East Kent gallery visits

This week I had the pleasure of visiting three galleries in East Kent with Janet Bevan, a fellow quilter who I met since coming to Ramsgate. The galleries are doing a collaborative exhibition, with the theme of ‘Maps’. Our first stop was ‘Beach Creative’ in Herne Bay, on the north Kent coast.

It was a wonderful day for a trip. The sun was shining from a blue sky, with summer temperatures, even though it is only March. This is the gallery, which has a café and a space for workshops and courses within.

Jan herself had a piece in the exhibition, entitled ‘Medieval Chart’, which uses fabric and paint to provide the engaging detail on this quilted wall-hanging.

Our next stop was Whitstable, also on the coast.

Whitstable is a fishing town (especially famed for its oysters) and the gallery here is called ‘The Fish Slab’.

It is a small gallery, making for an intimate space to enjoy the artworks on display.

Our final stop was Faversham, which is inland.

Creek Creative is a building housing artists’ studios, an exhibition space, a shop and a café (I had mint and pea soup plus a vegan scone, which were delicious).

I am always drawn to textile pieces in exhibitions and here I appreciated ‘Whitstable Urban 1986’ by Beverley Johnson, in red-work embroidery on a cream background.

So that was our three-gallery trip! However, I’d also like to mention also ‘Nice Things’ a gallery and shop in my own home town of Ramsgate. It is in Harbour Street, just a few metres up from the harbour itself.

I often go into the shop to buy birthday presents for friends and always find something special. On the right-hand wall, exhibitions by local artists also provide interest.

At the moment, some of my own work is for sale in the shop.On the wall at the back, you can see my wall-hanging ‘Heartfelt’, to the left of it is ‘A little key can open a big door’ and to the left again, lying folded on the red stand are some more small quilts.

Here are links to the places mentioned:

Beach Creative: https://www.beachcreative.org/

The Fish Slab gallery: https://fishslabgallery.co.uk/

Creek Creative: http://creek-creative.org/

Nice Things: {Editor’s note: since this post was written, Nice Things has closed.)

Join me next week for the next instalment of the ‘Watch the Stars’ mystery quilt.

It’s lovely to see blocks that have been made in alternative colours from the monthly patterns I am sharing on the blog. Take a look at Leslie Engelson’s beautiful use of neutrals for her star blocks, she is on Instagram as leslieann50 – click on the link to see her work here

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If you are looking for a small project, such as a baby quilt or play-mat, there is a pair of patterns in the shop with complementary designs and colours. Find ‘Sleep Tight’ here and ‘Sweet Dreams’ here