Dear Members,

I hope you have all managed to stay well in the recent heatwave, it has certainly been a challenge! Looking forward to more normal summer temperatures this week. There are so many wonderful exhibitions on at the moment, locally, in London and further afield. Next week I am going to the last week of the Estonian artist, Konrad Magi's, UK debut exhibition; bold landscapes, vivid light and striking portraits. On the theme of landscapes, I have yet to go to Chichester's Pallant Gallery for British Landscapes: A Sense of Place, which thankfully runs until the end of October. Newlands House Gallery in Petworth has a wonderful Paula Rego exhibition running until 6th September. If you visit Newlands House before 20th July, they are currently hosting the Sussex Craft Awards. Their artist in focus is the sculptor Julian Wild. 

This month:

·         Review of June Lecture

·         Lecture this Wednesday

·         Special Interest Day in October

·         Visit to Knole in Kent end of November

Rupert Dickens gave us an excellent lecture in June about the extraordinary artist, Giuseppe Arcimboldo. The 500th Anniversary of his birth is this year or next; born in Milan in 1526 or 1527 he came from a family of artists. His famous works were the Four Seasons Sequence created over a ten-year period, featuring faces depicting fruits and vegetables of the seasons, then his second sequence The Four Elements, Air, Fire, Earth and Water, featuring native and exotic animals and sea creatures.

This Wednesday 1st July our lecture is Wilde About Oscar: Famous for Being Famous (& Infamous) 1854-1900 by Simon Whitehouse. This lecture examines the extraordinary life and dramatic times of Oscar Wilde from his Irish roots to his days as a student at Oxford and his meteoric rise to the heights of celebrity.

Nicky will be taking bookings for our next Special Interest Day, "Rogues in the Gallery: Theft and Forgery in the Art World" by Dr Tom Flynn on Wednesday 14 October 2026. Dr Flynn draws on thirty years of writing, reporting and lecturing on art theft, its perpetrators and their motivations and throws light into the darker recesses of international crime syndicates. A full description of this fascinating two lecture day and booking form can be found on our website.

SAVE THE DATE. I am delighted to announce that we will be having our traditional Christmas themed Visit on Thursday 27th November to National Trust property, Knole in Sevenoaks, Kent. This magnificent 600-year-old Estate will have much to offer. An Archbishop's Palace, royal residence and Sackville family home, showcasing textiles, paintings and a world class collection of Royal Stuart furniture. The house will be decorated for Christmas. Julie will be taking bookings at our lecture in September.

As usual there will be no Lecture in August, so I hope you all enjoy the Summer and I look forward to seeing you in September.

In the meantime, I will see you on Wednesday. Coffee and tea will be served from 09.50 to 10.20. Please be seated by 10.30 for the lecture to start at 10.45. Thankyou.

Very best wishes,

Paula Chabrel

Chair, on behalf of your Committee

We're delighted to share updates from three artists who are midway through their Dr Andrew Edney Bursary projects, each demonstrating remarkable creativity and professional development despite facing various challenges.

Jackie Eksi has been creating an ambitious labyrinth installation inspired by the 1986 film, working from her living room due to challenges in securing studio space in Southampton. She has completed numerous intricate elements including fabric backdrops, a tower incorporating film scenes, painted canvases, moving elements, and a doll's house. Jackie has found the project therapeutic, helping her understand why the labyrinth has become such an important symbol in her practice. While working without a dedicated studio has been isolating and placed pressure on her home life, she has been resourceful in using donated and waste materials. Jackie acknowledges this project as her "last hurrah" at this scale due to her declining capacity from health challenges and is seeking exhibition spaces for early 2026.

Milly Aburrow has used her bursary to undertake a beginner's stained glass course, developing foundational skills with adaptive techniques suited to her access needs. The project has exceeded her expectations, with the new medium integrating naturally into her existing artistic interests around British seaside culture. Milly has purchased equipment enabling her to continue developing skills independently, and is now working on a new body of work translating her research into stained glass pieces that explore nostalgia, artifice, and emotional memory. She plans to produce resolved artworks for her professional portfolio and future exhibition opportunities, describing the grant as "ginormous financial aid" that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

Sea Shucksmith has taken their project in an evolved direction from the original plan, creating and exhibiting a new large-scale artwork called Male Gaze that pushed them beyond their comfort zone. They have developed significant new printmaking skills and secured a flexible, affordable studio space (£25/day in a friend's basement) that accommodates their fluctuating energy levels. This has led to important reflections on what "bigger" means in their practice—shifting focus from physical scale to ambition, impact, and accessibility. Sea has secured two new workshop-leading opportunities with Disability Arts in Surrey and the British Psychological Society, attended Make Art Brighton for networking, and is planning to exhibit in Artists Open Houses while platforming five other local artists. They're exploring how to create work with larger impact that remains materially and economically accessible.

All three artists have demonstrated resilience, creativity, and thoughtful adaptation in the face of challenges, using their bursaries to develop both their technical skills and professional networks while staying true to their artistic visions

Some examples of work on the theme "Bird Creations" are posted in our Gallery

Three Outside In artists have been awarded this year’s Dr Andrew Edney bursary. Below are the three artists and what they plan to do with their bursary.

Jack Bull

Jack will use the bursary to work with a photographer to take professional, high quality images of his recent artwork. Jack will hire a studio space in Brighton which provides lighting, backdrops and technical support. Jack will work with photographer Chris O’Donovan who will take photographs of Jack’s work. The images will then document his artwork and be added to his website. This will help Jack with his professional practice.

Julia Oak

Julia is using the bursary to research and explore what happens to artwork after people die. She wants to take this opportunity to find homes for her work, to explore options which will help her and also help other artists and their families or carers in the future. It will aim to help future proof it’s life. Julia will use part of the bursary to work with a mentor, exhibition and printing/communication translation costs. Part of the bursary would be a hard copy version of the research that could be available to art groups and individuals that are non-digital.

Yasmin Crawford

Yasmin Crawford is a Fine Art Photographer, Visual Artist and multidisciplinary collaborator. She will use the bursary to support her with the creation of her art, printing on different materials such as chiffon, silk and cotton, framing, and travel for two exhibitions. The bursary will support her travel and the development of her artworks and networks. These types of events are wonderful, and creative, allowing her to show her artwork in different forms but most importantly support people with difficult health problems and support public education on relevant scientific topics.

To see examples of the artists' work, click HERE

We are proud to announce the opening of a new Arts Studio at Bury Primary School, decorated and refurbished by volunteers and supported with Society funds.

The Studio can be viewed during an Open Day between 9:30 - 11:30am.

The Andrew Edney Bursary

Our Society has entered into an exciting new partnership with the award-winning charity Outside In. Founded and based at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, but operating independently and nationally since 2017, Outside In provides a platform for artists who find it difficult to access the art world for reasons including health, disability, isolation or social circumstance. It does so through exhibitions, artist support and professional training programmes.

The Arts Society South Downs will deliver an annual bursary of £1500 to Outside In, which will be divided between eligible artists living and working in Sussex and Hampshire. It will enable at least three recipients each year to advance their skills by purchasing art materials, attending a course in their discipline or expanding their artistic horizons through travel. 

The bursary, which will run for a duration of ten years, was made possible through a legacy left to The Arts Society South Downs by our former member of many years, Dr. Andrew Edney, veterinarian, art lover and philanthropist. We hope it will pave the career paths of many artists who would not otherwise have found the support they deserve.

The first round of the Andrew Edney Bursary was launched in April, and applications are now open. For more details, see  https://www.outsidein.org.uk/news_and_events?item_id0=18309. 

The image reproduced here is 'Sugar-Glider vs Octopus' by Outside In artist Carlo Keshishian.