Ye Olde Rose and Crown

To kick off the venue previews, there is no better place to start than one which every E17 art-head knows, The Rose and Crown ‘Theatre’ Pub. Throughout the year the R&C is always open as a space for everything creative from visual art to live music and from comedy to theatre productions tucked away in a room up the narrow staircase…it just got included in The Guardian’s top 5 places for live music in London!...So there is almost always something  going on and the pub downstairs is spacious and welcoming enough for you to sit back and enjoy quite a few relaxing ‘refreshments’ in what is pretty much a community hub for many different types of Walthamstowers.

During the weeks of the Trail, the Rose and Crown will be buzzing as usual, and hosting loads of stuff  of a great variety too, so theoretically you could just spend those 2 weeks in the pub and still see so much!  There will be lively events of comedy, music and performance such as a showcase of new writing interpreted and performed by The Goats Theatre Company (8^th Sept.) which should provide surprise, interest and just a really great time!

Exhibitions you ask? Well the Rose and Crown  will be having around eight different exhibits running in those two and a bit weeks, from group exhibits to solo shows covering a huge range of disciplines. Photographs, prints, illustrations and paintings will be drippin’ off the walls while you sit sippin’ away. And, I wasn’t kidding about just staying in the pub all day and allowing the art to be brought to you because on the weekends of the trail, the Rose and Crown will be running The Plinth again! This is a platform outside the pub which is open between 12pm - 5pm and anyone can just stroll up and have 10 minutes of fame or public notoriety. They can exhibit work, perform poetry, sing a song, dance to something traditional or contemporary…act, rant, maintain a dignified silence....  anything at all really!

It will be the first place you should stop anyway because this coming Thursday (2^nd of August) this year's fantastic Trail Guide will be waiting in the Rose and Crown still warm from the printer for you to pick up and start planning! 

Ye Olde Rose and Crown

53 Hoe Street

E17 4SA

http://www.roseandcrowntheatrepub.webeden.co.uk/

What Venues need Previews?

There is so much happening in this year’s trail that we thought it will be real helpful for visitors and artists if we post some venue previews over the next few weeks. They can let visitors know what public spaces are being utilized for exhibitions and events and let artists who may have an exhibition tucked away in a framing shop, church or café get some attention.

It is one of the great things about the Art Trail that everything around Walthamstow begins to have an artistic pulse, and you will be surprised just how various the buildings that open their doors and walls to art are.

Although there will be a few previews of the obvious places, we want to highlight those smaller studios or spaces that are transformed into galleries by the trail and get as much people traffic as possible over to those places.

So, if you think there is a venue that needs some attention, email its name and some details about it to: E17ArtTrail@gmail.com

NAMES by Siskin Brace - Music, Pictures, Stories..

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2012 E17 Art Trail

We are putting together an online exhibition of songs and paintings to be released during the E17 Art Trail 2012. Our project is called NAMES by Siskin Brace. Each song, and its corresponding painting, bears the name of a different fictional character. Their various narrative strands combine elements from folk tale and legend with Sci-Fi, post-apocalyptic and fantasy fiction. All the songs are written, performed and recorded by Siskin Brace (Tom Bloor and Leeroy Lugg) with contributions from some guest musicians, and all the paintings are by Joanna Bloor. Website design is by Leeroy, who is Creative Director of local web designers Suspire Media.

2, Is this your first time in the Trail or are you an E17 Art Trail veteran?
This is our first time taking part in the Trail.

3. What are the challenges of getting everything ready for your Art Trail event?
The challenge is to make sure all elements of the project are ready by the various deadlines.

4. Do you remember the first artist that really influenced you? Does that artist’s influence still have an impact on your work?

Between the three of us, some influences detectable here and there could range from Eels to Marc Chagall, or from dub reggae to Georges Rouault via Tom Waits.

5. The E17 Art trail has become bigger every year. Do you think it is because more artists are calling it home?

The E17 Art Trail attracts a fantastic range of artists. Slightly more affordable housing/studio space than in other parts of London may have brought more artists to the area. Though formally something of a cultural desert, we hope the E17 Art Trail is paving the way for an ever more exciting and vibrant Walthamstow.

6. What has E17 bestowed on you?
We all live in E17 and have done so for many years. It has bestowed upon us all some appreciation of what home might mean.

Matt Richards - Visualizing the rhythm of E17

This exhibition should capture the individual musical identities of Walthamstow's collective sound of diverse musicians:

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2012 E17 Art Trail?

Musical Views a collaboration of sight & sound, and will culminate in an outdoor exhibition of portrait, and musically inspired illustrations, accompanied by audio. I'm an illustrator and I'm exploring the Borough's rich cultural diversity by looking for music (traditional or contemporary) being played.  Looking at musicians from all walks of life, I'm documenting our meetings, and putting my findings together as an illustrated portrait exhibition.

Music has been a massive part of my life. At school I learnt to play my Granddad's cornet, then the Trombone, guitar and taught myself enough to find my way around a keyboard. I've DJ’d for the best part of 20 years and also tried my hand at production. I’m really excited about collaborating with the area’s musical talent (hidden or well known)  and look forward to seeing what imagery and soundscapes we produce along the way. Before people visit the exhibition, I want them to visit the website where they will be able to actually download the sounds that each musician has created, and discover some of the interesting stories along the way. That way they can plug in their iphone, mp3 player, or whatever, and totally immerse themselves while looking at the art.

2. Is this your first time in the Trail or are you an E17 Art Trail veteran? 

I'm a newbie. I've only been in the area a year, last year I donated a piece for the opening of the Mill, it was a print of Manze's Pie & Mash shop found on the High St. It's still on sale on my shop. It's really exciting that I can put on a whole exhibition this year but also slightly nerve-racking as it is my first solo show!

3. What are the challenges of getting everything ready for your Art Trail event? 

The obvious one for me that I am hosting an outdoor exhibition, weather proofing the work is going to be a challenge! I'm just praying for a good Indian Summer! As part of my research, I have been meeting local musicians. Having to set up recording equipment, testing levels, interviewing, and taking enough reference shots for my illustrations all within tight time-frames can be quite challenging. All of the participants have been more than generous, welcoming me into their homes, and effectively gifting me with their talents. For this reason I feel the project sits comfortably within this year's theme.

4. Do you remember the first artist that really influenced you? Does that artist’s influence still have an impact on your work? 

I remember being quite into the Pre-Raphaelites when I was younger, so things like Ophelia by Waterhouse and also Millais. I'd visit them in the National Gallery regularly. That was before being introduced properly to modern art, I remember in art history lessons discussing the rationale behind Mondrian's Broadway Boogie Woogie, and starting to understand the theory of movements such as Cubism. Learning of the Bauhaus movement paved my way into a design based career. My tutor at the time was very traditional and a stern supporter of live drawing, so I guess that has remained in the sense that I still do a lot of portrait work and my style does have a sense of realism about it.

5. The E17 Art trail has become bigger every year. Do you think it is because more artists are calling it home? 
Well if you are looking at me then I guess so yes! There is talk of a migration from creative hubs such as Hackney, maybe it is designers/artists from those areas who want to start families and want more space that is bringing them this way? I think what has become evident in my research with local musicians, is that the area is so thin-on-the-ground for public venues (no cinema + pubs & music venues closing) that community initiated projects such as the E17 Art Trail is the only way the area's talent can find a home. Hopefully that cycle will reverse as these projects do get larger and attract more publicity.

6. What has E17 bestowed on you?
I was born in London and have spent most of my life here, but I have to say, some of my neighbours are the friendliest I have ever met.

Musical Views runs from 1st September - 14th September with a Private view on 1st

For more info and to download the Audio for this exhibition visit http://www.mattrichardsillustration.com/arttrail2012/

Sarah Ezekiel - Artists will always create

What will be a very expressive exhibition at Walthamstow library  from 12.30-4.30pm on the 1st of September by Sarah Ezekiel:

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2012 E17 Art Trail? 

The work that I’ll be showing is quite unique because I create each piece using my eyes with a Tobii Eyegaze computer. I was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), 12 years ago, aged 34. I soon lost the use of my hands and I’m severely disabled now. I’d always enjoyed drawing and painting but never imagined that I would ever create anything again due to my disability.  I’ve been using eyegaze technology since 2011 and recently started to create my work using an art software programme called Revelation Natural Art. Painting with my eyes is very different to using my hands and quite slow. However, I love it, and I’m very pleased that Tobii technology has enabled me to express my creativity again.

2. Is this your first time in the Trail or are you an E17 Art Trail veteran? 

My E17 Art Trail exhibition is my first and I’m very excited about it! I was born and brought up in East London so I feel like I’m coming home. It feels extremely poignant and right. 

3. What are the challenges of getting everything ready for your Art Trail event? 

I rely on my carers to help me with everything so preparing for my exhibition is quite a challenge. I’m framing some of my work at the moment and I’m pleased with the results so far. I’m a very organised person so I’m working methodically and know that I’ll be ready by September 1^st. That doesn’t stop me from waking up in the middle of the night feeling panic stricken though! 

4. Do you remember the first artist that really influenced you? Does that artist’s influence still have an impact on your work? 

I’ve been inspired by many artists during my life time. Some of my favourites are Modigliani, Klimt, Picasso and Matisse. I’ve probably been influenced by all of them. The strange thing is that my eyegaze work is very similar to the work I produced with my hands, although the techniques are completely different. I’ve only been eyegaze painting for five months now so feel as if I’m still on a big learning curve. 

5. The E17 Art trail has become bigger every year. Do you think it is because more artists are calling it home? 

I think that the E17 Art Trail is such a wonderful event and more artists want to exhibit because of that. As I said earlier, I feel that I’m coming home, so I’m sure that others feel the same. 

6. What has E17 bestowed on you?

The E17 Art Trail is bestowing several opportunities upon me. I think that an important aspect of my exhibition is that people will see that despite adversity, it is possible to carry on and achieve what you want. Very little is known about my illness and I’ve been actively raising awareness of MND for several years. Hopefully, a few people will learn a little more through my exhibition. I’ve been selling my work online via http://www.eyegazeartists.com/ I’m donating all of the proceeds from my sales to help purchase Tobii eyegaze technology for other people with MND because there is no government funding. I’m hoping that my exhibition will enable me to bestow the gift of speech, communication and independence upon people who desperately need it. The bestow theme is particularly apt for me.

http://sarahezekiel.com/

Veronica Lindsay-Addy - 8 Diamonds...

Veronica Lindsay-Addy's exhibition seems both fascinating and fitting for this years Trail:

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2012 E17 Art Trail? 

I am in the process of creating  8 paintings  on hexagonal shaped canvases, representing a potted biography of my life as an Elizabethan. My inspiration is the Diamond Jubilee for both content and picture shape. The works title is Bestow, in line with the theme of this years trail  neatly fitting in with the final 2 paintings; my sister receiving an OBE from the Queen.

2. Is this your first time in the Trail or are you an E17 Art Trail veteran? 

I think I've been involved with the Art Trail since 2007 in many different set ups: as part of a group shows at Waltham Forest Collage, presenting Waltham Forest Children's Art Project, working with 1NE, alongside friends at the Quaker Hall in Walthamstow and more recently at Pictorem Gallery on Hoe Street. I suppose you could call me a veteran.

3. What are the challenges of getting everything ready for your Art Trail event? 
Each year the challenge of getting everything ready varies depending on whether I am working independently or as part of a group or even the main organiser. Getting myself organised is a matter of having a large monthly wall calendar plus lots of scrap paper covered with scrawled lists of daily targets. I usually start off with an ordered and leisurely plan, gradually slipping into a more chaotic schedule,  finally followed by a last minute dash to be ready. Working with others can require much patience, tact and stamina (i'm sure they are saying the same of me).

4. Do you remember the first artist that really influenced you? Does that artist’s influence still have an impact on your work? 
One of my favourite artists is Paula Rego, whose work I came to late in life on an impromptu trip to Tate Britain about 4 years ago. She is able to convey her empathy with the women she portrays in the care she takes with each stroke of the brush. Not only that, there is always an element of narrative, fantastic colour sense and a great boldness. I would love to be able to produce work of this stature.

5. The E17 Art trail has become bigger every year. Do you think it is because more artists are calling it home? 
My reasons for being involved in making art are multiple: fulfils a need to create, empowering, expressive and provides a social network through group events. I think the E17 Trail has grown more through networking, than artists calling Walthamstow home. The more people you talk with, the more talent you unearth. I  believe that everyone has something special to contribute but doesn't always realise or have the confidence to share it.


6. What has E17 bestowed on you?
Being part of E17 has given me courage to show my work. The atmosphere is very supportive because even when showing independently you are part of a whole. Taking part makes me feel like a professional artist, even though it's my hobby and gives an annual focus to my work. Basically I am saying it helps keep me going.

Funky Cheeky Handmades

Here's Jenny from Cheeky Handmades...  

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2012 E17 Art Trail? 

This year I will be showing some new quilts inspired by vintage American quilt patterns but executed in modern funky colours and fabrics. There will also be some photographs of my work, classes and inspiration up on show.

2. Is this your first time in the Trail or are you an E17 Art Trail veteran? 

This is my third Art Trail, and I feel I am really understanding what it is about and what I want to do to step up to the mark, last year was such an inspiration, seeing all this amazing work and meeting fantastic people (some who have become firm friends since).

3. What are the challenges of getting everything ready for your Art Trail event? 
The challenges for me are as always that the art trail starts at the end of the summer holidays which this year as most years finds me at home with 3 kids as well as away camping and generally having summer holiday fun, not leaving much time to prepare or make things. I am however not taking on any work during this period so hopefully any spare time I have I will be able to use constructively for the art trail prep!

4. Do you remember the first artist that really influenced you? Does that artist’s influence still have an impact on your work? 
I am not an artist but a crafter, I have been more inspired by other people who are taking ancient crafts and updating them to make them very 2012 such as Grayson Perry. I love his work and am extremely excited that he will have his tapestry up in the new William Morris Gallery although I wouldn't say he was a direct influence on me, that is more reserved for the army of amazing craft bloggers out there as well as inspiring local people. I am more and more amazed at the talent in Walthamstow and if anyone is still in doubt I would suggest checking out the Soft exhibition at The Mill this is inspiring!

5. The E17 Art trail has become bigger every year. Do you think it is because more artists are calling it home? 

I think Walthamstow is attracting more and more creative people, it may not be as hip as Hackney but it is full of talent and has really changed in the 7 years I have lived here. It no longer feels like a suburban outpost of London, somewhere I reluctantly lived. 

6. What has E17 bestowed on you?
I feel part of an amazing community now and am proud to be part of #awesomestow. 

www.cheekyhandmades.co.uk

Sba Shaikh - How many bestows is that?

Sba Shaikh first bestowed her ‘Personas’ upon us when she did the Trail for the first time in 2009. In her own words from the blog that year:  

The Personas of Mehraj is an ongoing collection of work. It is really an artistic journey of my different interests and passions that makes me not just a person but also an artist. 

This Trail we will see the next stage of that journey.

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2012 E17 Art Trail?

The Personas of Mehraj part 3

The third Persona: Begum Maha-Kareem Mehraj - The Indian Mughal Princess - will be showcasing a small part of her passion this year, with an installation called Sufiana. This installation is based on an area of Islamic thought called ‘Sufism’, which is very close to her heart.

I have used my photography of the Mausoleum of Sufi Saint, Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (click on link for more info), as the primary inspiration for this installation and as the basis of the main painting I have been working on. My visit to the Hajj exhibition at the British Museum earlier this year was also an inspiration for The Whirling Dervish which is another part of the installation. These influences can be seen with the patterns I have used on the jacket. 

The interplay of light on the skirt of The Whirling Dervish will have an important role as the skirt will be hand printed with the technique called ‘Devore’ in which fibres are etched away. A rotating light will be placed underneath the skirt so the piece will look as if it is actually twirling. I wanted to create not just an installation but an environment. I want the viewer to feel the atmospheric aura of when I was last at the ‘Dargha’ (shrines of Sufi saints are known as Darghas). It is this I am trying to visually create for viewers when they come and see my work.

I want to showcase aspects of my belief in an artistic, peaceful, spiritual way and I hope that I can achieve this with this year’s E17 Art Trail entry! The hope is that everyone enjoys this installation as much I have enjoyed thinking and creating it. However…….I just hope I can finish it on time…… we will all have to wait and see…….

2. Is this your first time in the Trail or are you an E17 Art Trail veteran?

I think I can be called a veteran now as this is my 4th year of doing the Art Trail.

3. What are the challenges of getting everything ready for your Art Trail event?

Challenges mmm!!!

• A decent dress maker who can make what I can visualize/sketch.
• Expensive materials and VAT disabling me from fully launching my range of scarves.
• Finding a cost effective dyeing course where I can brush up my dyeing skills.
• Last and not least TIME………..

4. Do you remember the first artist that really influenced you? Does that artist’s influence still have an impact on your work?

To tell you the truth there are no artists that have really influenced me. As mentioned in my previous years’ blog entries I would say my religion, people, architecture, my culture, situations, life, history, patterns, colour and of course Bollywood. In fact I think I will watch some Bollywood after writing my entry for the E17 Art Trail Blog!

5. The E17 Art trail has become bigger every year. Do you think it is because more artists are calling it home?

Of course! There has been a great migration of artists to Walthamstow in the past 5 years. I moved from Hackney after living at my parents. I do believe more artists are calling ‘The Stow’ home as it still is part of the East End and here artists can flourish as individuals without being stifled.

6. What has E17 bestowed on you?

• E17 has bestowed on me – the ability to show the diversity of my religion – Islam - and culture through my art and to be respected for it.
• E17 has bestowed on me – Luck – I have been invited to show my work at The Fifth Sufi Rang Festival 2013 in Ajmersharif, Rajasthan, India which is where this installation will be travelling to next Inshallah - God Willing. Also getting my job at Lambeth Academy.  I work Monday to Wednesday and here I am able to do something else I enjoy doing which is ‘Enterprise’.
• E17 has bestowed on me - as usual my lovely home. I love it to bits….. Yes…  it still does get kisses literally when I get home from a long day at work!
• E17 has bestowed on me - my little shop in Wood Street Indoor Market - please be sure to visit I’m No.4. :)
• E17 has bestowed on me - The E17 Art trail enabling me realise how much of an artist I am and giving me the platform to grow , bloom and follow my passion.
• E17 has bestowed on me - encouragement in taking positive risks enabling me to start a range of designer scarves called ‘Klassy Kitch’ .
• E17 has bestowed on me – the ability to be one of the finalists for the Waltham Forest Small Business competition for the best creative business.
• E17 has bestowed on me – Happiness!!!

www.mehraj.co.uk

The blogger from out of town from Walthamstow

I'm Hassan and as you will know if you follow the blog regularly (if you don't, you're gonna be missing out), I have been given the busy but blessed task of blogging this year's absolutely mammoth E17 Art Trail.

I have been away from Walthamstow for 4 years, and being the ol' artist that I want to be (find some of my work here: http://readhassanvawda.tumblr.com), I was going to be running around this year's art trail to get back into the creative community of Walthamstow regardless, so to do it 'officially' is pretty ideal and I'm rather thankful and oh my! How the creative community has changed.

I was born in E17 and was rooted here up until I was 18. It has been my cosy home made of a dodgy amalgamation of concrete, different coloured plastic bags and as some have pointed out, mattresses. I decided to leave all that utter beauty to do a bit of travelling and then to go all the way to Falmouth, Cornwall for University - a place with not much concrete and mostly one colour of plastic bag. But even amongst all the lovely, clean, fresh sea air and seafood I always missed the concrete and bags of E17. It is a place that is plastered in layers and layers of different peeling wallpapers, all overlapping and covering...but it isn't a plain wall that hides under it, it is more and more wallpaper: history over history, culture over culture and class over class.

When I left Walthamstow, the creative community was spread out thinly or completely underground. People weren't aware of a thriving art scene. The creative communities' wallpaper space was hidden amongst everything else but since coming back how that has seems to have changed. Last Easter I came back for a week and driving through Wood Street on a late evening I noticed a silent film being projected on the wall of the dentist. Before, you had to find art, film and poetry in Walthamstow, now it seems to be one of those lovely hubs where it will find you and you can stumble on something every other day. The creative community here seems to have come together in a collage of their own wallpaper with their own place on Walthamstow's wall and the E17 Art Trail seems to be the perfect glue. 

This years Art Trail is even bigger and stronger than ever, with around 180 venues hosting about 350 events. As always there will be artist previews posted by Valerie and myself containing images and responses to this year's questionnaire (see post below). However, this year for the first time there will also be venue previews! Leading up to the trail I will be posting about some of the venues and what's happening so you can start planning and don't miss out on hidden gems. 

The E17 Art Trail is officially on between the 1st -16th of September and I for one cannot wait to start zipping through every event and exhibition on the trail. If I know this area, it will be different, diverse and downright fantastic!

Bestowing the questions for 2012...

OK..... Here are your preview questions for this year's E17 Art Trail...

1. Please tell us about the work you will be showing in the 2012 E17 Art Trail?
2. Is this your first time in the Trail or are you an E17 Art Trail veteran?
3. What are the challenges of getting everything ready for your Art Trail event?
4. Do you remember the first artist that really influenced you? Does that artist’s influence still have an impact on your work?
5. The E17 Art trail has become bigger every year. Do you think it is because more artists are calling it home?
6.  What has E17 bestowed on you?

As always please send us your answers with 2 or 3 images. These can be images of your Trail work in progress, your finished work, your venue or even images of something or someone who has inspired your work. 

Please send your answers and images to:

E17ArtTrail@gmail.com

We will then post them on the blog and send you the link.  If you would prefer to have the questions emailed to you please let us know and we will send them direct. 


We are really looking forward to getting the Trail previews under way and seeing it all come together over the next few months. GOOD LUCK to everyone and enjoy your Trail!