It's Open Studios Season!
Artists often work alone most of the year, but occasionally they open their doors to the public. And it's a great way to buy some original art, straight from the artist.
To follow from my previous post on the importance of the artist’s studio (or art shed) one of the benefits that I didn’t mention was the ability to open your studio to the public when you want to show work in progress and perhaps even sell a few paintings or sculptures. And besides, being an artist can often be a lonely pastime and it’s nice to occasionally talk to somebody other than the cat. I’ve been toying with the idea of opening up my art shed at some point but I don’t feel ready yet but wanted to see how other artists do it.
If you don’t know what an Open Studios event is, it’s really easy to understand: it’s where artists literally open their studios to the public for a set number of days a year, usually as part of a wider group of artists all doing it in the same area. It’s also a lovely way to talk to artists and buy art direct from them, often at discounted prices. And the diversity of actual studios is wide from living rooms, to gardens, to shops and galleries. Although artists often can just open their own studios whenever they feel like it, usually artists join with other artists and over the years organisations and collectives have sprung up all over the UK (and wider world) that artists can pay to join to be part of a festival of Open Studios/Houses and benefit from marketing through brochures, social media and websites. In the UK you can usually find a collective by county or town, with a quick internet search, and although open studios can run at any time of year, the late spring and summer season is usually the busiest.
As an aside, I haven’t had time to delve into the deeper history of the origins of artist open studios but I think it all probably started in the Salons in Paris and over the years moved from artist and intellectual ‘happenings’ to more democratised open studios as we know them today. When I find a good book on it I’ll write a post about it!
Last week my daughter (a talented student artist herself — well, I would say that, but she is!) and I went to an open studios organised by Artists Open Houses in Brighton, UK, which runs on weekends throughout May 2026 including this bank holiday weekend. We only had time to visit one studio (Old School Studios - Artcore, Studio 27 in the brochure and website) but amazingly this place provides studio and gallery space to over 50 artists including Jesse Leeroy Smith (one of the tutors on my Newlyn Art School course) who last month blew my mind with an expressive and experimental portraiture session.
As my daughter and I walked around the giant house, once home to a Brighton Steiner school, dotted with Victorian bathrooms and old fashioned radiators, we soon become lost in a warren of rooms and gallery spaces, spanning three vast floors. Often multiple artists were working within one room with various areas partitioned off as you often find in university art schools with wall space for each student to work (or have a sleep).
It was the sense of community I felt immediately walking from one studio to another, some small with up to three artists sharing, and others much larger, obviously used as larger classrooms when the building was formerly a school. All of the rooms had high ceilings, wall space and large windows with lovely Brighton-light pouring in. It was so inspiring to see Jesse’s studio that he shares with fellow artist and painter Neil Pavey. Apart from being blown away by Jesse’s beautiful layered figurative paintings and Neil’s original use of surfaces and textures, I was intrigued how it was for them working in communal artist studios. I wondered how they got any work done, with the temptation to natter all day and drink tea, but they assured me they seemed to find a rhythm of work, and they mentioned it was so nice to have the other to ask for occasional feedback. They told me they often were inspired by each other, like admiring colours and compositions. They always said that they were not always at the studio at the same time, so had plenty of days where they could enjoy the whole double room space to themselves.
The crowning glory, apart from all the lovely art, and being able to speak to the artists, was a very cool lounge area with DJ deck, pole-dancing robots (I kid you not!), art hanging everywhere and a cool cantina bar serving alcohol and tacos! My daughter made the comment: ‘I don’t ever want to go to a gallery that hasn’t got tacos!’
A fellow art student on my course, Simone Brenninkmeijer, is opening her home for the first time this year as part of Cornwall Open Studios which is on 23-31st May 2026. She sent me this information, so if you’re in the area please go and visit:
‘Simone Brenninkmeijer one of the artists in Looe, taking part in Cornwall Open Studios! Come and meet me and ‘Pickle’ my dog! See my work displayed at my home overlooking the Looe Bay. Bay View House, East Cliff (just at the start of the coastal path and 2 min walk up from town high street). Studio 35 in the Cornwall Open Studio brochure and website. We look forward to our visitors!!’
My little Art Shed is in the South East UK, specifically in Kent, so my local Open Studios organiser is South East Open Studios (opening 5-21st June 2026), covering Kent and Sussex, which this year is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. As stated on their website: ‘SEOS brings together the work of hundreds of contemporary artists and makers around parts of Kent and East & Mid Sussex. Each year in June, artists and makers open their working studios to welcome the public.’
And you know what: I’ve already got the bug! Even though I can be a bit of a loner I do crave company and my daughter has encouraged me to open my ‘studio’ for the next Open Studios in my area so watch this space for 2027!
So, if you are an art lover get searching for a local Open Studios event near you and go and meet the people who slave, day and night, for little money, often wondering why they are bothering, to make art that can make you see the world in a new light.