Holiday Choices

Lighter nights and warmer weather mean that it's time for us to start searching for a holiday. We are looking for a week away, somewhere in Britain, with some art that both of us would find interesting.

This year, after a bit of digging through some old brochures and the Internet, we have narrowed the options down to Sussex or the Cotswolds. We are heading to Sussex to visit a friend for a weekend in the summer anyway. Should we extend that short visit to see more of the area or broaden our horizons with a tour around the Cotswolds instead?

Both areas have a lot going for them. There are numerous museums and galleries, stately homes with their own traditional collections and various displays of outdoor sculptures and installations. Plus plenty of other appealing attractions, exciting events and stunning scenery to give us a bit of a break from the art.

In Sussex, we like the sound of popping along to Worthing Art Gallery to see some of the work of Carol Wagstaff, a versatile artist who is exhibiting works inspired by the museum's collections. Cass Sculpture is another possibility. It's a charitable foundation that commissions, displays and sells sculpture by 21st Century established and emerging artists. And for a late night out, we could watch the coloured lighting of the "Sticks Of Rock" along the prom at Hastings and St Leonards.

If we choose the Cotswolds, we could visit the Minotaur and the Hare, a large bronze sculpture, made by Sophie Ryder, in the middle of Cheltenham. Nature In Art, near Gloucester, has a diverse collection of works depicting animals, landscapes and other natural themes. And the Fox Talbot Photography museum at Lacock, near Bath, sounds fascinating too.

The jury is still out at the moment. We'll let you know our decision later and report on what we find wherever we go.

Vicky And Vince,
Love Your Art.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

Unbelievable! One of my life ambitions is about to come true thanks to Light Artist, Bruce Monro.

I happended to come across this BBC news item about Bruce's CD Sea . Using hundreds of thousands of old CDs, Bruce and a team of volunteers have turned an ordinary field of grass into an amazing sea of shimmering light. CDs are a great medium for this project, creating an ever-changing effect of light and colour on a huge scale. Plus, it's a great way to recycle old discs.

For the past fifteen years or so, I have been hanging on to old CDs, collecting unwanted music, computer and Internet discs. I imagined I could produce interesting, unusual and colourful sculptures or framed arrangements. But I was never brave enough to actually do anything with them as I wasn't sure if it would really be a valid way of producing art. Now Bruce has led the way, I have artistic validation for my plans.

I don't have enough CDs to create a sea, not even a pond, but now I have the justification to start working on this art. The next step is to dig out all the sketches and notes I have made over the years and start putting these into practice.

Love Your Art,
Vince