Blog

It’s finally sunny…

It’s finally sunny…

… and we’re about to open for the second time after a record first weekend. The lilac is now out in the garden bringing an intense perfume to accompany our outdoor offerings this year–the sculptures and ceramic birdbaths–and there’s a huge range of top quality art inside too for you to enjoy. Come along from 11 to 5:30 today or tomorrow and just enjoy the space and atmosphere! Hope to see you soon 🙂

Adding the final touches…

Adding the final touches…

With eleven artists in the house, set up is quite a complex logistical adventure, but it’s almost all done thanks to the cooperation and teamwork of our wonderful guest artists. The house–or ground floor at least–has now ceased to feel and function as a house any more, and we have decamped upstairs along with most of the furniture. It’s worth it for the chance to sit and gaze at all the works on show; we feel very honoured to be…

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Getting Ready…

Getting Ready…

… for a couple of thousand people to visit your house over just four weekends is a fair amount of work! The famous green door is currently enjoying a restoration, covered in filler and mastic prior to its new shade of green topcoat. In fact, the new green is quite possibly what it had originally–a modern recreation of the lovely and restful Scheele’s green, which was famously coloured with arsenic. Don’t worry, there’s none in the new paint, but we don’t…

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The daffodils are out and the tulips won’t be long now…

The daffodils are out and the tulips won’t be long now…

… and another May festival is almost upon us. Here at one-six-nine, we’re doing the preparations–painting the walls, arranging the hanging mechanisms, printing out the artist bios, and organising the secret sundowners that keep everyone happy 🙂 We’re delighted to be presenting some new artists in a variety of media, as well as some fabulous recent creations by our regular team. Please note that we’re not opening on the first Saturday of the festival (May 6th) but we will be…

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Another AOH is almost upon us…

Another AOH is almost upon us…

…how time flies! Suddenly the daffodils have come and gone, and the lilac is just starting to hint at the lovely aroma that means a May Open House! We’ve gathered together another collection of artists of various media for you, all collected together in our rooms and garden. We have a mix of old friends and new faces, all artists of the highest calibre in their field. After what seems an eternity of special measures due to COVID, we are…

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Christmas 2021

Christmas 2021

After making a firm decision to have a rest for the Xmas season after our incredibly busy summer AOH, we were finally persuaded to change our minds and we’re delighted to announce that we’ll be joining the official AOH festival for the three weekends starting November 27. As always, there is a wide range of artists and media on display and there will be some new faces too. More details to follow, but please make a date in your diaries!

Thank you…

Thank you…

To everyone who made it out yesterday to our opening session of the AOH festival. We had a splendid time showing guests our curated collection of fine arts and crafts, and while never overcrowded, it was pleasantly busy. And after weeks of drizzle and worse, what better way to celebrate the true start of fine weather than with art! We’re open again today and tomorrow, 11 to 5:30, and if you want more time and space to yourself, please feel…

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Two weeks to go…

Two weeks to go…

… and the set up is finally starting. We watch the news anxiously to see how the battle against COVID is progressing and–touch wood–it’s all still on track. The guidelines should change on Monday with the emphasis shifting “from government rules to personal responsibility” but we will be taking all precautions necessary to keep our artists and visitors safe. So… please prepare a mask and have your NHS Test and Trace app ready as we’ll have a QR code at…

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Three weeks to go…

Three weeks to go…

… and we’re getting very busy. There’s always tons to do to get an open house ready, including cleaning up, moving the furniture, preparing and hanging the art, printing up info and labels and tags, organising invigilation, distributing flyers… the list just goes on! It’s all worthwhile, of course, as hosting an open house is incredibly rewarding, so absolutely no complaints there. We’re watching the announcements carefully to see how things will pan out. At the moment, it looks like…

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