ArtMANAC
DETERMINEDLY DELICATE
The Cotswolds Distillery's art collaborations
CREATIVE THINKING
THE
ISSUE #7 2025
At Cotswolds hotel HYLL
THE ART OF doing nothing
Art consultancy Art In Offices
Art at work
artfully presented whisky
Katie Lenegan's botanical art
avant-garde in the cotswolds
art IN FOCUS
At Cheltenham Literature Festival
caves, cathedrals and canada wharf
Sculptor Patricia Volk
With Artful Mindscape's Kariné Gazarian
Street art meets luxury timepiece
PHOTO COURTESY OF BETH WINSOR
Artfully presented Cotswolds whisky
Art at Cheltenham Literature Festival
The art of doing nothing at HYLL hotel
@theartmanacmag
IN THIS ISSUE
Editor's letter
t feels like more than a season has passed since our summer issue highlighting Broadway Arts Festival, but the shift to autumn brings more than just a change of weather. Even for those well beyond the confines of the school calendar, September heralds new beginnings; a return to industry and reflection after time spent enjoying experiences outdoors. We’re delighted to have such a superb array of local artists, alongside initiatives featuring them, in this issue. The Cotswolds Distillery’s Harvest Series, a limited-edition whisky which annually calls upon a local artist to illustrate the boxes housing its amber liquid, is a perfect example of talent and craftsmanship combining and we were privileged to visit featured artist Andrea Bates in her home near Chipping Norton. Autumn welcomes the return of Cheltenham Literature Festival in October where art is always a key element of the wider programme – we explore this year’s highlights. We’re also excited that new luxury Cotswolds hotel HYLL, launching in September, will be keeping art on the menu with a series of monthly supper clubs hosted by local creatives. We chatted to Katie Lenegan, whose home studio is near The Cotswolds Distillery, about her workshops at Daylesford Farm and artistic journey and to Wiltshire-based sculptor (our cover star) Patricia Volk about the extraordinary recent group exhibition at Clearwell Caves in the Forest of Dean. Patricia is also represented by art consultancy Art In Offices and we caught up with its founder Katie Henry to find out more. Huge thanks to André Saraiva, AKA Mr. A, for sharing insights on his timepiece collaboration with Bamford Watch Department, set up by Cotswolds-based entrepreneur George Bamford, and to neuroscientist, coach and art facilitator Kariné Gazarian, founder of Artful Mindscape in Stow-on-the-Wold, for taking us on a journey into the many proven benefits of practicing art. As ever we’ll be sharing our autumn art adventures via @theartmanacmag and we’d love to hear from you and know what you think of our latest curation of the local arts scene. Emma Bovill, Editor Cover image 'Pieta' and 'Taurus' by Patricia Volk in Winchester Cathedral, photo courtesy of Simon Newman Photography
Sculptor Patricia Volk's cave collaboration
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Creative thinking with Kariné Gazarian
he cultural influences and networks of connection in this issue are varied and far-reaching. Artists and contributors featured trace their roots to Belfast, Manchester, the Lithuanian coastal city of Klaipėda, Budapest and New York and live, work and exhibit in all corners of the Cotswolds and surrounding areas including the Forest of Dean, Oxfordshire borders, Stow-on-the-Wold, Shipston-on-Stour and Broadway. The Cotswolds is loved as much by people who have always called it home as by those who have adopted it. We’re delighted to be highlighting renowned local brands Daylesford Farm, The Cotswolds Distillery and the recently launched HYLL hotel which are part of the wide appeal of the area alongside the highly respected Cheltenham Festivals which celebrates its 80th year in 2025. All – in their own way - are champions of art. Communities – in particular creative ones – are formed as much on shared lived experience and common ground as by external input and the idiosyncratic links individuals can bring for mutual enrichment. Whether coming together for moments in time through group exhibitions and art festivals, working together in collectives or through charitable endeavours or being part, even at a distance, of consortiums, artists exemplify what it means to collaborate without losing originality. The Cotswolds is by no means central (although anywhere we call home is by definition the nucleus of our own universe) but its proximity to Wales, the Midlands, South West, South coast and London makes it a location as easy to luxuriate in as venture away from. The benefit of such ready opportunities for wanderlust are the encounters – the absorbing of ‘otherness’ in the best possible sense – that add perspective and flavour to life in and around the rolling hills. It's fitting to end on a real example. Sculptor Deborah ‘Debs’ Harrison - who we interviewed for our second issue - hails from Yorkshire but has made Gloucester her home since 2014. Based from City Works Gloucester, she has exhibited at the RWA in Bristol, at galleries in Hereford and Leeds and produced prestigious commissions for Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and HRH King Charles III’s Highgrove home (honouring in stone the centuries-old tradition of Gloucester sending the monarch a lamprey pie). Debs has helped launched local initiatives including the Cotswold Sculptors Association and Gloucester Contemporary Artists (whose committee facilitates local Gloucester businesses annually adopting an artist into their shop displays), and continues to advocate for a centre for fine art for the county. She isn’t strictly native but acts local and makes you feel proud to be too, whether you’re Cotswolds born and bred or newly nested. Her creative web meanwhile is a reminder to look up and out while keeping grounded, welcoming stimulus and giving it out in the pursuit of authentic identity.
Musings on Art
'FINDING JOY' BY JUDE BEEBEE @jude_giles_beebee
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DEBORAH HARRISON'S 'LAMPREY PIE'
Caves, cathedrals And canada wharf
PATRICIA VOLK'S 'INDIVIDUALS' PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE RUSSELL
PATRICIA VOLK AT WORK PHOTO COURTESY OF RUSSELL SACH
he work Rungwe and Claude must have done to get those pieces down there is off the spectrum,’ says sculptor Patricia Volk, referring to Back to the Cave: The Full Spectrum, the extraordinary sculpture exhibition held this summer at Clearwell Caves in the Forest of Dean curated by Gallery Pangolin near Stroud. Featuring works by over 50 artists including Damien Hirst and Anthony Gormley, the exhibition was the second time Rungwe Kingdon and Claude Koenig, who also established the Pangolin Editions foundry which brings major artworks to fruition, have mined the potential of Clearwell Caves for a sculpture showcase. Tapping into Clearwell Caves’ long history of producing ochre pigment, with the large scale The Ochre Man produced in 2022 by graffiti artist STIK remaining on show, and associations with ancient cave art, the subterranean setting served to subvert expectations around the gallery experience and shine an innovative light on 3D art in a novel context. Joining sculptures created in a variety of media working in both juxtaposition and synergistically with their surroundings, Patricia’s three Individuals were placed on a crevice above eye height, partially hidden but revealing themselves on descent through the caves. Part of a series of seven discrete but interactive rounded forms they explore difference and togetherness drawing on her Northern Irish heritage while also being designed to invite the viewer’s own response. ‘Patricia’s exploration of the impact of colour on form meant she was a natural artist that we wanted to feature,’ attested Rungwe ahead of the exhibition. ‘In the caves we’re not tied to putting things on plinths and we wanted to exploit that. Her pieces could be seen as giant eggs. These interpretations become possible in the environment.’ Based from Stowford Manor Farm Studios near her home in Bradford-on-Avon as part of a collective of artists and craftspeople which also includes The Glass Hub glass school, Patricia’s handmade sculptures are composed of clay fired onsite and finished with acrylics. ‘They’re deliberately textured,’ she explains. ‘It’s not perfect but it’s done by hand.’ Coming to her medium in her late 30s via life sculpting adult education classes followed by formal studies at the then Middlesex Polytechnic in the late 1980s, she is fascinated by attitudes to 3D art. ‘People have a lack of confidence putting sculpture in their homes,’ she states, ‘We live in small domestic spaces and people think it doesn’t work.’ Although she disagrees, filling her 17th century Wiltshire home with art, Patricia’s work has been featured in larger spaces ranging from the corporate to the sacred to spectacular effect. Notable exhibitions include Cornucopia, her solo show at One Canada Square, and the inclusion of her piece Rise at Chichester Cathedral, both in 2022, her double display of sculptures Pieta and Taurus in Winchester Cathedral in 2023 and taking over the windows at Pangolin London in 2021 with Trilogy, Grace, Construction (2), Construction (3) and Construction (4). Patricia also enjoyed interpreting popular broadcaster ITV’s logo as part of a group of 52 artists involved in the year-long ITV Creates project in 2019. Her weighty CV is a remarkable success story for someone whose natural leanings towards art were out of sync with the constraints of her Belfast upbringing and expected career paths. ‘The reason I got through school was because I was good at art,’ she reflects, disclosing she was ‘badly dyslexic’. A flair for numbers led to her working in the accounts department of a London advertising agency before she found her way back into the creative sphere and there is a lingering mathematical and interrogative quality to her artworks alongside their playfulness. Now an Academician of the Royal West of England Academy (RWA) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors (‘I think it’s amazing I got those qualifications without a single O Level,’ she says) as well as winner of the Bath Society of Artists Prize for a 3D work in 2024, Patricia’s work has also been selected by the Art In Offices network, which rents and sells art to enhance workspaces. ‘Each time I do a piece I try and push it a bit further,’ affirms Patricia, who has no qualms in harnessing the opportunity clay offers to reinvent on the fly. ‘Before firing you can break it, put it in a bucket and start again. I start off with an idea, sometimes, and sometimes I don’t. I constantly change my mind throughout. Creativity needs to be encouraged; you need to find out what you didn’t know was there in the first place.’ Patricia’s inclusion in the Clearwell Caves exhibition is a testament to her talent, adaptability and – while she relishes every moment she gets to have her hands actively making – collaborative spirit and wider thinking approach. She has given lectures in her role for the RWA and got involved in hanging their annual Open Exhibition and likes to encourage others. ‘It’s important to be part of a group,’ she asserts. Patricia’s sculptures can regularly be found at _form. gallery on Market Street in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, which is dedicated to original works from contemporary British artists. patriciavolk.org @patriciavolk
RECEPTION AT HYLL PHOTO COURTESY OF MURRAY ORR
ART at work
e’ve had sculptor Patricia Volk in our mind’s eye for over two years and are delighted to be exploring her work in depth in this issue. She is one of around 100 creatives collaborating with Art In Offices, which enables companies to enliven workspaces by buying or renting art from its featured artists. Established by Katie Henry in 2012 after an early career spent in the arts and curating creative environments including for National Youth Theatre and global brand activation studio Millington Associates, Art In Offices aims to keep businesses fresh and vibrant for the benefit of employees and visitors alike. The concept includes the opportunity to commission bespoke pieces from artists or sign up for a revolving art subscription. Art In Offices also offers art strategy services covering corporate social responsibility, brand identity and art as investment. We asked founder and director Katie to tell us more: ‘We work predominantly with emerging artists, in order to support their careers and make the artwork affordable for clients. Our goal has always been to give companies of any size access to original art in order to bring colour and joy to office spaces. Happy people do their best work - there's research out there that proves putting art in offices increases wellness by 42% and productivity by 35%! Essentially, we try to create a symbiotic relationship between our artists and clients. We promote artists via our different platforms and give them access to a new audience and an opportunity to use their stored, unsold artworks so they can show them to the world and make an additional income from that. We also give them the opportunity to get involved in events and meaningful workshops, bridging the gap between the creative and corporate industries. Everyone benefits from that; art is truly too powerful to be left out of business. Because we work with corporate organisations, we choose to collaborate mainly with abstract, contemporary artists who are themselves serious professionals. We take great pride in the fact that the majority of the artists we work with are UK-based. This allows us to support local talent and contribute to the vibrant British art scene. Our tailored and local approach allows companies to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and community engagement. Like the furnishings and fit outs, the art on an office’s walls continues the narrative of a company and reinforces their values. The saying goes “You can’t please everyone all of the time”, but with an art subscription where you can rent and rotate art, you can! Our art rental service enables businesses to continually refresh their workplace and keep their staff inspired. We've got an amazing range of art and artists for corporations to work with, and we’re always working with new talent to ensure our inventory is leading, fresh and contemporary. We particularly enjoy collaborating with Patricia Volk, whose 3D work is both mesmerising and uplifting. Patricia's sculpture aims to convey something of the human and aspirational, to lift the viewer and give them a pocket of calm and beauty in a busy world. We love suggesting her work to clients that want to create an optimistic work environment, where both their team and business can thrive. Wherever displayed, Patricia’s pieces automatically create a dialogue with the architecture and the space they inhabit, ceasing to be merely exhibits. Her work is a powerful illustration of how art can transform spaces and people’s experience of those spaces.' artinoffices.com @artinoffices
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PATRICIA VOLK WITH 'PIETA' AND 'TAURUS' PHOTO COURTESY OF RUSSELL SACH
THE ART of doing nothing
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pproaching HYLL by its rising meandering drive makes the point clear, this is a place to slow down. The newly opened luxury Cotswolds hotel, a reimagining of 14th century Charingworth Manor outside Chipping Campden, isn’t just another boutique bolthole offering a tranquil countryside escape, it’s a place where the invitation to do nothing is very real – down to the in-room pocket anti-guide created by Tim Watson (with natty illustrations by Simon Nevin) that cleverly unpicks the concept. Meeting Devon-born hotel co-founder Paul Baker, who spent years in the baking industry, including developing the successful brioche brand St Pierre, in one of three intimate lounges, The Artmanac team was treated to not only homemade biscuits and coffee but the thinking behind HYLL. Asking Paul conversationally what need he believes the hotel meets, it’s clear by his heartfelt replies that he’s an advocate for mindfulness and authentic connection and the power of the arts to help us do that. Designed, like the rest of HYLL’s interior, by Manchester-based YOUTH Studio, the lounge will house an eclectic collection of vinyl, just one of the many examples of how HYLL is putting the tactile and visual at its heart. There will also be a postcard writing area and a curated reading menu of books from the Borzoi Bookshop in Stow-on-the-Wold. Former set designer Angela Kirk has curated artwork throughout HYLL; guests will find an oversized Hockney coffee table in its enticing warren of corridors as well as a commissioned painting of the hotel by renowned Cotswolds artist Jeremy Houghton. ‘With twenty-five years’ experience I instinctively trust my eye,’ explains Angela. ‘There are moments of complete abandonment in the curation, a curve ball in the selection, but it’s always based on “Is it HYLL?”, a space that allows you to relax, no rush, just meander through, there are a lot of hidden gems for you to discover.’ Outside a sculpture walk is in development with a piece by Adrian Grey unmissable on the drive (art collector Paul also has pieces by Barbara Hepworth in his private collection) and HYLL has consulted with an ecologist to reinstate ponds in an area of the extensive grounds which inspired T. S. Eliot to write his poem Burnt Norton. Actor and writer Richard Lumsden is further exploring HYLL’s history, paying homage to Eliot, following a summer residency at the hotel. Ongoing, locals and overnight visitors alike are invited to a series of supper clubs with a cultural focus. Hosted by authors, artists and other creatives, the evenings will feature excerpts from a piece of literature as conversation starters, books to take home and pop-up art displays alongside the permanent collection and bespoke abstract pieces and textile installations designed and sourced by YOUTH Studio. Communal Sunday lunches after informal walks are also planned. Toti Gifford, founder of Giffords Circus, is one of many local talents confirmed for the monthly supper clubs. Other hosts include storyteller Jim O’Sullivan and the team behind contemporary art gallery ArtÓ, which has an ‘owned not loaned’ ethos supporting artists financially upfront. Fashion will also be a future theme (guests can make use of coats by British clothing brand Private White V.C. during their stay). As well appealing to the curiously minded, the events are designed to prompt reflection complimenting the wider goal of HYLL, as summarised by Paul. ‘That slower pace that we have here, and the ethos which we have, which is to really properly unplug yourself from what we all know is a very busy life and a very busy world.’ Despite, or perhaps because of his own life’s productivity, Paul is the first to champion the joy of a simple tea and toast (available all day) or extol the virtues of sitting down to enjoy a quiet moment. Hospitality expert Sarah Ramsbottom, co-founder of HYLL, agrees. ‘I can’t wait to see how the guests ultimately use all the spaces,’ she says. ‘One of the greatest compliments I think they can pay to all the work that we’ve put in, and also the design team, is when they feel comfortable enough to fall asleep in a chair or just stay in a space for long periods of time.’ With journalling retreats and other wellness activities on the horizon, HYLL has all the right ingredients to achieve its aims. hyllhotel.com @hyllhouse ArtÓ will be on site at HYLL for the 12 Days of Christmas shopping event from 25 November - 6 December with a pop-up art gallery throughout and on-site art shop on 26 November.
LOUNGE AT HYLL PHOTO COURTESY OF MURRAY ORR
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stablished in 2014 with its first single malt whisky released in 2017, the genesis of The Cotswolds Distillery goes back to 2012 when New York whisky connoisseur Daniel Szor decamped from London following a finance career and experienced what he describes as a ‘barley epiphany’. Contemplating the crop-strewn fields surrounding his farmhouse near Shipston-on-Stour ignited the idea of becoming the first to distil the area’s abundant golden grains. The award-winning distillery has since become renowned for its crafted whiskies – and the Cotswolds Dry Gin it whittled down from 60 recipes experimenting with 150 distinct botanicals – and its dedication to honouring the landscape from which it takes its name. It produces an annual Hearts & Crafts series, a limited-edition single malt whisky encased in a design inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, and since 2022 has worked with local artists for its Harvest Series featuring an original painting on the presentation tube. ‘There are certain times of year where the landscapes we live with are even more special – one of them being late summer and early autumn,’ says distillery founder Daniel. ‘At that time the contrasts in colour, in temperature, even the aromas around us, are marvellous and beguiling and I felt this was a perfect theme for our new yearly autumn limited release.’ Harvest Series No.4, The Cotswolds Distillery’s 2025 offering adorned by original artwork ‘Wychwood Harvest’ by Andrea Bates, has notes of stewed red berries, blackcurrant and dark fruit compote from the port casks, harmonised with soft vanilla from Bourbon barrels, lifted by a wisp of peat for depth and distinction. Despite being a limited-edition release of just 1500 bottles, the whisky is designed not for collecting but for sharing. ‘My personal favourite is a small dram neat in a Glencairn or Copita tasting glass,’ reveals Daniel. ‘I start neat and then add a few drops of water, watching the oils swirl as flavour and aroma are released. This is a wonderful whisky to drink on the rocks, with a splash of soda, or even in a highball. I think its fruitiness would make it wonderful in a Boulevardier.’ The distillery’s dedication to nuance and individuality captured with expertise and care is reflected in its collaboration with artists tasked with creating a visual homage to both the Cotswolds environment and the spirit concealed within the presentation tube of the yearly Harvest Series. The distillery has previously worked with artists Josephine Trotter (Harvest Series No. 1 Golden Wold), Annabel Playfair (Harvest Series No. 2 Flaxen Vale) and Lucy Pratt (Harvest Series No. 3 Amber Meadow) who all live and work locally. Budapest-born Andrea Bates was commissioned after Daniel had a chance encounter with her work in the window of a gallery near the The Cotswolds Distillery shop in Broadway. ‘As it turns out she lives near the distillery and works from her studio in Enstone,’ reveals Daniel. ‘She has a classical training and background in art which very much appealed to me from the first time I saw her work. My parents were both classically trained artists who came from Eastern Europe and something in her style resonated deeply with me.’ The Cotswolds Distillery is a supporter of the Caring for the Cotswolds grants scheme run by Cotswolds National Landscape which protects the landscape and gives people access to the countryside. ‘Clearly, Andrea too is passionate about our beautiful landscape as it has been the subject of much of her work,’ says Daniel. ‘In the chosen work, painted in Wychwood (only five miles from the farm where our barley is grown), there is a wonderful sense of depth and light, two elements for which Cotswolds vistas have always been known.’ ‘Wychwood Harvest’ depicts giant hogweed gone to seed set against the backdrop of a patchwork of harvested fields in bright and rustic hues of yellow and umber under cumulus clouds resembling puffs of cotton. A tour of Andrea’s home studio, once a pub, reveals a rich collection of similarly evocative and skilfully executed oil and pastel landscapes often peppered by detailed accents such as ears of corn or hedgerow flora. ‘At one point I became known as ‘the cow parsley artist’,’ she reveals with wry humour. Growing up mainly in Canada, with birch trees lingering in her mind’s eye providing an enduring inspiration, Andrea has lived in her corner of the North Cotswolds since the late 1960s and captured many regional scenes. ‘If there’s something lovely, I like to paint it,’ she states simply. ‘The Cotswolds is views that go off into the distance, but it’s also our village church set among the trees or a lane near Great Tew in the snow, and so it goes on and on and on.’ Andrea has experimented more recently with gouache and mixed media, bringing found flora including birch bark, lichen, bracken and deconstructed twigs into her pieces, and her depictions of intimate rural details – a doorway, garden border or her neighbours’ cockerels – are as beguiling as her sweeping vistas. ‘I don’t choose to be an advocate for the Cotswolds, I just live here and do what I do,’ she reflects modestly. ‘Landscapes bring me joy, but they should speak for themselves.’ Daniel was originally taken by a print of ‘The Harvest’ featuring rolled bales. ‘The original had sold decades ago,’ explains Andrea, who readily welcomed Daniel to her studio to source an alternative. The visit confirmed his interest in her work with ‘Wychwood Harvest’ ultimately proving the ideal fit for the distillery’s next Harvest Series release. An avid gardener and observer of nature, Andrea eagerly points out flowering dahlias and cosmos in her borders following recent rain, a tawny owl nesting box in her nonagenarian lime tree and a haven she has created for frogs. A spry octogenarian, with a distinguished career which has included being exhibited by the Royal Society of British Artists, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and by the Pastel Society, three dozen solo shows and four decades of involvement with the annual Oxfordshire Artweeks festival, Andrea continues to be inspired by the natural world. The Cotswolds Distillery will be launching an exhibition of her artwork on site in Stourton, including the original ‘Wychwood Harvest’, in mid-September 2025 with a curated selection on display in the café and tasting room until September 2026. cotswoldsdistillery.com @cotswoldsdistillery andreabates.co.uk
'WYCHWOOD HARVEST' BY ANDREA BATES
bottling the cotswolds aEsthetic
MR. A AKA ANDRÉ SARAIVA PHOTO COURTESY OF CONSTANZA PIAGGIO
bending the rules
MR A X BAMFORD GMT LTD ED PHOTO COURTESY OF BAMFORD LONDON
MR. A STREET ART PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTIST STUDIO
ersonalised luxury is the calling card of Bamford Watch Department, the avant-garde company established by Cotswolds-based entrepreneur George Bamford which reimagines traditional timepieces as contemporary yet enduring collectibles. As well as bespoke customised watches, the brand has carved out a niche with its frisky collaborations including placing instantly recognisable childhood cartoon and storybook characters such as Popeye, Snoopy and Babar on the dial and working with graphic artist and advocate for positive change Jeremyville. Bamford’s early love of watches soon developed into a desire to break the mould with tailored takes on renowned watch brands resulting in the launch of Bamford Watch Department in the early 2000s. Initially a solo venture, growing demand caused the company to quickly expand and it became known for adding its unique spin to makes such as Rolex, Audermars Piguet and Patek Philippe among others as well as its designs produced in partnership with artists and fashion houses as early innovators in the market. The Mr A x Bamford GMT Ltd Ed, made under the newer Bamford London brand, takes the iconic graffiti tag of André Saraiva, AKA Mr. A, which he first emblazoned on the streets of Paris in the 1990s, and gives it a new platform on a watch that is both subversive and highly stylish. ‘It started organically,’ says André when asked how the collaboration came about. ‘I’ve admired Bamford's work for a long time the way they transform classic timepieces into something personal. We connected through a shared love of creativity and detail.’ The jump from city walls to wrist for André’s visual moniker is not as big a leap as might be presumed. The winking, smiley-faced tag rotates around the centre of the watch dial, turning a full 360ᵒ every minute. ‘Mr. A is my signature, my alter ego. He was born on the streets of Paris always smiling, always watching. He’s a symbol of playfulness, love, and rebellion,’ reveals André. ‘A watch moves, just like street art. Putting Mr. A on a Bamford watch makes it more than just a timepiece.’ Featuring the red, white and blue of the Tricolor across the dial, on the exactingly stitched cordura strap and on the keepsake presentation box, the Mr A x Bamford GMT Ltd Ed watch has all the hallmarks of French elegance. The Mr. A graffiti tag meanwhile carries the weight of André’s upbeat attitude to street art, encapsulated previously in projects such as ‘Love Graffiti.’, his series of romantic public declarations in paint. ‘Street art was born outside the rules and Bamford represents craftsmanship and luxury,’ states André. ‘Together, it creates something fresh.’ Released in 2022 and limited to just 50 watches, the meeting of street art royalty and a prestigious luxury brand in the Mr A x Bamford GMT Ltd Ed offers the chance for mutual enrichment. ‘Wearing art makes it personal,’ adds André. ‘You don’t just look at it, you live with it. It’s powerful.’ bamfordlondon.com @bamfordldn bamfordwatchdepartment.com @bamfordwatchdepartment mrandre.com @andresaraiva
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'EMBRACING THE SPIRITS' BY JOCELYN GILFOYLE
he Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival returns from 10-19 October 2025 and once again art and design will be core themes within the broad-ranging line up of over 400 events. The world's longest-running literature festival annually champions the visual arts with probing talks on an eclectic mix of subjects from the art world, while interactive draw-along sessions and live drawing demos are a staple within the vibrant family programme. A highlight for youngsters this year will be the Return to Wonderland visitor experience in The Wild Wood area of the Festival Village featuring free storytelling, arts and crafts and an installation (contributed to by Cheltenham Festivals supporters) based on Alice with a Why, Anna James' reimagining of Alice in Wonderland. Comic makers are also coming together to inspire young artists to conjure up their own characters and cartoon strips in the new Comic Corner. Art lovers will be able to choose from events investigating historical figures who inspired or collected art such as Marie Antoinette and Isabella d'Este, one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance who owned works by Michelangelo, Titian and da Vinci. The intertwined lives and legacies of contemporaries Constable and Turner, 250 years on from their births, will also feature alongside newly uncovered archival research revealing further insights into Vermeer. Painter and draughtsman Eric Tucker AKA ‘Warrington’s Secret Lowry’, who captured street scenes, circus performers and busy pubs in over 500 paintings discovered after his death, will be the topic of a panel including his nephew Joe Tucker and art historian Ruth Millington. Meanwhile broadcaster and art historian Kate Bryan joins forces with subversive artist David Shrigley to discuss what shapes our appreciation and understanding of art. Celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, Cheltenham Festivals was created in the wake of the end of the Second World War and one of its preeminent photographers, Lee Miller, will be discussed by Hilary Floe, curator of the major eponymous 2025 Tate Britain exhibition, among other experts. Acclaimed documentary photographer Martin Parr will also speak about his career accompanied by some of his favourite images. Writer and curator Alayo Akinkugbe and biographer Sue Roe will discover the stories of art’s hidden figures, reframing our understanding of art history and celebrating contributions previously overlooked. These include six women who were integral to Picasso’s work but dismissed as muses and the vital presence of Blackness erased from the artistic record. It will be one of several events chaired by prolific arts journalist Charlotte Jansen. ‘At Cheltenham Literature Festival, our art and design collection is a much-loved strand of the programme,' explains Emma Whittle, Programming Strategic Lead. ‘Over the years, we've been privileged to welcome the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Grayson Perry and Soheila Sokhanvari to Cheltenham, together with a range of leading curators and experts.’ ‘Our art and design events shine a light on the stories, rivalries and radical voices that shaped creativity through the ages,’ adds Emma. ‘We platform leading artists, curators and historians to enable vivid conversations that celebrate both the trailblazers we know – and those we’re only just beginning to see.’ This year saw Cheltenham Festivals, which encompasses jazz, classical music, science and literature across its four annual festivals, launch a campaign to bring the joy of culture to 80,000 school children, a cause supported by Cheltenham Festivals President Judi Dench. Ahead of Cheltenham Literature Festival the total reached stood at 37,652. ‘Cheltenham Festivals as a charity works tirelessly year-round to give young people access to arts and culture,’ says Co-CEO Ali Mawle. ‘On the occasion of our 80th birthday, with the support of local businesses, festival-goers, patrons and corporate partners who are aligned with our charitable mission, we are looking to ensure that we can continue to inspire the next generation and to reach more children than ever before and enrich lives through culture.’ Visitors to the Festival Village can drop in to The Gardens Gallery in Montpellier Gardens from 10-19 October to enjoy the Mythologies exhibition featuring art from members of 9 Artists Collective. Mythologies is part of a year-round programme of shows championing local talent on display at the community-focused gallery, which can be hired by artists direct. cheltenhamfestivals.org @cheltfestivals 9artistscollective.com @9artistscollective
Art in focus at CHELTENHAM literature festival
determinedly delicate
n paper (or in fact on paper, linen and canvas), artist Katie Lenegan’s watercolours reflect the gentle enthusiasm and warm demeanour she generously exudes. Drawn to capturing light, seasonality and the ephemerality of nature in her original artworks, photography and collaborations with artist and designer Claire Brooker, it would be all too easy to put her in the box of botanical equals beautiful. Listen a little longer however and the breadth and depth of Katie’s artistic passions show their true colours. This is someone who consciously bucked the trend for conceptual art in the late 1990s, having the confidence to jump ship from her degree course in Sheffield to restart her studies and pursue a BA in Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) instead were she investigated crumbling frescoes taking inspiration from Fra Angelico’s work in the monastery of San Marco, Florence. She had the gumption to get married in Rome under the exquisite artworks of the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli after attending the 2004 Armani exhibition at the Baths of Diocletian next door (two decades on she returned with her husband and their two teenage daughters last year). She is keen to celebrate her mum, portrait artist Kath Lowe, who completed a MA in Fine Art at MMU in near tandem with Katie’s own higher education path. Katie has spent more than four decades living, learning and working in and around the rural Cotswolds and Greater Manchester and maintained authentic creative links to both regions. ‘I respond to my environment,’ she explains simply. Born in Oldham, Katie spent time as a child in Hook Norton and Chipping Norton and is now based from Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire where she lives in a barn conversion. The property is, she reveals, largely open plan meaning her studio is part of the main living area. She has created a garden outside the large window where she works so that she can observe nature whatever the weather. Getting outside in the flesh remains key to her focus on floral themes and she relishes going for walks, collecting stems and working direct from them in her creative space. ‘I’m interested in decay,’ she says, hinting again at an edgy inquisitiveness it would be easy to miss. Her recent contributions to the Voyages exhibition at Manchester Cathedral brought considerable research into her still life compositions which show floral arrangements placed in Spode, Delftware and Wedgwood vases. Katie speaks with glee at her investigative trips to the Ashmoloen Museum in Oxford and was fascinated to juxtapose in her artworks the fragility of cut flowers within vessels whose heritage reaches back through trade routes. ‘An object can hold so much history and memories of a time and place,’ she conveys. ‘Spode’s early designs often incorporated motifs and styles from Chinese porcelain and Delftware also has Chinese influence and other multinational origins. Wedgwood’s Moonstone Urn echoes the form of ancient Greek amphorae.’ Her Instagram profile caught the attention of lifestyle, garden and plant freelance photographer Rachel Warne and the pair teamed up in 2022 for a creative collaboration, featured in Country Living magazine, capturing Wychwood Wild Garden on the outskirts of Shipton-under-Wychwood on camera and canvas. ‘I was interested in the reflections in the ponds,’ says Katie of the secluded woodland garden she had earlier visited with her children when they were young. The article caught the attention of the team at established Cotswold brand Daylesford Farm who invited Katie to deliver botanical painting workshops in The Barn at The Bell in Charlbury, one of its hubs for creative events. ‘You get some people who have a background in art and then you’ll get someone who’s never done it before,’ she reflects when asked on what she thinks draws people to participate. ‘We do look at technique, but it’s making sure it’s fun and relaxed.’ Featuring flowers sourced from Daylesford Farm’s own fields, Katie’s approach involved activities such as tracing shadows and silhouettes to promote inclusion and exploring a selection of artists’ styles for inspiration before a deeper dive, joking that attendees became so committed to the task they had to be reminded to pause for the delicious refreshments on offer. She hugely enjoyed the collaboration – part of a series of summer art workshops offered by Daylesford Farm which also saw her host a painting day within Daylesford Farm’s market garden. Locally she has previously had a group show at Spring Gallery in Cheltenham (An Artist's Garden curated by the owner Conrad Clarke) and displayed her photographic prints with Little Buckland Gallery during Broadway Arts Festival. Katie continues to be connected with her birthplace as a member of Manchester Academy of Fine Arts with whom she regularly exhibits. Following the creative investment in Voyages at Manchester Cathedral she is taking time to reflect on her next steps which include upcoming workshops in Tower Barn at Broadway Tower. With the arrival of autumn, Katie is looking forward to visiting the Dreams of the everyday exhibition at The Holburne Museum, Bath, featuring the paintings of Andrew Cranston and the late Winifred Nicholson, one of Katie’s artistic influences, which runs from 3 October 2025 - 11 January 2026. She is also energised about opportunities to further immerse in the thriving local art scene (she is an active member of the Branch Arts network in Oxfordshire), and, of course, aims to make the most of the coming season. ‘I’m usually more productive in the autumn,’ Katie muses. ‘It’s a good time to observe flora and fauna fading and the light reveals more subtle colours.’ katielenegan.co.uk @katieleneganstudio
'SHIMMER' BY KATIE LENEGAN
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hen I need rest, I go to Tate Modern,’ says Kariné Gazarian. It’s a telling statement that reframes what we might think of as peaceful. It also lies at the core of Artful Mindscape, the venture she established in 2019 ‘to help people care for their inner world, grow intentionally, and live well’ by undertaking creative pursuits. Originally from Lithuania, Kariné gained a degree in psychology in Canada before doctoral studies in clinical neuroscience at UCL in London. It was, however, her arrival in the Cotswolds and witnessing her children begin their educational journeys which brought her academic endeavours into contact with art. Tate Modern had a pivotal part to play. Having ‘felt the need to provide access for children to be creative’ in the face of the constraints of the curriculum, spotting Drawing Projects for Children by Paula Briggs in the Tate Modern gift shop solidified the idea. Describing herself as neither an artist nor a teacher, Briggs’ book gave her ‘permission to become an art facilitator.’ ‘I was aiming to give children the confidence that they can do big things,’ she explains of her initial workshops, highlighting the many lasting outcomes gained from improved patience and perseverance to an enriching of the senses. It soon became clear that there was a wider audience for such benefits. ‘Creativity is not just for kids, it’s integral for all of us,’ adds Kariné. ‘We might have been led to believe that to be creative, we needed to show particular talent or aptitude. Often, we would have given up without giving ourselves a chance to even try.’ Artful Mindscape has since evolved to offer adult courses and workshops underpinned with neuroscience research and using art as a tool designed to promote mindfulness. It’s a word often bandied around these days and Kariné makes the definition clear. ‘If you’re mindful you’re present without judgment,’ she asserts. ‘For some people it’s very difficult to sit down and not be immersed in their thoughts,’ she reflects, acknowledging the demands of modern living and its many competing distractions as well as the downregulating challenges faced by those with neurodevelopmental conditions. ‘There’s nothing wrong in being immersed in our thoughts,’ Kariné clarifies. ‘The creative process however allows us to practice presence by engaging our senses. Art is so powerful in its ability to facilitate that.’ An exercise she enjoys employing with Artful Mindscape participants is another inspiration from Paula Briggs where an object is placed, unseen, in their hand behind their back for them to draw simply from touch. She also uses music, inviting attendees to intuitively respond in shapes and colours that arise from emotions created by what they hear. ‘I ask them “What marks can you make?”.' Kariné is making a compelling evidence-based case for nourishing the creativity that lies at our core. ‘Our brains are wired to be creative, to problem solve, for curiosity, exploration and seeking out novelty,’ she says. ‘One of the roles of an artful process is to see failure as a natural method of learning, rather than an attack on identity.’ A principal tenet of Artful Mindscape is to reward growth through, and courage and interest in, the process, rather than just output. Artful process may be, she says, a means of ‘putting emotions on the table to safely look at them’ and in fact one of her workshops is dedicated to this process of externalising feelings for greater clarity. ‘If you make space for creative practices, it could become part of your mental hygiene, a bit like brushing your teeth for a beautiful smile,’ she declares. ‘It has the power to keep your mind well.’ Kariné collaborates with mixed media artist Trayci Tompkins for her workshops and runs a transformative six-week course covering topics including intentional attention (as well as the power of the wandering mind), emotional agility and resilience, understanding the nervous system and learning about flow state, all the while making. She speaks about the interplay between different brain networks during states of deep engagement, such as those often experienced in creative activity. ‘One key network is the Default Mode Network (DMN), which becomes active when we're engaged in internal thought processes like daydreaming, self-reflection and imagination,’ she divulges. ‘Research suggests that the DMN plays an important role in creativity by allowing us to connect ideas, envision possibilities and tap into personal meaning. However, this same network is also associated with rumination, worry and negative self-talk, which can contribute to anxiety and depression.’ ‘Interestingly, when we’re fully immersed in a creative flow state, other brain systems, including the Executive Control Network (which helps with focus and decision-making) and the Salience Network (which filters important information), become more dominant,’ adds Kariné. ‘These networks help quieten the DMN and support focused, present-moment attention. This shift can reduce self-conscious thought and interrupt habitual mental ‘time travel’ – that tendency to dwell on the past or worry about the future. Engaging deeply in meaningful creative activity offers a psychological reset; it fosters presence, emotional regulation and a more spacious relationship with one’s inner dialogue.’ Kariné gives the example of her mum, who began painting at the age of 69. ‘She always wanted to do it, but she was scared to try,’ Kariné reveals. ‘She says she can’t live without it now.’ Booming neuroscience research over the past decade has, to Kariné’s delight, helped demonstrate the value of creativity in our lives, with the arts increasingly used to support people living with conditions like Parkinson’s and dementia – enhancing mood, stimulating cognitive function and improving overall quality of life. ‘I’m not saying everyone should draw, or everyone should paint,’ she adds warmly. ‘But if you can do any of the arts, choose one.’ ‘Art can be a preventative measure to take care of physiological and mental health – they’re not separate,’ advocates Kariné in conclusion. ‘We’re seeing the benefits and we’re starting to be able to quantify it. We can reach the change makers and make the arts not a luxury, not an addition, but a crucial activity, either engaging in them or beholding them.’ artfulmindscape.co.uk @artfulmindscape
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