A RECORD-breaking 104 studios will be welcoming in the public for Dumfries and Galloway’s 22nd annual Spring Fling Open Studios Weekend.
It will take place from May 25-27 and include everything from paintings, original prints, ceramics, glass, jewellery, furniture, photography and textiles to experimental and installation art.
This year’s 13 new artists and makers are painters Amanda Hayler, Yuliya Lennon, Scott McFarlane, Sarah Louise Plant and David Quinn, sculptor Kerry Samantha Boyes, installation artist Hetal Chudasama, printmakers Richard Foster and Sarah Ross-Thompson, jewellery maker Elizabeth Gault, ceramicists Elspeth Hart and Rebecca J Woods, plus bladesmith Timothy Westley who makes chefs’ knives.
This year’s Neighbours include Gail Kelly, a printmaker from Northern Ireland as well as Ruth Clayton and Miles-Moore Ceramics from Cumbria.
Those returning for 2024 include painters Anne Butler, printmakers Joshua Miles (above) and Lisa Hooper, mixed media artist Laura Boswell, furniture maker and woodworker Rachel Ashcroft and textile artist Laura Derby.
Joshua, who moved to Scotland from South Africa and whose studio is in Kirkcudbright, said: “Spring Fling is the most important event in a local artist’s calendar. This a sought-after event to be a part of and the reason I moved to the area.”
Since its conception, Spring Fling has attracted around 174,000 visitors who have made over 546,000 studio visits.
In 21 years over £10.2 million has been spent in the studios and the event has brought over £17.5 million for the region’s economy.
Joanna Jones, of organisers Upland, said: “This year we have 104 studios taking part, four more than 2023, and an all-time record for an event which dates back over 20 and has grown to become a much-loved part of the country’s cultural calendar.
“Dumfries and Galloway has an incredibly vibrant and exciting artistic community and we take huge pride in showcasing some of the very best it has to offer.”
Visitors will be able to follow six colour-coded routes taking them round studios in different parts of the region.
Some studios will have special evening openings and there will be other attractions like walking and bus tours and, demonstrations on the lead up to the event.
To find out more visit www.spring-fling.co.uk. Brochures will be available in April.
- Photos by Colin Hattersley
