Participatory – Jacky Misson

Walk and create in the Sussex Downs

A day based from Jacky’s studio where you will explore Glynde and surrounding countryside before heading back to get creative…

Over the last 3 years Jacky has been combining her artistic practice with a love of walking and nature. This has resulted in a series of group walks developed where participants enjoy the local countryside and then feed this experience into creating a piece of unique artwork. This typically takes the form of a found sculpture, stream of consciousness writing or a drawing.

Walking back to studio

Colour wheel

Brief overview

We start with tea and cake at the studio where we have a brief introduction to the day and each other. There is a maximum of 8 people per group. We then have a choice of walks which we will decide on between us. These include a gentle stroll through the back paths of the village, a walk up to Mount Caburn and back, or to the beanstalk cafe and on to Charleston House (home of the Bloomsbury group).

Morning pastries

Jacky’s back garden

Lunch will either be at our local tea shop in Glynde or the beanstalk cafe in nearby Firle. Both offer a choice of cream tea or other tasty lunch. We will then walk back to the studio or the local reading room where we will begin creating our masterpieces.

Back at the studio

small sculpture

kind words…

No experience is necessary and materials will be provided but do feel free to bring your own creative tools if you so wish. We will end the day looking at each other’s work over more tea and cake.

More info…

Glynde has it’s own train station (with a direct link to Brighton, London Bridge and Victoria) so you can start your day with a 10 minute walk through the village to the studio at Glynde Gardens, or you can drive and park for free in the village car park by the cricket pitch nearby.

There is a maximum of 8 people per group. Children over the age of 10 are welcome and must be accompanied by a full paying adult.

Price is £35 per adult, £15 per child which includes tea, cake and all materials.

Lunch is not included so please bring a packed lunch and some water

2020 dates:

Friday 31 January 11 – 3.30pm

Saturday 15 February 11 – 3.30pm

Thursday 20 February 11 – 3.30pm

Please email Jacky for more information jacky@rise.uk.com

Eastbourne & Lewes walking festival

Colour in nature walk Friday 20 September, 2 – 4pm

On Friday Jacky will be leading one of her Colour in nature walks as part of the Eastbourne and Lewes walking festival.

Starting at her studio in Glynde, walkers will begin by walking through small woods and out into views across the South Downs up to Mount Caburn.

Along the way we will be paying particular attention to the changing colours, textures and sounds.

You will return through the village, past our local shop and possibly drop in to see Tom the blacksmith at his Forge.

Booking information here

Parking and other details…

There is free parking available in our village car park, by the cricket pitch which is a 5 minute walk away, there is also limited parking directly outside Jacky’s studio by the church.

Glynde has a train station with direct links to Eastbourne, Lewes, Brighton and London Victoria and London Bridge, aproximately 10 minute walk

The route is approximately 2 miles and is quite steep in places so unfortunately it is not suitable for those in a wheelchair or pushchairs

There are no facilities on the walk so do bring your own water with you (there are Public toilets by the cricket pitch)

6 values for Firle C of E Primary school…

Last month I completed a project for Firle school working on their 6 values of kindness, respect, working with others, forgiveness, perseverance and aspiration.

I spent a day with the children in their classes where they each interpreted one of the values by linking it to relevant gospel stories. This was through drawing or painting.

Here are a selection of the children’s drawings…

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Every single one is going to be made into a prayer flag which will then be hung outside the school.

In addition, I painted my own interpretation of each value which I then presented back to the school in assembly one month later.

The children recognised all the values through the pictures (for which I was very happy and relieved!)

Pictures here…

Perseverance, Lent

Respect, Jesus heals a leper

Kindness, good samaritan

Forgiveness, prodigal son

Aspiration, Christmas story

Working together, loaves & fishes

Mapping the Egrets Way…

On the afternoon of Tuesday 20 August, Jacky will be hosting ‘Mapping the Egrets Way’ as part of Lewes Artwave.

This will include a circular walk along part of the Egrets way and the chance to create your own piece of artwork.

After meeting at the South Downs youth hostel and cafe, we will take a stroll along the river and inland through Rodmell, past Monks House which was the home of Leonard and Virginia Woolf.

You will be provided with sketch books and have the chance to sketch as you walk, when we return to the Youth Hostel we will be using these drawings to create our own pieces of artwork. No experience is necessary.

More information to follow…

Book stories…

At the weekend I spent another afternoon at one of my favourite places to be, Much Ado Books in Alfriston. So much more than a book store…

For most of my adult life I wanted to open a book shop, but when I found Much Ado Books several years ago I immediately knew I wouldn’t. And this was a good thing! They had already created the perfect place for book lovers so I didn’t have to, it was here already 🙂

Anyway, the reason I was here on Sunday was to continue a project I am working on collecting people’s book stories. Favourite books, childhood memories of books, most influential book – anything at all. And they came flooding in from visitors…

One couple had travelled all the way from Milton Keynes because of a book the husband had first seen 63 years ago, The Countryside Companion. It had a photo of Alfriston high street and he wanted to see how it had changed over the years, a perfect example of a book story!

A woman I spoke with, visiting with her daughters and grandson, said she felt quite emotional writing her book story. She could see how her love of books had been passed down the generations. Here is her story…

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and here is her grandson’s…

his favourite story is batman!

At this stage I am not sure how my book stories project will turn out. My finished piece of work may be the handwritten stories by people visiting Much Ado Books, they may be published into a little book, I may make a piece of artwork incorporating them, or photos of them. I don’t know yet. At present I am happy making my postbox for the stories and talking to people, gathering their stories.

If you would like to pop along to Much Ado Books and share your own book stories I shall be visiting next on Wednesday 19 June, 2 – 4pm and Saturday 29th June between 2 and 4pm.

I hope to see you there…

Walk and create in the Sussex Downs

A day based from Jacky’s studio where you will explore Glynde and surrounding countryside before heading back to get creative…

small sculpture

cake

looking at a sculpture

Brief overview

creative map

kind words…

No experience is necessary and materials will be provided but do feel free to bring your own creative tools if you so wish. We will end the day looking at each other’s work over more tea and cake.

More info…

There is a maximum of 8 people per group. Children over the age of 10 are welcome and must be accompanied by a full paying adult.

Price is £35 per adult, £15 per child which includes tea, cake and all materials.

Lunch is not included so please bring a packed lunch and some water

Time and dates:

Tuesday 24 September 10.30 – 4pm

Saturday 12 October 10.30 – 4pm

Friday 18 October 10.30 – 4pm

Saturday 2 November 10.30 – 4pm

Please email Jacky for more information jacky@rise.uk.com

Colour in nature walks…

As part of Artwave this year I will be curating two Colour in nature walks along side Lewes District Council Ranger Thyone Outram.

Info and links to booking below…

Lewes railway land nature reserve Wed 29 Aug

Bollens Bush nature reserve Tues 21 Aug

Chalkpit project

As Artist-in-residence for Glynde, I am working on a project based on the chalkpit at the back of Teddy Street.

Called Balcombe Pit, it was in operation from the 1840s right up until the 1980s.

I became interested in the chalkpit after doing some research at The Keep and coming across the 1881 census for the village…

As you can see, most of the people worked in the chalkpit.

Today, the chalkpit is unused apart from the odd dog walker and kids playing. It is tucked away and you would easily walk straight past the entrance without even knowing it is there.

I decided to make it the central point of my first project as Artist-in-residence.

Over the coming year I will be involving local residents of Glynde and other artists to put together a collection of work and hold a variety of events around Balcombe Pit.