Artists from across Fife’s East Neuk are preparing to fling open their doors to the public now that lockdown rules have eased.
After a year of virtual exhibitions, members of the East Neuk Open Studios will relaunch their annual art trail at the end of this month.
More than 60 artists of all different disciplines will take part in the two-day event on June 26 and 27.
Some will exhibit in their own studios with suitable Covid safety measures in place.
But around 40 of them will use the Bowhouse event space near St Monans, which is used to welcoming people in line with restrictions.
To mark the launch, a group of artists gathered at Crail Harbour to show off examples of their work.
But how have the East Neuk Open Studios artists coped with a year of lockdown and near isolation?
Coping with lockdown
Well, for some it proved very difficult while others thrived in the new-found peace and quiet.
Painter Sheila Caldwell, from Pittenweem, was one of those who did not enjoy lockdown.
“I had lots of paintings ready for the open studios exhibition last year, which was cancelled,” she said.
“I spent my time gardening and tidying the house during lockdown – I lost my inspiration.”
However, Louise Stocker of Cellardyke-based East Neuk Beach Crafts, managed to learn new techniques.
“My initial feeling in lockdown was to panic,” she said.
“However, I soon began to find the lack of distractions and relative quiet that came with it, quite peaceful.
“I found I had a lot more time than I was used to and signed up to several online courses to learn new skills and rediscover old ones.”
Brad Eggleston, from Kingsbarns, turned his front garden into an art gallery last summer, while St Monans-based photographer Dave Smith took the time to sort out thousands of photographs stored on his laptop.
“When the first lockdown came and we were restricted to one hour of exercise very locally, the subjects for my photography became delineated by the routes that I walked,” he said.
Dave’s photography became focused on Ruddons Point and the nearby woods, where he watched the changing seasons and concentrated on the flora and fauna.
‘Follow the red balloons’
The artists have also made eye-catching buntings and balloons to guide the public along the trail.
Artist Liz Shepherd said: “Our traditional cry as people went from venue to venue was to follow the red balloons.
“We have changed that a bit. We have ditched the plastic balloons and are replacing them with reusable red, wooden balloons and red bunting.
“As you can see, it’s quite eye-catching and the balloons won’t shrivel up as they used to.”
The studios and Bowhouse will be open to the public on June 26 and 27 from 10.30am to 4.30pm.
