Selecting, stitching and a summer of art

Behind the scenes in the Sail Loft

One of the things I really enjoy about writing these newsletters is that I can share a little more than just dates and posters. Social media is great for quick updates, but sometimes there’s a whole process happening quietly behind the scenes that doesn’t fit into a caption.

This week, that process has been all about the Autumn Exhibition. Applications have now closed, which means I’ve moved into the next stage: looking carefully through the work, thinking about what might sit together, and beginning to imagine how the gallery could feel once everything is on the walls. It’s one of the most exciting parts of running the Sail Loft.

It’s also one of the trickiest.

How I choose work for an exhibition

I might be a bit old fashioned, but when I’m selecting work for an exhibition, I like to print thumbnail images of each submission.

There’s something about having them physically in front of me that helps.

I start by grouping pieces by subject matter, then looking at which works might sit well alongside one another. From there, I start thinking about the gallery itself.

• Which wall might suit a particular theme?

• Where would a quieter piece have room to breathe?

• Where could colour or texture create a stronger first impression?

• How does someone move through the room?

The difficult part comes when I have more work than will fit in a space. That’s when decisions have to be made.

When I’m making those choices, I’m not only thinking about the work itself. I’m thinking about visitors to the gallery too:

• What might they enjoy spending time with?

• What might make them look twice?

• What might they want to take home?

A good exhibition isn’t just about filling the walls. It’s about creating a space people want to spend time in. So thank you again to everyone who applied. I’m really looking forward to shaping the Autumn Exhibition from the work that’s come in.

A Sense of Summer

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/2b1eae_01bec4d132e6477b943a0bd32c289e15/720p/mp4/file.mp4

In the meantime, A Sense of Summer is now open in the Sail Loft Gallery.

This exhibition runs until Saturday 29 August and brings together a handpicked group of artists and makers:

Carolyn Hinchliffe

Rik Saggers

Peter Porteous-Butler

Sheldon Chase

Anne Plummer

Chris Harvey

Jonathan Rhys-Lewis

Caroline Rhys-Lewis / Hornbeam Ceramics

Punkshed Jewellery

It’s a lovely mix of work for August, with original artwork, ceramics and jewellery all bringing something different to the gallery.

• Some pieces feel bright and bold.

• Some are quieter.

• Some are full of texture.

• Some make you want to stand still and look a little longer

  
  

That’s exactly what I enjoy about a group exhibition. People don’t all respond to the same thing, and they don’t all move around the room in the same way.

• Someone might be drawn first to colour.

• Someone else to ceramics.

• Someone else to a small detail in a painting.

• Someone else to a piece of jewellery in the cabinet.

  
  

I like that. It means the exhibition has more than one way in.

A little trip to Frinton

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I’m also very pleased to have work included in Summer Collective, a mixed media exhibition at The Gallery at Photovogue in Frinton-on-Sea.

The exhibition runs until 29 August and brings together work by:

• Chris Harvey

• Carolyn Hinchliffe

• Tim Hagan

• Lisa Campbell

• Irene Foster

• Sam Luxford

My own pieces in the exhibition are stitched nautical charts and watercolours as well as books and kits.

It’s always lovely when my work travels a little further than Manningtree, especially to another coastal town. Running NaviStitch means I wear quite a few different hats: shopkeeper, gallery curator, workshop tutor, framer, commission maker, occasional website updater, box unpacker and tea maker.

But underneath all of that, I’m still very much an artist. So being part of exhibitions elsewhere is a nice reminder of that part of my practice too.

From the workbench

I’ve also had a new commission moving through the workbench recently, and this one is all about the Suffolk coast.

The piece features a sailing boat on a chart showing Aldeburgh and Southwold, and it's being gifted to a dad who has enjoyed spending time in those locations which makes the chart so much more than a stretch of coastline.

• It’s memory.

• It’s family.

• It’s time spent by the sea.

That’s what I love about commissions. The meaning is usually already there. My job is to help stitch it into view.

• Sometimes that means marking a particular place.

• Sometimes it’s a boat.

• Sometimes it’s a route, a coastline, a river or a tiny detail that only the recipient will fully understand.

Those are often the best details.

Find out how to commission a piece of nautical stitched art here.

Workshops and stitching at home

Autumn workshop dates are now booking, and it’s been lovely to see people already planning ahead.

There are several different ways to join me in the Sail Loft over the next few months, from full day workshops to shorter festive sessions.

You’ll find:

• Botanical

• Flower Head Collage

• Coastal

• Coastal Collage

• Sew a Boat Taster

• On the Shoreline

• Embroidered Paper Baubles

• Christmas Cards

The Embroidered Paper Baubles workshops have had a particularly lovely response, with one evening session selling out very quickly.

If you can’t make it to Manningtree for a workshop, there are also books, kits, paper packs, colour packs and tool kits available online, so you can stitch at home in your own time.

That’s one of the nice things about paper embroidery:

• You don’t need a huge studio.

• You don’t need lots of space.

• You just need paper, thread, a few tools and a little bit of time.

A cup of tea helps too.

👉 Workshop and kit link

A little August reminder

NaviStitch is now back to its usual opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 10am-4pm. That gives you plenty of time to visit A Sense of Summer, browse the shop, look through the kits, choose a card or gift, or have a chat about framing and commissions.

Upstairs changes often.

Downstairs changes quietly all the time. There’s usually something new tucked away somewhere.

💌 Thank You

Whether you’ve visited the gallery, applied for the Autumn Exhibition, booked a workshop, bought a card, taken home a gift or kit, commissioned a piece, trusted me with your framing, or simply continued reading along, thank you.

The Sail Loft is full of summer at the moment.

The Autumn Exhibition is beginning to take shape behind the scenes.

There are commissions on the workbench.

And, as always, there’s another piece of thread waiting to be stitched.

I hope to see you in Manningtree soon.

Until next time...

Calm waters and plain sailing,

Sam