Hello hello! After a fun filled (super hot) three days, I am glad to be back in our cool home office so I can share these images from an artists collective we stumbled upon after the craft fair on Saturday evening. On a winding alleyway in Hastings old town we saw signs for an open studio, and on seeing the tiny sculpted crab figures (made by Jo Redpath – see later pics) scampering up into an old building we followed suit and found the inspiring Oak Passage artists studio.
I am completely obsessed with artist spaces and the things they keep near for inspiration and work. This place is so exciting, drawings, paintings, sculptures and all manner of mediums cover every surface and scrap of wall.There are six artists here, Jo Redpath, Liz Finch, Hannah Kynoch, Siobhan Tanner, Anna Pontonutti, and Toni Martina 
Each working space is so unique, and how each artist works is fascinating. The creaking loft sits high above one of the busiest streets in Hastings old town. Hot and humid in summer and frost bitingly cold in winter, the huge divided room has a magical light, and the different colours and mood created by of each of the six artists must make for a very exciting and dynamic workplace at times. 
We happily snapped away with the camera, chatting with Jo and Liz in between other excited visitors popping in and looking around. I could have stayed all evening, every corner held a new treasure or artwork to be discovered. The interior scenes above are by Hannah Kynoch.
Siobhan Tanner works with paint, collage, found objects and photography, and I seemed to be mesmerised in this corner currently occupied by her. I use similar things in some of my work and I was drawn in by Siobhan’s collections piled up all over the place. Balancing on shelves and tables the layers reminded me of my office when I really get lost in creating something.
Beautiful coastal scenes, at once calm and wild capture how our East Sussex sea can be. Paint splatters marked out Anna Pontonutti’s window side space, with rooftop views and speckled floorboards.
Giant charcoal drawings here by Toni Martina, make for a striking monochrome contrast next neighbour by Liz Finch’s stitched and painted marionettes and assemblage creations.
This giant sculpture, releases his swarm of wire bees up into the rafters of the studio, pale and silent he towers above all who enter.
These little figures below were what caught my eye initially, also by Jo, who created Papier Mâché and wire legs for this herd of real crab shells, so they appear to be running up stairs and then into the studio, from there they creep along the floor and in to a tiny door in the wall, finally disappearing to a secret place who knows where?! Amazing and brilliant, thank you for inviting us in ladies, what a place! So if you ever see the signs for an open studio, don’t be shy – get in there and see what’s going on!
