The 8th annual E17 Art Trail. I only found out about the art trail by chance - there was an interview with one of the organisers on my local radio station and the idea grabbed me. This sumer, between 1-16 September there were 350 exhibitions and events in 180 venues across Walthamstow. I convinced my close friend and fellow art student Kim Smith to accompany me to a part of London new to both us.
We didn't get a chance to see even a tenth of the exhibitions - they were spread out right across Walthamstow, so we selected an area and wandered around, seeing what we could see.
Something that struck me was how accessible art could be. These weren't international elite galleries, but artwork displayed in shops and cafes and windows and people's homes. It made 'being an artist' seem a lot more possible.
The community spirit was fabulous, shopkeepers were friendly and welcoming, people wanted to talk about the artwork, to talk about Walthamstow, something that both of us thought was lovely.
We stopped to draw and plan and dream, in a beautiful café in Walthamstow Village, riding on inspiration.
Hayley Holliday's paintings and drawings were my favourite part of the art trail, her Strangers on a Train series was fabulous. You can purchase her work here.
It was a fabulous experience, something that both of us would love to see replicated across our own parts of London. It makes me want to work harder and to host exhibitions and events of my own.
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