#CreativityAcre accessible during Catherine West’s Devon Open Studios

Creativity Acre is a woodland where Catherine aspires for creative and wellbeing things to happen. We think it’s special, and various spots have energy all their own. Catherine wants to share these spots, respectfully and gently, and invite others who value creativity and its association with wellbeing to imagine uses, activities and possibilities with us, to contribute ideas and offers at the beginning of – probably – a number of new projects.

During Devon Open Studios, on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, Catherine is sharing various threads of work that she has created or is actively working on – as that is the nature of her practice.Multiple ideas are imprinted and interwoven across art forms as she processes her world and learns through making.

She is re-showing the ’Strength & Fragility’ collection, the ‘Origins of colour’ collection and (at least two) works in progress from the ‘Chamomile & Nettle’ series.

Chamomile and Nettle, like strength & fragility, is about the associations we make, positive and negative. It’s about the spiky sting of one useful plant alongside the soothing nature of another. Catherine is experimenting and exploring these, enjoying playing with the beautiful forms of the plants and the ideas they embody, like she did with her 2020 project inspired by ferns and bracken: ‘Unfurling.’

Some work is for sale, along with notecards, handspun and/or eco-dyed yarns, and items made by volunteers in association with community work. (For instance, a volunteer from Sustainable Crediton up-purposed drumsticks and firewood into some fabulous drop spindles ins support of the Holiday Activity & Food programme- proceeds from these will be shared with Sustainable Crediton.) We welcome purchases, but hasten to note this event is about sharing work, creating a reflective pause and acknowledging community, friends, and artistic development, and invite feedback and input that helps creative work reverberate with values.