A closer look at some of the area’s talented artists.

Main image by James Asher. Southampton’s ‘a space’ arts presents Everyone Involved, a major new commission by acclaimed London-based artist Ian Giles,  which launched  on the 23rd of August at the historic God’s House Tower in Southampton. Ian Giles enlivens queer archives by collaborating with LGBTQIA+ pioneers to amplify their achievements and legacies. This immersive

By Laura Lamb. The evening before this year’s Pride enlivened the city, a special exhibition opened at God’s House Tower, aspace’s multi-use arts and heritage space on Town Quay in Southampton.  Over the course of a year, young people aged 16-25 have been taking part in weekly sessions run by local charity, In Focus Education

Black History Month South are looking for artists to design an image for a large scale printed mural which will be displayed on St Marys Fire station, Southampton. Artists are being sought to design a mural that celebrates the Windrush Generation. The present printed vinyl mural located on the front wall of St Marys Fire

By Katie Isham. Something’s cooking at the John Hansard Gallery (JHG) in the heart of Southampton city centre. The ideas have been marinated, the ingredients have been prepped and now the timer is on. JHG is offering up a platter of food themed treats for its Community Takeover exhibition this summer. The gallery usually sets

A new exhibition at Harbour Lights Picture House, Southampton,seeks to find new ways to talk about climate change and its impact on our lives. The ocean is fundamental to life on our planet, from the air we breathe to the water we drink. Oceans are global: so too is humanity. So does being responsible for

Words: Mabel Wellman. Main image: Callum Linklater.  At 9pm on Friday, 3rd May, the Cunard’s Queen Anne ship began her maiden voyage from Southampton. The Queen Anne will first stop at La Coruña, Spain and then Lisbon, Portugal before returning to Southampton on the 10th May. The maiden voyage was met with cheers of many

As reported in In Common back in February Southampton cultural stalwart The Art House has been working on one last huge collaborative artwork before they leave their base at 178 Above Bar Street to become a pop-up provider of “happenings”. The piece – assembled by local multi-media artist Nicola Beck – is now complete and

The final season of Southampton’s grassroots cultural stalwart The Art House is in full swing with every week packed with gigs as artists queue up for “one last show” in the much loved venue. The Art House will no longer have a permanent, bricks and mortar home but will still very much be a presence

Reported by Charlie Hislop It is the last Friday in November, and off to the side of Guildhall Square, hidden away from the city’s Christmas attractions a small group of people are meeting in the cold evening. Sandwiched between the Arts Council funded MAST theatre, and the Arts Council funded John Hansard gallery – AKA

Southampton’s  Keepers Artists Group are holding their latest exhibition in Southampton City Art Gallery’s foyer. The exhibition features a wide array of artworks from paintings, ceramic, willow weaving and recycled/upcycled creations. The Keepers Artists Group is a non-profit group of artists temporarily based on East Street in Southampton city centre .  Collectively, they share an

Hampshire artist Cat Askew’s showcases art made from found objects in her exhibition, Stroppy Objects: Belongings with Opinions, showing at Winchester School of Art Library until September 29. The exhibition is formed of a series of artworks made from found objects, which can be seen as extensions of “Readymades”. All of them use text in

Local landscape artist Charlotte Rose is joining forces with Eastleigh-based Donna McGhie in her studio in Winchester, as part of Hampshire Open Studios from 19th – 28th August. This year, visitors will be able to unleash their creativity on a blank canvas that will be added to throughout the event. Anything goes! The final work

By Mike Daish. I have not been very active with my camera recently, but have taken a few pictures here and there. Most have been in my garden where I have spent many hours watching the local wildlife come and go. One of my favorite visitors is the peacock butterfly a vibrant visitor. I expect

Words by Sarah Groszewski. Photos by Mollie Knight.  Main image: Last Train Home by Annie Farthing.  I’m a feminist with big opinions about transport, so when I heard about ‘Lost in Transit: Finding gendered journeys through art and technology’ I couldn’t wait to visit.   Lost in Transit is an exhibition curated by Close the Data

Image: Roger Famer by Andrew Mills. An exhibition of work by Hampshire-based photography group The Phorum is currently being shown in The Foyer at Southampton City Art Gallery. The Foyer features exhibitions by local and emerging artists, alongside community and arts groups. The Phorum was formed in response to requests for a meeting place which

by Martin Brisland.  Last night (May 25th) saw more than 250 people attended the launch of the Creative Connections exhibition at Southampton City Art Gallery. This is a National Portrait Gallery led project to explore the city through portraiture and runs until 30 September. The standard is excellent and this is definitely not one to

Drawing on the Outside is a programme of making sessions for men, a space for socialising and drawing together.  The group has been meeting in St Mary’s Church Hall off Wessex Lane, and in Swaythling Train Station in Mansbridge since September. The informal and relaxed sessions are open to men, with no previous experience of

words and photos by Mike Daish. I woke at silly o’clock on Sunday morning and decided to go see if I could get some nice frosty spiderweb photos. After some coffee and wrapping myself in a decent number of layers I headed off towards Salmon Leap in Totton.  It was so frosty out it looked like

An exciting new exhibition from Southampton design collective, Studio B.A.D Architects, kicks off the new year for award-winning arts and heritage venue God’s House Tower this January.  ‘Architecture Through a Shared Collaborative Process’ celebrates four years of working collaboratively and highlights the process and potential in working collectively to achieve inclusion and equality.  On display

The world’s first exhibition on open captioning in the arts will be on display at MAST Mayflower Studios from 2 to 18 November 2022. Created by Stagetext, the deaf-led captioning charity, Captions Speak Louder, guides you through the history of theatre captioning – making performances accessible to deaf and hard of hearing audiences. It is

After more than three million knitted stitches, thousands of hours of warm conversation and countless shared stories, as well as many hundreds of cups of tea and a lot of cake, the six-year ‘Knit the Walls’ community-focused art project will come to an end this November. Across the month, God’s House Tower (GHT) will host

Resident artists from the Arches Studios in Southampton will be throwing open the doors to their studios this weekend (September 17 & 18) and inviting the public to explore their creative space, get involved in a varied programme of activities, and get up close to some of the work that has been made over the

by Charlie Hislop. For a city on the coast, split by rivers, not much celebration happens on the water in Southampton. Then last weekend (September 3)  along came the All-Aboard Festival, making the most of the River Itchen on a summer’s day with entertainment on the water and along the banks. It’s music, art and

by Sally Churchward. Artist Jacqueline Rolls is best known for her willow sculptures – from bees and other insects through animals such as pigs and hares to large unicorn and dragon heads.  But in recent years the Southampton-based artist has been pushing herself further and further out of her comfort zone, seeking out challenges and

Local artist Charlotte Rose welcomes Eastleigh-based Donna Mcghie to her studio in Winchester, as part of Hampshire Open Studios from 20th to 29th August. Both have specific passions driving their artwork. Charlotte (pictured top) is an ecologist and self-taught artist, focusing on raising awareness of the fragile natural environment in her colourful landscape paintings. Donna

by Mike Daish. I struggle from time to time with my state of mind and can get quite down and isolate myself . With the isolation and low mood comes a lack of exercise; I stop simply getting outside for a bit of fresh air. Recently I have started a second Italk course to see

A new exhibition of paintings by internationally renowned wildlife artist Andrew Stock at The Minster Gallery Winchester will raise funds for The Cameron Bespolka Trust, the local charity that helps young people appreciate nature. Travels of a Wildlife Artist features his recent paintings of the West Country and Scotland, his various ventures abroad, and scenes

In celebration of their 10th Anniversary, Cowprint  are inviting visitors to Southampton’s God’s House Tower to explore the exciting diversity of modern printmaking at their upcoming exhibition ‘Cutting a Fine Line: The Art of Printmaking’. Printmaking, as an artform, truly spans the ages – from humans using their hands to leave impressions on cave walls

A new exhibition of artworks created by Fine Art students from Solent University comes to Southampton’s Guildhall Square next month. The exhibition, entitled ‘Connections’, will be exhibited in repurposed shipping  containers, and runs from April 2 to 6.  Each student will be interpreting the theme of ‘Connections’ in their own way, through a range of

by Mike Daish. I went out walking around Eling again a few days ago and took a few photos along the way. It is amazing to see the intricate details of the things living on the old pipe that runs along side the toll bridge. Like little explosions of colour, they remind me of fireworks

by Mike Daish. I got up quite early and decided to have a morning walk to Eling.  I had a very quite walk there and only saw one other person, we wished each other a merry Christmas while passing. I took a seat near the Anchor pub and sat by the waters edge watching two

by Katie Isham. As the autumn days tumble into winter, you could do worse than kick some leaves on a walk around one of our city centre’s fine parks. We’re spoilt for choice in terms of green spaces within the walls of Southampton, so maybe it’s prudent to combine a park outing with a chance

‘Knit the Walls’ emerged from the realisation that while Southampton’s medieval walls have witnessed the everyday lives of millions of the city’s residents over hundreds of years, the stories we hear of the city’s past are the big events, those of national and international importance. But we each live our own day to day existence,

An exciting exhibition of new works by a group of Southampton-based artists has opened at the city’s God’s House Tower (GHT), running until Sunday 7th November. The exhibiting artists were recipients of a new, experimental grant programme launched by ‘a space’ arts in January this year. The ‘ scheme gave £500 to nine artists in

by Sally Churchward. Artist, poet, musician, father, husband, son and friend, Greg Gilbert died from cancer on Thursday. As a local journalist, Sally Churchward followed his career – from being the lead singer of Southampton indie band Delays through his being an emerging and then celebrated artist and poet, with numerous interviews  in the city’s

by Mike Daish. It really is so good to get outside and appreciate some of the natural beauty around. I consider myself very lucky to live close to so many wonderful places to walk and cycle. Even going into the centre of Totton is a treat as it has some beautiful patches of wild flowers

by Charlie Hislop. Remember when the Daily Echo and Tory council bosses  wanted to sell off paintings from the city art gallery to free up cash? Well, now that the city is bidding to be UK City of Culture 2025 everyone has thankfully changed their tune, and the value of the city’s collection is being

  ‘a space’ arts and God’s House Tower have announced that God’s House Tower will reopen to the public on July 9th. This is a huge moment for Southampton’s newest arts and heritage venue, which had to temporarily close just six months after opening, and after a seven year, £3.1million refurbishment project. Now the team

A Space arts and God’s House Tower has announced a new programme of events for Black and non-Black artists of colour in Southampton. The events will take place as part of Futures Forum, a professional networking and support initiative set up by the team at God’s House Tower, a new arts and heritage venue in

by Mike Daish. I find myself shielding again… again. I’m still walking and cycling around the local area in an effort to get a little exercise each day and along the way am taking the odd photo.   Sometimes I see things and just think something is different but cannot put my finger on what it

by Mike Daish.  Once again, thanks to lockdown 2, I am shielding, so have been taking a few photos while out getting my daily exercise. I gave myself a little challenge to shoot some black and white images and to do as little post editing as possible. I am fairly pleased with the resulting photos

reviewed by Charlie Hislop. Can you do jazz without sound? Hot Jazz Special comes very close. In sketches, painting, words, and colours it captures all the excitement; the buzz, the characters, and the clubs. Featuring jazz greats like Billie Holliday, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and more while mixing song lyrics with pen pictures. It references

by Mike Daish. I am slowly starting to go out with my camera more often after getting back into the routine of being at work again.  In these difficult and worrying times, it is wonderful to have the distraction of walking around taking photos of the many beautiful things to be found locally. I was

Face of Britain, curated by Nahem Shoa, is an exhibition of portraits by outstanding artists who have painted British individuals from the 17th century to the present day. At its heart is a selection of Shoa’s own striking oil paintings of black and mixed race sitters. Running at Southampton City Art Gallery from tomorrow (September

Southampton City Art Gallery is currently present a retrospective by the acclaimed British painter John Hitchens. Running until October 3, Aspects of Landscape, features more than fifty works spanning almost six decades and charts the artist’s journey from descriptive to a unique form of abstract painting.  Hitchens first came to public prominence in the 1960s

Pictures and words by Mike Daish. Shielding has been paused so I am now gearing up to return to my normal job which is working a local shop. After four months spent mainly at home and having been on my own for much of that time,  it will be quite a big change. The past

by Sally Churchward. As a child, Donna Mcghie had been allowed to paint whatever she wanted on a wall of her bedroom. She grew up with a love of art, so when she decided that working in social and inclusion work was no longer for her, she returned to her first love.  “I’d always used

by Mike Daish. I often hear the phrase, it’s the little things that matter most and I tend to agree. Since being able to get outside, with the easing of lockdown, and enjoy the local countryside again I have loved watching all the little things I have missed so much. Each day I go out

word and photos by Mike Daish. Today I took my first walk in a little over two months.  Due to a medical condition I was informed that I should isolate in my home for 12 weeks. I am still isolating but am now allowed to leave the house. I am very lucky to have a

by Martin Brisland. A record of a unique moment in time by photographer Katherine Mills. We have all been affected by the coronavirus pandemic in some way. For a local photographer who would typically be earning from weddings and family occasions at this time of year it means creative thinking to come up with ways

Led by arts organisation, ’a space’ arts, Homemade Mango Chutney is a virtual exhibition of new work by graduate artists in Southampton.  Previously titled Mango Chutney, the exhibition was originally intended to showcase the work of ten artists who currently occupy studio spaces at the Alfred Arcade and the Hidden Wardrobe on Old Northam Road.

by Mike Daish. Over the years I have taken quite a few street photography shots around Southampton. It’s something I enjoy doing at least a few times a year. I used to find it very difficult to photograph complete strangers; it some how felt strange. Now I am quite happy to go out and snap

by Mike Daish. I am confined to my flat at the moment and have been inside for almost four weeks now. To pass some of the time I am looking at old photos and enjoying the memories they invoke. Something I do regularly is go out on little cycle rides locally and take a few

by Mike Daish. I took my camera out with me around Eling, and in Southampton centre, catching the arrival of spring, at the same time as coronavirus also sweeps into the area. The first three photos were taken at Eling near the little toll bridge and tide mill. These were taken while out on one

by Sally Churchward. “I don’t want people to think that if something is difficult to do, they’re not cut out for it, because that isn’t true. I’m proud to be autistic and disabled. It’s part of me.” These are the words of Southampton artist Spring Wise. Spring has spent her life doing things that were

by Sally Churchward. Greg Gilbert first made a name for himself as the frontman of indie pop band Delays, but in recent years returned to his originally intended career, art. Since his first exhibition, in 2013, he has made a name for himself as an accomplished artist and, more recently, a poet.   On November

by Sally Churchward. Claudia Friend is one of three Southampton-based artists being supported by city-based arts organisation ‘a space’ to spend four weeks in Venice,  invigilating the Cathy Wilkes exhibition at the British Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale 2019, and developing their own artistic research. Claudia, along with Laurence Dubé-Rushby and Asten Holmes-Elliott was selected

by Sally Churchward. With a craft teacher as a mother, Patricia Descalco was exposed to art at an early age, and it has always been her passion. She studied industrial and multi-media design at university and went on to become a graphic designer, until two-years ago, whilst on maternity leave, she made the leap to