The warm sunshine on Saturday saw me trudging up the not insignificant Wimbledon Hill to reach the pretty village hall. My mission? To visit the first Wimbledon Village art and design fair.
I decided to start in the two upstairs galleries which was where I found some vivid and exotic oil paintings by Rosalind Chapman (Richards). My favourite was of woman canoeing through some arches with a tiger swimming along beside her. Next to her was an artist called Hannah Battershell who had tiny prints (£45) and some ribbon based medal brooches (£15).
There were prints (£40) and original paintings (£200) which reminded me of Monty Python images from Laura Phillimore. I suspect her “Grand Race” illustration will go down well with the cycling community. But my favourite in this room were the stunning images by Melissa Launay – especially one featuring flying keys and a birdcage called “Trapped” (£140).
I moved up a level and was delighted to meet the artist (Fiona Brown) of some fun plates featuring badgers, raccoons and other animals whose work is sold on a store in South Bank. The show certainly took its “affordable” theme seriously as these ranged in price from £35-£60. There were more textiles (shower curtains and cushions, punched leather cuffs), wood carvings and pottery in mute greys and blues up here too. The wooden kitchen implements with wire in the shape of flowers by Bojje caught my eye,
Feeling in need of refreshment, I ventured down to the main hall where, on the stage, I found stalls selling juices, fresh coffee and delicious cupcakes. The beautiful high ceiling hall (with an attractive minstrel gallery) was crammed with stalls selling an assortment of brightly coloured good – large canvasses, textiles, stationery, pottery, lamp shades and a fair amount of jewellery. I had been dreading lots of stalls selling tatty cliché crafts but was pleasantly surprised to find some really original and unusual pieces. If you were seeking inspiration for interior design, this was the place to be.
There were great black and white photos – more bikes and some boathouses. There were original wooden crates with upholstered tops making a useful storage-cum-footstall (£98). And the Ethnic Design distressed recycled wooden frames would make any picture into a feature. I adored some cute button brooches (£28) which came with their own stands (£2) so they looked like little trees from Ann Nazareth. Her painting – Apprentice Angel (£140) – was outstanding.
Quirky sculptures made from wooden garden implements from Belinda Syme made me smile. And I was tempted to buy a mounted collection (fishing flies, shells, sharks teeth, quail eggs) from Hannah Brown.
So that 15 minute hike up the hill from the tube station was well worth it and I shall make a point of returning to the next show which is due in September.
http://www.wimbledonvillagefair.com/
http://www.ethnic-designs.com/ one of the exhibitors
