There was a ‘pop up’ art exhibition that I really wanted to catch. It was in Wivenhoe, that Essex village and former River Colne (Essex) port, famed for its large number of artistic connections (including Francis Bacon in Queen Street), over a number of decades.
Weather-wise, if I might be permitted an Americanism, it was as pleasant as any mid-September day could be in England. It was dry, bright and with just the tiniest of nips in the air. It was jacket weather, which was fine with me - lots of pockets to carry the necessaries in.
Still having no private vehicle of my own, and loathe to purchase one, means that I have continued to be at the mercy of public transport. If I were a crow, with a mind to fly across an estuary, which I am obviously not, it would have taken me minutes, rather than the hours it took, via buses, to reach Wivenhoe from Mersea Island, where I currently live. That said, it was all well worth the effort.
Not only did I get to see the marvellous ‘Carters’ pop up (available for a limited time only), but two other art exhibitions in Wivenhoe. I found myself chatting to artists and a fascinating bookshop owner during that brief hop to Wivenhoe, and wishing that I lived closer.
In a refurbished old grocery shop called, not unsurprisingly, ‘Old Grocery’ (48 High Street, Wivenhoe), three members of the Carter family put other families to shame with their collective creative output. Simon Carter is, of course, well-known for his East Anglian landscape abstractions in acrylics, his watercolours and charcoal drawings, Ruth Carter for her watercolours, jewellery, craft and batiks while Noah Carter is becoming better known for his videography and his fascinating series of films concerning artists, artists’ studios and their works, as well as his charcoal drawings and watercolours. Samples from all three Carters graced that old shop/new gallery, with a recently discovered wooden easel continuing the studio ambience.
I was particularly impressed by the way that the three individual Carter’s selection of works harmonised together. The entire collection could have been created by one amazing hand, instead of six. With Noah’s films showing on one wall, the various drawings, paintings, craft items, etc., filling the other spaces, rural England and local art was truly brought to life by the Carter’s collective artistry.
Nearby, was Wivenhoe Bookshop, lodged in a 17th century clapboard building for the past forty-four years. Owner Sue Finn kindly let me have a sneak preview of that night’s exhibition opening of Alan Taylor’s work, in ‘art in the shed’, at 23 High Street, Wivenhoe. That evening was to be the launch of James Dodds’ new book ‘Wivenhoe Artists 1946-1986’ (published by Jardine Press, 2022), with Taylor’s paintings and prints billed as ‘his Wivenhoe haunts’, as a talking point. As I am fascinated by local art history, I bought the book while I was there. Okay, I am aware that I am gushing somewhat, but it was that sort of day.
Last but, well you know how it goes, was another ‘pop up’ exhibition hosted, this time, by the Anglian Arts Project (quality arts and crafts from East Anglia). The mixed exhibition was at the Sentinel Gallery, Chapel Road, and accessible by a gravel laid road near to the rail bridge.
Like the ‘Old Grocery’ and not far from it, the Sentinel Gallery is a room about the same size as the former. In that gallery was an impressive array of arts and crafts from across the picturesque, and arty, East Anglia (formerly ‘The Kingdom of the East Angles’ or ‘Regnum Orientalium Anglorum’ in Latin). Amidst the tantalising imagery were intriguing fused glass creations by Cathy Constable, Denise Brown’s charming ceramics and Suffolk artist/printmaker Anne Townshend’s eye-catching linocuts
All this art (and art talk) made me hungry. This led me to grab a vegetarian ‘Baba Ghanouj’ wrap for lunch, washed down with a cup of ‘Flat White’, before playing with buses again. I dined at the incredible Middle Eastern restaurant called ‘The Olive Branch’ (near the train station in Wivenhoe). That eatery was bijou and full, which was obviously a testament to the restaurant’s popularity. The journey back was much better than the journey out, as I had such pleasant memories to cling to.
