Well! It's that time of year again - the biggest art exhibition in the South West. Sandhill House Country House B&B Retreat is right at the heart of the exhibition which covers galleries throughout the whole Tamar Valley, with the nearest, Glenrock Gallery, being at the end of our carriage drive. Ian Pethers produces the most stunningly detailed paintings, with a truly magical light quality.
http://www.drawntothevalley.co.uk/artists/detail/ian--pethers/
This exceptional event is held in our Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Site. Tavistock is close to the Tamar Valley and Plymouth lies at the mouth of the Tamar. There are many National Trust properties in the area.
Drawn to the Valley, a group of over 150 local artists ranging from painters and print makers to ceramicists, sculptors, calligraphers, jewellers and textile artists, was formed over 10 years ago partly in order to promote the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and to contribute to the regeneration of the local economy through exhibitions and Open Studios. They are united by their passion for this beautiful, but sometimes forgotten, part of Devon and Cornwall and put on the Open Studios event annually, to attract visitors to appreciate art in a variety of different media that reflect developments in both traditional and contemporary art.
Open Studios provides a chance to experience 95 of the best established and emerging artists and the opportunity to own an original piece of artwork.
Each studio is very different but it will generally be the space that the artist works in - often at their home - which is opened to the public to show artwork. Visitors may be able to see sketchbooks and pieces that the artist is working on as well as completed works that can be bought.
Visitors can use the Directory in different ways - from finding a particular artist whose work they like, to working out a personalised mini-trail where they make a day out of it and call in at several neighbouring studios perhaps with lunch or tea in between visits.
The Directory contains general information about getting about in the Tamar Valley and specific directions to each open studio and a reference to the Ordnance Survey map. The Directory can be downloaded from www.drawntothevalley.co.uk
