Ahead of the Skipton Open Studios this year, we went out to meet a couple of Jersey’s artists who have, in one case a new studio exhibition on the horizon and, on another, a new St Helier gallery studio space. Sara Felton caught up with Jason Butler and Ian Rolls.

Words : Sara Felton | Photography: Rod Bryans

Seeking further | Jason Butler

It’s hard to believe that two years have gone by since the first time I met professional Jersey based artist Jason Butler. He was just then considering putting on a solo exhibition, the first in his new studio/gallery of a new body of work, ‘Seekers’. Well, lots has happened since that first meeting.

When we first met Jason, he had just taken on his vast inspiring old warehouse and set up his studio space, based in Commercial Buildings. You’ll find him in his studio five or six days a week and, like most of us working within the confines of an office, he works a full day, treating it as a discipline allows him to remain focussed. ‘Being an artist, like lots of jobs is hard work, you have to love the hard work and that’s what keeps me going.’

Now he’s set the date for his latest exhibition, he’s working towards that October date with gusto and alongside his own work he’s also welcoming portrait commissions. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to commission a portrait. Seeing how beautifully Jason captures his subjects has me seriously considering immortalising myself on canvas, they really are something to behold. His award winning portrait commissions can capture a moment in time and can feature one or a group of people.

His exhibition will once again see him turning his studio into a gallery for a number of weeks. During this time, Jason will hold a series of events collaborating with various groups and institutions in the island to encourage as many people as possible to interact with the work.

The exhibition will run throughout the month of October with dates to be confirmed soon.

On Stream | Ian Rolls & Ruth Baier-Rolls

Jersey based artist Ian Rolls and ceramicist Ruth are on the cusp of opening the doors to the beautiful Pitt Stream Gallery. The small but perfectly formed space, part of the Foot Buildings renovation project, will allow Ian to showcase his ‘uniquely wayward and quirky creations’ and Ruth will both produce and show her work.

Having never previously had a permanent town based space, the pair were inspired by the plans shared by the National Trust for Jersey back in September 2017 at the Foot Buildings open day. ‘Ruth and I were so impressed by the restoration of the old cottages at that very early stage that we enquired whether a tenant had been found for the small retail unit next to the old Foot record shop. On hearing that the unit was unclaimed we put our proposal forward for a small gallery and ceramics workshop to the Trust and were delighted to have it accepted.’

Since then, the pair have turned the idea of how best to use the former hoover repair shop over incessantly in their minds without being able to physically get into the building, other than to see how the renovation work was progressing. Nine months later, and they are finally able to get inside the unit and start to make their plans a reality. They’re are hoping to have things finalised just in time for the Skipton Open Studio event, which will see The Pitt Stream Gallery open their doors to the public.

The gallery will show mostly a frequently changing display of Ian’s own work in all its forms. Ruth will be using the space as a studio and will also show her ceramics pieces, both hand-built and wheel-thrown. But, not wanting to keep the space just to themselves, they’re also hoping, as the space becomes more established, to have small group exhibitions and the gallery will be available to hire by other artists for a mini showcase exhibition.

The annual two day festival run by the National Trust for Jersey in association with Ashburton Investments is celebrating their 10th anniversary.

Tens of thousands of friends and families have enjoyed a mixture of local and international performers in the surroundings of Jersey’s stunning west coast, raising over £70,000 to conserve vulnerable habitats over the past ten years. The Sunset Concerts continue to raise the profile of the coastline campaign to help safeguard Jersey’s natural and build heritage for future generations, as well as the importance of leaving nothing but footprints and taking away nothing but memories.

With perfect harmonies and an enchanting mix of original and cover songs, local band Midriff will get the festivities underway on Friday night. Headliners, The Kim Syvret Quartet, will then play a set of American Songbook classics; expect a perfect blend of traditional jazz with some intriguing contemporary innovations during the exciting performance!

Saturday openers, Hot Juice, take their influences from bands like the Rolling stones and the Arctic Monkeys, their music is nearly impossible not to move to.

Then one of Jersey’s newest bands, Sister Disco, embrace the fashion, flamboyance and grooves that made the 70’s such a vibrant time for music, playing the classics that guarantee a party as the sun goes down.

The Sunset Concerts are a fun way for all ages to engage with and invest in our rich natural environment. The family friendly open-air concerts have become firm fixtures in the summer calendar and are held in the beautiful natural amphitheatre of Grantez as the sun sets over St Ouen’s Bay.

Both evenings are free with a £5 charge per car for on-site parking. All proceeds go towards the National Trust for Jersey’s Coastline Campaign. Parking tickets can be bought online at www.nationaltrust.je/events

Gates open from 5:30pm with performances starting at 7:15pm. Remember to bring a picnic to enjoy while the music plays and take everything with you when you go.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on the Sunset Concerts in association with Ashburton Investments by following @SunsetConcertsJersey on Facebook and Instagram. #SunsetConcertsJersey

Skipton Open Studios, sponsored by Skipton International and produced by ArtHouse Jersey, celebrates and promotes Jersey’s diverse creative community of artists and makers, providing both visitors and Islanders exclusive access into artists’ working studio spaces across the Island. This year over seventy artists are taking part, with additional artists participating in group displays of their work as part of pop-up exhibitions. This includes exhibitions at 10 and 20 Commercial Buildings, La Folie Studios, the Frances Le Sueur Centre and a number of Jersey’s unique historic properties, such as Le Moulin de Quetivel Mill.

However, this year it’s not just about the studios. They’ve grown the programme to feature a broad variety of unique events for the wider public. They are strong believers that art is for everyone and want to see people who wouldn’t typically enter arts spaces, cross the threshold and have a go. Below are five new projects taking place outside of the studio visits:

Former Police Station Takeover

They will be running a ten-day ‘takeover’ of the former police station, Piquet House, in the Royal Square. As the epicentre for Skipton Open Studios, it will be the venue for several artistic projects and exhibitions, as well as an information hub for finding out more about the full programme of events and studio locations. Piquet House will also be home to a number of pop-up events, such as ‘The Story Exchange’ installation curated by Sarah Taylor who is interviewing local artists for their stories, which will be archived as part of a growing collection of Jersey voices. Nick Romeril will be using the site to show for the first time some of the paintings and studies from his recent residency aboard the HMS Proctor, travelling to Antarctica, as well as a virtual-reality film created in collaboration with FLUX.

Piquet House will be open 10am – 5pm, Saturday 23 June – Sunday 1 July.

Food Styling & Photography Workshop

Whether you’re a budding food photographer, or a self-proclaimed foodie, this event will teach you to snap Instagram-worthy dishes and to style your plate like a true chef.

Run by The Bean Pot and Photographer Holly Smith, the event will take place at Piquet House on Sunday 24th June, booking in advance required.

Drink and Draw

Hosted by Abi Overland at the speak-easy styled cocktail bar, Project 52, this event is a human figure drawing night with a twist! Open to both trained artists and first-timers, they’ve got some tricks up their sleeves to make it an entertaining night and to inspire people to pick up some charcoal and ‘get sketchy’.

The event is Friday 29th June, booking in advance required.

Mural Project III

In the run up to the event, St Helier will also welcome the continuation of the Mural Project, coordinated by local artist Ben Robertson (aka BOKRA). This will see ten new murals pop up around St Helier’s streets over the next two months, paving the way for Jersey’s first ever street art tours taking place for free during Open Studios.

‘Food as Art’ Pop-up Kitchen

It isn’t a secret that food and art often go hand-in-hand as an intrinsic part of our culture. This pop-up kitchen event in partnership with Nourish Dining and Love Wine will consider ‘food as art’ and promises to be a feast for the senses. To find out more about this event and to book please visit their website.

For full details on participating artists and the full programme of events visit www.skiptonopenstudios.je

#SkiptonOpenStudios2018

Images by Holly Smith