesday 13th June - Sunday 1st July 10-5 (closed Mondays)

Colonnade House is also delighted to host and exhibtion by one of its studio members, Peon Boyle whose print studio is on the third floor. Peon runs classes and hosts workshops as well as using her studio to create her own work.

Her new series ‘South Downs’ was inspired from her early morning walks at dawn, where she spent her unsleeping hours observing the colours of the sky at her favourite time of the day. She especially likes the moment before the sun rises when the sky changes from deep blue to pale grey. Then when the sun rises, bright burning orange pierces through the horizon.

Printmaking found her during the second year of her Fine Art degree. She loves process and steps; there is a set format to follow and she just loses herself when printing and wiping the plates. She loves the smell of ink and its creamy texture: the way it moves. Printmaking is very “hands on”, she builds a relationship with her work by touching it. Every wipe makes a mark, and marks fascinate her.

Peon said: “Everything leaves a mark in this world. Visible or not, it remains in existence and sometimes it is in people’s hearts.”

Peon Boyle: Printmaker opens Wednesday 13th June - Sunday 1st July 10pm to 5pm (closed Mondays)

Peon will be running some practical public demonstrations during her exhibition: Gelli Plate on 16th June between 10am & 2pm and creating a collagraph plate which is all day on 23rd June.

Colonnade House officially opened as a creative hub in September 2016 with funding from the Coastal Communities programme.

It has been leased to Adur & Worthing Trust, a local charity that supports arts and culture and is managed through a partnership between the Trust and Worthing Borough Council with a team of three members of staff.