Summer has brought a brilliant, collaborative energy to Studio 3 at the Clevedon Craft Centre. Over the next few weeks, the gallery is transforming into a celebration of local texture, colour, and spirit, bringing together a massive collection of work from regional artists who genuinely love what they do.
It’s a vibrant, tactile showcase where every piece has a story. Here is a glimpse of who is filling the space:
- Susannah Crook: Grounded, mindful paintings created using rich, natural earth pigments.
- Shoreline Creatives Collective: A diverse group bringing everything from fluid art and needle felted sculptures to storytelling landscapes and bold pop art.
- Mandii Baykaa-Murray (The Feather Lady): Strikingly intricate wildlife paintings brought to life on delicate, real feathers.
- Margaret Micklewright: Evocative, weather driven ink and oil pieces that perfectly capture the mood of wild, untouched landscapes.
Whether someone is a lifelong art lover or just wandering through the Craft Centre on a sunny afternoon, this exhibition offers a genuine connection to the creative talent right here on our doorstep.
SUSANNAH CROOK ARTIST 27TH JUNE TO 25TH JULY 2026
Nestled near the coast of North Somerset, Susannah channels the raw beauty of the surrounding landscape into her artwork. Driven by a deep love for the environment, she focuses on capturing the timeless feel of the region, from the sweeping views across the estuary to the ancient markings embedded within coastal rock formations.
For Susannah, protecting the environment is a natural part of being an artist. Instead of relying on shop bought supplies, she sources and grows her own natural earth, mineral, and botanical pigments. Choosing sustainable materials has become a central part of her daily practice, keeping her work in perfect harmony with the earth.
Working mindfully and by instinct, Susannah uses her art to mark the changing seasons, building a deep connection to the local terrain. Her entire process is a grounding, gentle cycle: walking the land, observing its shifts, gathering and sieving the earth, and finally making her own paints. This unhurried journey helps every piece bring the surrounding landscape to life.
Ultimately, Susannah hopes her artwork offers viewers a quiet moment to pause. Through these organic, thoughtful pieces, she invites people to step back, feel grounded, and experience a deeper, timeless connection to the natural world.
Check out Susannah’s website here. She’s also on Instagram and Facebook. You can contact Susannah here: susannah@susannahcrookart.com
SHORELINE CREATIVES 4TH JULY TO 28TH AUGUST
This group of local artists was formed in 2025 and regularly show work at St Johns Hall in Clevedon. The original idea of forming a small group was to ensure a range of diversity in local creative visual art practice and to support other regional talent.
RACHEL GARSTIN
Rachel is local to North Somerset and is a busy part time working mother of three young boys. She has been painting for many years, but more recently discovered the acrylic fluid art craze and has embraced it wholeheartedly, enjoying every messy moment.
Fluid art, for Rachel, is a form of art that uses layers of poured paint of varying densities, manipulated by tipping, blowing, spinning, and swiping to create organic and abstract colour combinations and patterns. She truly enjoys playing with colours, forms, and fluidity and appreciates the unpredictability of the outcome.
While Rachel uses traditional canvases, she also enjoys experimenting with pouring on various surfaces, including tiles, old records, and glass.
Rachel likes to record her process and the finished product, as she believes that watching the designs and colours unfold, often in unexpected ways, is one of the most satisfying aspects of fluid art. Examples of this can be seen on her Instagram here and YouTube here.
KIRSTEN HILL NIXON
Kirsten is part of Gordano Textile Artists, nine textile artists based in Bristol and the surrounding area. They were formed in 1995 to promote stitched textiles as a valid and recognised art form, to keep alive the long tradition of embroidery and to provide mutual support and inspiration to each other.
A felt maker for over twenty years, Kirsten has made felt in many forms, from traditional floor coverings in Kyrgyzstan villages to gossamer fine Nuno felts for clothing.
Needle Felting is the art of creating forms out of fibres like wool by stabbing them repeatedly with barbed needles. The fibres will eventually matt together and can be shaped into a broad range of soft sculptural structures. You can needle felt by hand, but there are also a range of tools that can help speed up the process.
Preoccupied with needle felting garden birds over the last few years, Kirsten has exhibited them with the Gordano Textile Artists and teaches locally at the Spinning Weal home to a cornucopia of delights for everyone from knitters, quilters and spinners to embroiderers, felt makers and dressmakers.
The past few years have seen the birds range from wrens to pigeons and owls, culminating in last year’s life-size Dodo!
If you’d like to see more of Kirsten’s work, she is on Instagram Kirsten can be contacted at kirstenhillnixon@gmail.com
RACHAEL CAWLEY
For nearly forty years, the daily trek to the city consumed Rachael’s life. Beyond ferrying her son to a whirlwind of sports and social engagements, her days were a blur of lecture preparation and sleep. Local community? A distant concept.
Early retirement, the demands of caring for a relative with dementia, the joyful addition of a dog, and the isolating grip of COVID-19 reshaped Rachael’s world. Walking became her new commute, a journey into the heart of her surroundings. No longer a fleeting glimpse through a windscreen, but an immersive experience: the soaring buzzards, the darting rabbits, the elusive otters and foxes. She witnessed the shifting hues of the seasons, the meandering paths, the languid rivers, the dramatic skies, and the endless tapestry of fields. And, crucially, she had time to truly see and think.
After studying for an M.A. while still teaching, the academic focus instilled in Rachael the prevailing notion that women’s art was inherently domestic, decorative, illustrative, and narrative—a world of pattern and colour, relegated to the lower echelons of academic esteem.
Now, in her sixties, Rachael has shed the weight of those old expectations:
“To me, every picture tells a story. The landscape has a multiplicity of layers, from the people who worked it through history to the scored lines of transportation, the characters involved, and the flora and fauna supported by the richness of our soil and history. I am interested in how colour and form can be used to tell a story and evoke emotions. I combine observation, memory and imagination with a view to transform them into visual narratives.
After studying for an M.A. while still teaching, the academic focus instilled in Rachael the prevailing notion that women’s art was inherently domestic, decorative, illustrative, and narrative, a world of pattern and colour, relegated to the lower echelons of academic esteem.
Now, in her sixties, Rachael has shed the weight of those old expectations:
“To me, every picture tells a story. The landscape has a multiplicity of layers, from the people who worked it through history to the scored lines of transportation, the characters involved, and the flora and fauna supported by the richness of our soil and history. I am interested in how colour and form can be used to tell a story and evoke emotions. I combine observation, memory and imagination with a view to transform them into visual narratives.
ANNA YOUNG
Anna felt she had always possessed a creative, ‘crafty’ inclination but was discouraged from pursuing GCSE art in secondary school due to perceived drawing limitations. Instead, she opted for typewriting, a practical but less creative pursuit. Consequently, her background lay in teaching, specifically primary education, where she spent twenty-five years in Bristol and North Somerset. As a teacher, she found ample opportunities for creative expression in the classroom and with her three daughters, engaging in various making, playing, and creating activities. Over the years, she has explored numerous creative outlets, including scrapbooking, sewing, ceramics, floristry, and crochet. Although she still enjoys crocheting, her other hobbies have been set aside.
Having left classroom teaching in 2021. Anna currently works as a tutor, providing Maths and English instruction to children aged seven to eleven. She discovered gel printing in 2021, introduced to it by an artistic friend during the second lockdown. She quickly became enamoured with the process, appreciating its speed, ease, fun, and addictive nature. This led her to collage, seeking a purpose for her abundant printed papers. She enjoys combining colours, textures, and shapes in interesting and pleasing ways, particularly drawn to the contrast between botanical and geometric forms. Being self-taught, Anna acknowledges that her work might not always be “correct,” but she has found joy in the process. She focuses on creating art that brings her happiness, hoping it will resonate with others.
In addition to producing original collage art, Anna uses her printed papers to create cards and notebooks, which she sells at local markets. She also conducts gel printing workshops in Clevedon with her artistic friend under the name The Creative Nest.’ Their aim is to make art accessible to everyone, regardless of formal art education, and gel printing was an ideal medium for this. Anna derives great satisfaction from witnessing participants arrive uncertainly and depart with prints and papers they are proud of, finding it a truly rewarding experience.
Anna also runs ‘Art Sparks’ at Clevedon Craft Centre. She is on Instagram here
ANNA WARSOP
Anna’s abstracted landscapes are inspired by her daily dog walks. She works with collage and builds up layers of paint and texture to show the dramatic light and shadows she experiences.
Clevedon based professional artist Anna is inspired by the aerial landscape and maps, which allow her to view the world from a unique perspective. Through her paintings, Anna aims to evoke a sense of wonder and awe, inviting us to see the world through her eyes. Her work combines elements of abstraction and realism, blending the intricate details of maps with the flowing lines, patterns and textures found in nature.
Anna’s process derives from photographs taken from commercial flights, satellite imagery and the study of maps. She uses a varied combination of acrylic paint, collaged handmade papers, photographs, and monoprints, often sanding back the surface and applying glazes to create a rich surface, to create the feeling of journeying through the landscape.
Anna gained a BA Hons in Fine Art (painting) first class from UWE and returned to gain an MA in multi-disciplinary printmaking in 2008. She has exhibited nationally and internationally in selected exhibitions, including the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions, Mall Gallery Originals Contemporary Printmaking Exhibitions, RWA Annual Exhibitions, and Marzia Frozen Gallery in Berlin.
Public Collections
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, International Graphic Art Foundation, New York, USA, Cadeques Contemporary Print Collection, Spain, Bristol City Council, Cheltenham and Gloucester Contemporary Print Collection.
If you want to know more about Anna. She is on Instagram here. To make contact with Anna: annawarsop@yahoo.co.uk
CLAIRE BRASS
Claire is an oil painter with a passion for vibrant, colourful artwork. She paints primarily for the joy of creation, finding endless inspiration in the natural beauty surrounding her home in Clevedon. The undulating landscapes, the ever-changing moods of the sea, and the riot of colours in her own garden provide a constant source of artistic fuel. While her work often reflects these subjects, Claire isn’t confined by strict representation.
She enjoys pushing the boundaries of colour, exploring its expressive potential and allowing it to lead her towards more abstract compositions. This experimental approach often results in pieces that capture the essence of a scene or feeling rather than simply replicating its outward appearance. Her canvases are playgrounds for colour, where hues clash and blend, creating dynamic and captivating works that invite us to explore our own interpretations.
Claire is on Instagram here. To make contact with Claire: claire.brass@gmail.com
Tim Stephens
Tim is a creative professional with 25 years of experience in the industry, began his artistic journey by studying art and design. After a period as a graphic designer, he transitioned to freelance work, fuelling his passion for portraiture. Inspired by icons like Bowie and Warhol, he developed a distinctive Pop Art style, using bold colours and graphic lines to create vibrant, instantly recognisable likenesses. His successful 2005 solo exhibition, About Face, led him to establish Cut the Mustard, a travelling art gallery. For 13 years, he painted in the autumn and winter, then toured with Cut the Mustard in the spring and summer at music festivals, including Glastonbury and Reading, while also fulfilling private commissions.
A back injury in 2017 forced Tim to reconsider his demanding schedule. Returning to his hometown of Clevedon, he found new inspiration in the local scenery. He began creating intricate ink drawings of Clevedon and, influenced by the town’s quieter pace, evolved his portrait style to incorporate more nuanced textures and emotional depth.
This shift has been successful. His Clevedon landscapes are featured in local galleries and shops, and his refined portraiture has earned commissions and art publication features.
Tim’s current work explores the fascinating interplay between people, places, and the natural world, weaving these elements together into a cohesive visual narrative. His style is a melting pot of influences, from the intricate details of the environment and the subtle contours of the landscape to the vibrant energy of subcultures, the raw power of human expression, and even a touch of playful humour. This eclectic mix results in pieces that are both visually engaging and thought-provoking. Beyond creating work for general release, Tim also welcomes private commissions, allowing him to collaborate closely with individuals to bring their unique visions to life. He also enjoys the challenges and creative possibilities offered by commercial illustration projects.
Tim’s artistic DNA has been shaped by a diverse range of artists, each leaving their indelible mark. These include M.C. Escher, William Hogarth, Brian Bolland, Eric Fischl, Mode2, Charles Griffin, Rodney Matthews, and Barney Farmer. All have contributed to the rich tapestry of his artistic inspiration.
Tim’s creative process begins with the intimacy of hand drawing, allowing him to connect directly with the image as it emerges on the page. Colour is then added, either through the expressive fluidity of ink or digitally using Photoshop, where a drawing pad and pen provide the precision and control he needs.
2024 was a particularly special year, as Tim was deeply honoured to be voted Clevedon Artist of the Year by the public in partnership with the Polodango Art Gallery. This recognition means the world to him and is a powerful affirmation of his connection to the local community.
If you want to know more about Tim, check out his website here. He is also on Facebook here. And Instagram here.
TERESA CRICHTON
Teresa is a contemporary abstract mixed media painter based in Clevedon. Teresa rarely paints on an easel; instead, she typically creates her artwork directly on the studio floor. This allows her to move freely around the canvas, applying mixed media in a spontaneous flow.
Her work heavily features bright, textured layers, vibrant pops of colour, and rich tones like cobalt blue and gold. She draws deep inspiration from the sea, coastal landscapes, and family memories.
She explicitly avoids telling people what they should see in her art. She structures her abstract pieces so that the imagery triggers deeply personal, distinct memories or feelings for each individual viewer.
Teresa is highly active in the local arts community. Alongside showcasing her paintings at Clevedon Art Club she helps manage the public relations and local events for the club, which organises seasonal showcases.
As part of Shoreline Creatives Teresa frequently exhibits original, framed works and deep edged canvases at the Studio 3 Gallery within the Clevedon Craft Centre.
You can view Teresa’s latest works in progress, behind the scenes studio clips, and price lists directly on Instagram.
SARAH SOUTER
Sarah studied Graphic Design at Bristol Polytechnic and has enjoyed working in various media, including modern embroidery, silk painting, and illustration, as well as graphic design for the health and education sectors. Since the mid-1990s, she has painted landscapes in watercolours and has been part of ‘Souter and Stanley’, selling graphic prints of the local area.
About four years ago, spurred on by a COVID 30-day painting challenge, she started to learn to paint in acrylics and oils and has found these to be both the most difficult and also the most satisfying mediums.
Sarah’s motivation as a painter is rooted in a keen observation of the dramatic and colourful elements that define a place. She doesn’t just see a landscape; she experiences it, noticing the subtle shifts in light, the vibrant hues that emerge at dawn and dusk, and the atmospheric nuances that lend a unique character to each scene.
This desire to capture the ‘feeling’ of a place drives her to paint ’plein air’ whenever possible as the scene she sketches and paints outdoors is very different to the one she sees in her photographs.
Ultimately, Sarah’s art invites us to experience the landscape as she does, with a heightened appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us.
Sarah is on Instagram here. To make contact with Sarah: sarahsouterart@gmail.com
JO GARDINER
A love of art has always been present in Joanna’s life in one form or another. Her career began in architectural practice at the age of fifteen, but by the time she was twenty, her love of design led her to immerse herself in the world of interiors. As time went on, she often included interior painting projects, such as large murals.
Navigating the complexities of lockdown while managing her business, Joanna ultimately chose retirement, redirecting her energy towards her painting. Always inspired by the extremes and subtleties of light and shade, Joanna decided to satisfy her curiosity about painting in oils….and is loving it!
Joanna also hosts small watercolour groups from her studio on the beachfront of Sand Bay.
She was honoured to have paintings selected by SWA for their open exhibition last year. Joanna is also a member of Clevedon Art Club, where she exhibited in last year’s Open Exhibition.
Joanna is on Facebook and Instagram. To make contact with Jo: joannagardinerart@gmail.com
AMANDA BODY As Chair of the Committee for the Clevedon Art Club since 2023, Amanda plays a central role in managing a thriving community of artists that has been established for more than 68 years.
Working alongside fellow committee members, she coordinates the club’s comprehensive workshop programme, oversees foundation classes, and schedules the Open Exhibition Team for the annual August show.
Alongside her leadership responsibilities, Amanda is a Bristol and North Somerset based visual artist known for creating vibrant, expressive canvases driven by a passion for bold colour and dramatic landscapes. Her work offers a dynamic translation of the natural world, capturing the specific mood, weather, and identity of the locations she explores rather than a literal representation.
Amanda’s creative process begins spontaneously in the field, where she captures inspiration through extensive sketching and photography, which she later distils into textured, graphic paintings in her studio.
Amanda is on Instagram.
THE FEATHER LADY MANDII BAYKAA-MURRAY 25th JULY TO 22nd AUGUST
Mandii’s work breathes new life into nature, creating intricate, exquisite paintings on real feathers. Most of her unique canvases are gathered locally during her daily countryside walks with her dog Chilli, or gifted to her by friends and followers who keep an eye out for hidden treasures.
Art has always been Mandii’s calling. In her twenties, she explored abstract expression while studying printmaking as a mature student, discovering a love for experimental processes. She later transitioned into photography, recognising now that her time behind the camera was simply another way of creating art. Whether using a lens, a printing press, or a delicate paintbrush on a feather, Mandii’s focus has always been the same: uncovering and sharing beauty.
People often ask Mandii how this particular journey began, and the truth is, painting on feathers wasn’t something she ever planned.
Years ago, after meeting a falconer and spending time around birds of prey, Mandii became fascinated by their feathers, the intricate patterns, the delicate textures, and the incredible detail woven into each one. She began collecting naturally moulted feathers simply because they felt far too beautiful to leave behind on the ground.
Then one day, the falconer shared an image of a painted feather online and suggested she give it a try herself. Mandii remembers thinking at the time, “There is absolutely no way I could do that.”
But curiosity won, and she gave it a go.
That first painted feather became the beginning of everything that followed. What started as a daunting challenge quickly transformed into a deep passion.
Today, each feather is carefully prepared and hand painted by Mandii, allowing the natural shape, softness, and organic movement of the quill to guide her brush. It is a delicate partnership between the artwork and the unique canvas; the curves of the feather dictate where the shadows fall, and the texture influences every single stroke.
Every piece is created to honour the quiet beauty already held within the feather, transforming a forgotten fragment of the wild into a lasting piece of art. Mandii hopes that her work invites a closer, more intimate connection to natureprompting people to pause, look a little nearer, and appreciate the extraordinary wonder found in the smallest details of the world.
If you’d like to know more about Mandii, check out her website. She is also on Facebook and Instagram.
MARGARET MICKLEWRIGHT 22nd AUGUST TO 19th SEPTEMBER
Margaret is a Scottish painter based in Somerset. Her work is deeply rooted in the exploration of wild, untouched landscapes. Having graduated from Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, she finds herself drawn to remote places where there is little evidence of human presence. She focuses intently on the relationships between land, sea, and lakes. Creative travels have taken her across the South West, including the dramatic Cornish coastline and Kilve in Somerset. However, she has also ventured to the rugged beauty of Orkney, Iceland, and the Scottish Islands. Currently, she is channelling these rich inspirations into an evocative body of work centred on the sweeping landscapes of Dartmoor.
Working predominantly ‘en plein air’, Margaret actively seeks out challenging weather conditions. She loves wet and windy environments, allowing the unpredictable elements to directly interfere with and adapt her materials on location. This immersive process allows her to capture the raw, immediate feelings generated by the atmosphere around her. Ever since her art school days, ink has been a core medium in her practice. She continually pushes its boundaries by manipulating acrylic and handwriting ink on wet surfaces. applying it wet-on-wet, letting it dry, and working into it wet again to achieve striking, unpredictable textures.
Always evolving, Margaret is currently experimenting with surfaces and physical depth. She integrates ink-stained layers of tissue paper into her pieces to alter how the medium behaves on a traditional surface. This technique creates a striking structural ambiguity, adding unexpected layers of colour and complexity. Alongside her signature ink work, she paints in oils and explores the atmospheric unpredictability of oil monoprinting.
If you’d like to know more about Margaret, check out her website. She is also on Instagram. She can be contacted on mhmicklewright@gmail.com
Here;s the link to Studio 3, these are the contact details: Studio 3, Clevedon Craft Centre, Clevedon, BS21 6TD Telephone: 07557331967 E mail: studiothree111@gmail.com They are also on Instagram.
A quick reminder of the opening times, which it’s worth mentioning are not the same as the Craft Centre: open Monday to Saturday from 10.00. a.m. to 5.00 pm and Sunday from 11.00. a.m. to 4.00. p.m.