“Art in Action —
  If you’ve never been,
  you’re missing an
  absolute treat.
  So read on and make
  a note in your diary
  now for 2008!”

WHAT A FIND! Why have we not heard of it before in its thirty-year history? This is the 'essential' show for anyone with any interest in the arts or a great source of Christmas and birthday presents, be it for an eight-year-old or an octogenarian!

Art in Action is an annual four day festival of the arts in which artists and craftsmen demonstrate their work, engaging directly with the public — and they really do. There is none of the usual snobbery associated with the arts, everyone is extremely approachable and
goes out of their way to be friendly.

This July was the 30th anniversary of the festival which is staged in the grounds of Waterperry in Oxfordshire. It is the only art fair in the UK where so many artists can be seen at work — it involves more than 250 artists and craftsmen from around the world. As well as traditional arts — painting, sculpture, ceramics, woodwork, textiles, calligraphy, printmaking, glass and metalwork and jewellery — there are also per-forming arts such as dance, music and story telling; and lectures and dialogues. In addition, there are practical classes for visitors — children and adults — to try out a variety of new skills.

Should you be inspired to buy some of what is on offer, there is a treasure trove of a market with around one hundred arts and crafts stalls. Here you can either start your Christmas shopping, purchase
art materials for the 'would-be artist' or simply indulge yourself.

Attending this year's Art in Action were a number of artists who were amongst the 50 demonstrators of the festival in 1977, together with several who received their original inspiration all those years ago. The festival is brilliantly planned and organised by an educational charity, the School of Economic Science, and support during the festival itself is provided almost entirely by an army of volunteers. Art in Action does not charge for their work space at the event, but retains a commission from work sold during the show.

Following is a very small selection of what was on offer.

INDIAN ARTS

The theme 'The Indian Journey: From the Classical to the Contemporary' showed the passage of Indian art from its classical origins to contemporary forms of art found in India today.

Ten sponsored artisans from India demonstrated many of their crafts including fine embroidery — and I mean fine — weaving, wire inlay, metalworking, amazing miniature painting and block-printing using natural dyes. How any of them did not require spectacles, let alone
a magnifying glass, is beyond me.

Irfan Khatri, from the Gujarat area, belongs to the Khatri community which is known for its block printing skills. These are made into cloth and this, in turn, is made up into clothes such as turbans and sarongs. His village was destroyed by floods and the survivors had to move, establish a new village and find a way to make a living. New markets have acted as a catalyst in revitalising this ancient craft and the motifs have been readapted to make bedcovers, stoles, beautiful scarves and exquisite quilted bags. The attractive and well designed small bags at £15 (and the scarves at £30) were an absolute bargain. Email: Irfankhatri2006@yahoo.co.in

CHINESE ARTS

There were two extremely talented Korean girls working in two
different but challenging mediums.

Jiyeon Hyun, the artist in residence at Edinburgh College of Art, produces contemporary tableware and jewellery in silver using the oriental philosophy of yin-yang and the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Very tactile and truly beautiful. Catch her at the prestigious Goldsmith's Fair in London — the finest showcase for stylish contemporary jewellery and silverware — which will run from 24th September to 7th October 2007. www.jiyeonhyun.com

Yesung Kim works with leading-edge digital technology and tradit-ional Korean ceramic aesthetics. She uses digital drawing by 3D modelling software to develop and create new forms — small and large glass sculptures which anyone would be more than pleased to own. Honestly, they are really delightful. www.yesungkim.net

PRINTMAKING

This tent contained a rich mix of artists including those who paint, etch, engrave and wood-cut prints. Emiko Aida's beautiful prints, created by using a technique called aquatint, are influenced by water and the technique used ensures that each print is subtly different in
its colouring. £255 for a unique piece of art for your wall is a small
price to pay. www.aidastudios.com

Mezzotint, another method, is used by Roger Harris to produce pict-ures with a beautifully rich, deep overlay of colours. His work reminded me of fables and I would have loved to have bought his stag 'Spirit of the Woods' at £205. Tel: 01453 885 426

TEXTILES

To celebrate the 300th anniversary year of the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral there was a team from the Cathedral Embroiderers with a mission to produce a collection of vestments — copes and stoles — for the Bishop of London, to reflect the annual religious festivals/seasons. All of these, together with altar coverings, are being hand embroidered with traditional gold thread. No small undertaking!

Jacqui Carey makes an interesting and innovative use of Kumihimo — amazing Japanese silk braiding — for jewellery in the form of earrings, necklaces and other decorative wear. Colourful and different. www.careycompany.com

For me, one of the absolute highlights of the show were the fabric creations of Wendy Hughes. The exuberant Wendy manipulates fabric to create soft, sculptural installations and textile accessories. Everything, including the creator, were such fun — her hats were just what was required to wow everyone at a wedding or perhaps one of her 'fascinators' for just £25. Her 'Firebird' hanging in the 'Best of the Best' tent could be a close contender for the prize. If I had the room for the hanging I would have snapped it up at £960. You can see Wendy's wonderful ethereal creations at 'Origin', the London craft fair, from the 3rd October 2007. www.wendyhughesmillinery.co.uk

GLASS

The glass tent was a riot of colour and form, with the glassblowing proving especially popular with the children. I bought two small, beautiful and delicate paperweights for £5 each.

Peter Layton — who, incidentally, was the person who tipped me
off about the festival — and his team from the London Glassblowing Workshop, were amongst the glassblowing demonstrators. He runs courses at his London studios for those who fancy having a go. www.londonglassblowing.co.uk



It would be hard to look any further than Roger Tye's glass 'install-ations' for a unique and fanciful sculpture. These are made of coloured glass and are groups of tendrils, pods and flowers arranged together
to create a group as small (or as large) as you want. Most of his glass sculptures are derived from plant forms and his large but fluid giant flowers were truly amazing. Each of the giant flowers cost £240, but if you wanted to make a statement, this is indubitably it. www.rogertyeglass.co.uk

ILLUSTRATION


Cliff Wright, the illustrator of two of the Harry Potter book covers, was demonstrating in this tent. He runs workshops in drawing which are designed to inspire you to find the artist within. However, I think he would probably have found that difficult with me! www.cliffwright.co.uk

The highlight of this tent was, for me, a cartoon entitled 'The Noble Rot' by Chris Burke. This highly amusing illustration was of the British idea of a typical fat Frenchman, naturally wearing a beret, holding a platter with food, etc. Price £500. www.chrisburke.org.uk

THE CRAFT MARKET

This was the tent that truly was an Aladdin's Cave, with something for everyone. It would have been easy to have bought all my Christmas presents here, had I brought enough money!

I was sorely tempted to buy one of Tammy Child's handmade acces-sories. Her sculpted silk textile evening bags looked just like the most delicate sea anemones. And just £48. www.tammychild.co.uk

High quality handcrafted bags using colourful leathers and suedes in unique designs were on offer from Simon James. These are only available by mail order and are produced in a limited number. Quite honestly, they were of a far, far superior quality to more expensive bags I have seen — just £160 for the standard size and £75 for the small ones. See them at 'Origin', the London craft fair, starting 3rd October 2007.

Simon is an artist and his website really does not do justice to his work. A Philip Treacy hat complemented by a Simon James bag? Most definitely. www.simon-james.co.uk



Creative in Wood: 'The Natural Way to Bring a Smile'. And they truly did. Colin and his wife create the most beautiful traditional and unusual wood toys at very, very competitive prices more associated with China — but these are made in Wales. Their unusual wooden rockers really caught my eye, and at £250 for a rocking motorbike, I was almost tempted — even though it looks as if it will be sometime before I am presented with a grandchild. This particular motorbike could be dis-connected from the rocker with its removable stabilisers so that the lucky child could ride about on it. Definitely future family heirlooms. www.creationsinwood.co.uk

THE BEST OF THE BEST

A recent addition to the show is the 'Best of the Best'. Each demon-strator is invited to submit one piece of work to be exhibited. All of the contributors are encouraged to visit this exhibition during the show, and to vote for their favourite exhibit. The winner is announced on the penultimate evening of the festival and I have a feeling that the same people may win — with the most exquisite screen — for the second year running.

John and Louise Cropper make distinctive furniture incorporating traditional techniques of marquetry. Last year their magnificent Egyptian revolving cabinet was considered by their peers to be an example of the very best work in the show. This year they have submitted a marquetry screen depicting bamboo and irises — an absolute steal at £4,000. www.jlcropper.co.uk

However, I was also very taken with a wooden platter with designs burnt onto it made by Bob Neill, for sale at only £60. www.bobneillpyrography.co.uk

The essence of the festival is in the interaction between visitors and demonstrators. This is not just an 'art and craft' exhibition; it is an opportunity for the public to watch artists at work and to question them about what they do — the materials they use, their techniques, their inspiration. It is also an opportunity for the demonstrators to present themselves to the public, to potential customers or merely to the curious. The demonstrators value this; many of them work alone in their studios and workshops and have little contact with others during the working day. So Art in Action is, for them, a striking and welcome contrast.

All in all, Art in Action is a 'must visit' for families and anyone interested in the visual arts and creative performances. I loved every minute of the show and will certainly be returning next July but, hopefully, allowing two full days for my visit instead of this year's one. — Bonnie Stevens

For more information visit www.artinaction.org.uk.

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