An abundance of things to see and do during the 21st annual Spring Fling open studios weekend have been unveiled this week.
As well as 100 open studios and online virtual ones, there will be bike routes, bus and walking tours, experimental art and galleries to visit from May 27 to 29.
Visitors will be able to follow six colour-coded routes taking them round studios in different parts of the region and some studios will have special evening openings and demonstrations on the lead up to the weekend.
Also running up to May, artists and makers will be popping up at farmers markets across the region demonstrating their work.
Joanna Jones, assistant director of Upland CIC, which organises Spring Fling, said: “Dumfries and Galloway is home to an extraordinary creative community. This year’s 21st Spring Fling will be an ideal opportunity to meet artists and makers of every kind and perhaps even commission something entirely unique for yourself or a loved one.
“There will be a huge amount to see and do.”
The full programme can be viewed online at www.spring-fling.co.uk – where bus or walking tours visits can now be booked .
Upland have also introduced CREATE which is a new initiative for experimental artists to create site-specific works or installations. They hope this will give a platform to less traditional work that doesn’t necessarily fit into the traditional studio setting.
Among this year’s Spring Fling participants are textile artist Morag Macpherson from Kirkcudbright, known internationally for her hand-made kimono robes, and Kim Ayres, a narrative and portrait photographer based in Castle Douglas, with a love for theatrical and cinematic visual storytelling.
The two recently teamed up for a photo session at the region’s historic Broughton House in which locally-based artist Ewan McClure modelled a kimono commissioned by a Whithorn couple for their son in Switzerland.
Morag said: “Spring Fling is a great chance to meet people and show them what I do. That includes working with clients to create something uniquely special for them. This latest kimono is a great example of that.
“It was a lovely commission, reusing a dress which belonged to the lady’s mother that had been tailored in Barcelona 70 years ago from Hong Kong silk, and patchworking it together with my own silk fabrics. “
Kim added: “Collaborating with makers and artists like Morag to create interesting photos is so much fun.
“There are a few things you can learn – from the angle of the body to the tilt of the head – that can make a significant difference.”
