ARTISTIC talent from the Cotswolds will take centre stage next month, when the Cotswold Open Studios returns.

This year artists will throw open the doors to their studios for three consecutive weekends: Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14, Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21 and Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28. The studios will be open from 10am-4pm on each day.

Cotswold Open Studios is a fantastic opportunity for the public to discover the artistic talent in and around Cirencester.

This is a chance to visit local artists’ studios that you may not have known exist, that are right on your doorstep. Each artist has their own exhibition and you can find out how they make their work and even buy directly from them.

Cotswold Open Studios was founded by a group of arts professionals and run by Tessa Webb, who has recently handed over the baton to Falmouth Fine Art graduate Charlie Hill.

Charlie runs a successful art event and exhibition business locally, she has recently taken over Wetpaint gallery and has a passion for promoting artists and their work.

This year there are 14 venues at the Cotswold Open Studios including the Quenington Fresh Air Sculpture Show.

Artists include Stephanie Cushing, Pamela Harrison and Sue Navin who will be exhibiting in Barnsley. Stephanie is a sculptor and stone craver working mostly in marble, Pamela is a contemporary painter, and Sue is a woodcarver working mainly with British, sustainably sourced hardwoods.

Helen Davison, Fiona McIntyre and Julia Craig will be showcasing their work at Brockstead Studio, Huxley Court, South Cerney. Helen concentrates on portraiture, still life and ‘plein air’ landscape painting. She works in a naturalistic tradition and is a keen advocate of the practise of drawing directly from life.

Fiona is known as for her lively colourist work with an emphasis on strong composition and painterly mark making. And Julia is an abstract artist and photographer.

A trip to The Barn at Duntisbourne Leer Farm will reveal the work of Sarah Field, Emeline Watchorn and Jude McKenna. Sarah and Emeline are two ceramicists who share a studio. Sarah’s work is predominantly thrown on the wheel and Emeline hand moulds her work, which has organic shapes with neutral colours and naturally occurring patterns.

Jude is a an oil painter whose work concerns places to escape to, places of solitude and of contemplation, usually abstracted landscapes, beautiful places poised in a moment of beauty.

Wetpaint Gallery, next to Beeches car park, is holding an exhibition of all of the artists’ work in the centre of Cirencester throughout the event.

There will be a private view on Thursday, June 11 June, 6-9pm where you can view the work before the studios open.

A map will be available from Wetpaint Gallery, tourist information and other art venues.

The Gallery@The Crown, in Cirencester is hosting an event for one weekend for all of the other art venues in Cirencester; The Stag Gallery, Coln Gallery, Brewery Arts, Framemakers Gallery and M.A.D.E.

The venue will be open for one weekend, Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14 from 10am - 4pm.

Cotswold Open Studios is also participating in the Cirencester Hare Festival this year, so be sure to spot the hares at each location.

* Go to www.cotswoldopenstudios.com for more. About the artists and where the studios are ahead of the event. For further details contact Charlie on cotswoldopenstudios@gmail.com or 07724 733159