Our August News
Hello, Spring (We Missed You!) 🌱
We gentle folk of the upper mountains know well that winter has its charms - and we’ll recap some of those in this newsletter. It’s also fair to say, it’s a thrill to finally be tilting towards Spring. Bring on more sun, more warmth and more time en plein air.
Here, for your reading pleasure, are some BArtS winter highlights, and a heads-up about some green shoots springing up soon.
The Studio's Blue Period
The back gallery and end-wall have been repainted in a deep, velvety, almost Lynchian blue. It’s a wonderful transformation. The space feels dynamic and energised. A big, brushy thank you to the legends who lent a hand in painting. We couldn't have done it without you.
The Barchibalds + Open Day Magic
The Blue Room debuted showing the second ever Barchibald exhibition, filled with portraits of pets, animals and even the odd human. Thanks to all of you who entered work (or encouraged some under 18s to do the same) for this varied and heart-warming exhibition.
Our Friday social doubled as the Barchibalds Opening Night, and it was an absolute cracker. Members and friends enjoyed wine, cheese, good conversation, and a preview of the Barchies, and we all had a blast making badges featuring impromptu portrait drawings.
There were more good vibes than you’d find on a Beach Boys album, and these oscillated on into Saturday’s Open day.
Studio groups showcased what they do, welcoming potential new members. Visitors got hands-on and gloriously messy with:
Ceramic wall tile making in the Clay Shed with Jules and crew
Drawing & badge making with Julie and Steve
Delicious soups and sweet treats (Big thanks to our generous members who made food & Kim’s stellar hospitality team.)
Solar Power Upgrade
Here’s some highly sustainable news. We’ve secured a grant to upgrade our solar power system. A massive shoutout to the wonderful Jo Chipperfield, one of our longtime members, who put together the successful application. Jo, you rock.
Garden Renos
At last, the long-awaited garden revamp will be kicking off later this month. Expect new pathways and planting between:
The main studio and the container
The Clay Shed, container, and around to the Kiln Shed
We can’t wait to see the transformation of the grounds to make a more beautiful outdoor space for everyone.
Community
Two exciting workshops for children were held during the school holidays in collaboration with BANC, led by Jules Booth and Hamish Dunlop. The sessions invited children to create their own stories and bring them to life through art. They also explored what treasure means to them, decorating treasure boxes and crafting their own treasures. The children immersed themselves in playful creativity, and the atmosphere was vibrant and joyous, filled with laughter and imagination.
Returning – a solo exhibition by Yve Thompson
BArtS has had our first ever Artist Run Exhibition. This is a new initiative that makes the studio space available by arrangement to long term contributing members of BArtS to hire out for a weekend solo or group exhibition. For her solo show, Returning, prolific artist Yve Thompson showed old and new work - a collection of drawings, paintings, mixed media pieces and more, reflecting changes in her creative practice and a deepening influence of Japanese culture. There was quite a crowd at Yve’s show opening and artist’s talk on Saturday - and a fair few red dots ensued.
If you are a long term contributing BArtS member and you’re interested in this initiative - for yourself or a group, please get in touch by email at info@blackheathart.com.
COMING UP
September 20
Members Social + Show and Tell
The Collage, Mixed Media, and Assemblage Studio Group will be sharing the work they create during their monthly meetups, where they play and experiment freely with these creative forms.
October 4 – 6
October Open
Crikey, there’s only 6 weeks to go. Our newly painted wall’s influence has spread to the theme of this year’s Open. Yes, the theme is Blue— as broadly interpreted as you please, to make plenty of room for your imagination. Go literal, go metaphorical, go every shade you can think of. Entry details will be up online at the end of August, so keep an eye out. https://events.humanitix.com/october-open-exhibition-2025
October 25 – 26
Unframed Exhibition
More info coming soon, so stay tuned.
November 1
Rhodo Weekend + BArtS 50th Anniversary Celebration
Yes, indeed, BArtS has made her half-century, which is quite a milestone to celebrate. Visitors to the studio will have spotted the Fibre Group’s banner, a labour of love that showcases the power of collaboration across 50 years of creativity, community, and colour. It’s almost finished, and it will be paraded through the streets of Blackheath in the Rhodo festival to mark our 50th year. Woo hoo!
December 7
Handmade Christmas Market
We are doing it again, because it jingles our bells. Stallholder entries open first week of October — don’t miss out.
Cheerio August. You’ve been freezing, but fun. Onward now, looking forward to the pleasures of Spring - warmer sun on our backs, packing up the gloves and the blooming of the waratahs!
– The BArtS Team