Open Studios Showcase

The talents of Perthshire’s creative community will be on display in the coming weeks as a major exhibition is held as part of the annual Perthshire Open Studios event. Opening a week earlier allows visitors who want to get a head start working out their routes and venues to pick up a physical brochure or use our QR code to download one and work out their own road trip across Perthshire.

Perthshire Open Studios Showcase Exhibition will bring together the work of the region’s artists, sculptors and craftspeople, displaying the diverse creativity and skills that exist in the area. Staged at the Barn Gallery at The Bield at Blackruthven, Tibbermore, the two-week exhibition opens on Saturday, 29 August and runs until Sunday, 13 September. As well as the Barn Gallery with the spectrum of art on offer allow time to enjoy the outdoor space at the Bield, the Walled Garden (if not in use) and the rest of the space which has art installations to be enjoyed too.

Free-to-attend and open 10am to 5pm daily, the exhibition provides a central venue for the public to view a wide range of work produced by those participating in September’s Perthshire Open Studios initiative. Displaying items produced by many of the artists, the showcase allows visitors to see a sample of work by each participating craftsperson and plan trips to their studios, galleries and workshops throughout Perthshire.

This year, the showcase will feature three artists in residence. Diana King, Jo Perkins and Kerri Watson will be in attendance at the exhibition to welcome visitors, offer insight into their creative processes and techniques, and discuss the stories behind their work.

Diana King is a long-standing member of Perthshire Open Studios and is a returning artist in residence. A jewellery maker, she now has a new specialis, making pieces from recycled metals as well as working in silver and with pops of colour using cast resin.

Jo Perkins is a new member of Perthshire Open Studios and paints expressive, colour-led landscapes and florals in acrylics.

Kerri Watson, of K Laverock Textile Art, is another new member of Perthshire Open Studios. Kerri creates unique needle and wool felted art in locally-sourced, sustainable and ethically produced wool.

Angela Thomson, director of Perthshire Open Studios, said: “Perthshire is home a vibrant creative community of artists, sculptors, furniture makers, potters, designers and craftspeople, and Perthshire Open Studios shines a spotlight on them and their incredible work. Our Showcase Exhibition at The Bield offers an opportunity for visitors to see a selection of work – across a range of mediums – from all those participating.

“We are extremely fortunate in Perthshire with the landscape, flora, fauna and materials that surround us and provide real inspiration for artists. Our artists in residence will offer a flavour of the work that craftspeople across Perthshire are creating every day. They will give visitors to the exhibition an insight into their chosen medium and processes they go through to take the idea for a design or item from concept to reality. We hope that through these interactions and the body of work on show, that the public are encouraged to visit our participating craftspeople in early September.”

Perthshire Open Studios Showcase Exhibition at the Barn Gallery, The Bield at Blackruthven, Tibbermore, runs from Saturday, 29 August to Sunday, 13 September and is open daily from 10:00 until 17:00. The exhibition provides a showcase for the annual Perthshire Open Studios event, which runs from Saturday, 05 until Sunday, 13 September.

Launched in 2008, Perthshire Open Studios is a community run initiative that provides a platform for the regions artists and makers to showcase their talents. Staged annually in September, this year is the events nineteenth year. The initiative includes artists, sculptors and craftspeople from across Perthshire who open their studio doors to the general public. This year sees 60 venues taking part, which are spread over seven geographical routes.