State of the art

160 artists earn their living at Wimbledon Art Studio. Diana Pilkington meets the founder and three artists preparing for this month’s Winter Open Studio event

Visit Wimbledon Art Studios on a typical afternoon and you will be struck by how relaxed it seems. Save for the odd paint-splattered artist ambling out of the kitchen with a tray of coffees, there is scarce sign of the hard graft that goes on behind the doors lining the rabbit warren-like corridors.

 

But for four days this winter, the quiet workspace will be transformed into a hive of activity, and the fruits of months of labour will be on display for all to see. Thousands will flock to the warehouse in the centre of a nondescript industrial estate, keen to spot new talent, snap up some Christmas bargains or perhaps indulge in the free wine which promises to make the first night of the open studio show a merry affair. It is the twice-yearly shows that set Wimbledon Art Studios apart from other such spaces.

 

With each event, an artist can normally sell enough work to cover at least six months' rent. And as the studios do not keep any of the money from the sale, it means the artist can charge more attractive prices for the buyer.

 

"I asked myself what I wanted to achieve when I was an artist, and the answer was to sell my work. So we decided to really concentrate on the promotion," explains Nigel Holman, who ditched his own burgeoning career as an oil painter to set up his business 14 years ago.

 

It was a canny move, and Wimbledon Art Studios have now grown from just six spaces to a huge complex for creative types tired of working at home. "With most other professions, you leave university and go somewhere to learn your trade. There's no such career development for an artist,” says Holman.

 

"We fill that gap, introducing them to galleries and buyers, and teaching them to run a business. It's the first step on the way to being professional."

 

Work was completed on a gleaming new building in September, and the studios are now home to more than 160 people with varying skills. Ranging in age from 22 to 80, the vast majority are painters, 10 per cent are ceramicists, and the rest are a mixture of sculptors, woodworkers, photographers and puppeteers. One designer has even created pieces for the Little Shop of Horrors, while another has made tutus for the Royal Ballet.

 

One key advantage of Wimbledon Art Studios is the social boost it provides to people whose chosen line of work often means hours of solitary confinement.

 

CASE STUDY ONE

 

Battersea-based Katharine Le Hardy gave up a job in financial PR two years ago to devote herself to producing her paintings of landscapes full time.

 

Despite words of warning from her friends, the 26-year-old says it was the best thing she has ever done, not least because of the sociable environment of Wimbledon Art Studios.

 

Le Hardy adds: "I used to work part time from a studio in Waterloo. Even though I was only there for a few hours a day, I would often be alone. It's just so nice having so many people around here, and I like being able to hear what's going on behind the other doors. They are friends as well as colleagues, and are very honest. It's really important to have someone to ask when you're not quite sure about what you're doing."

 

CASE STUDY TWO

 

A graphic designer for 21 years, Juliet Rose bit the bullet three years ago and turned her hand to pursuing her passion ­– working as a full time artist.

 

"I always say being a graphic designer was like having a bag of crisps when I could have been eating a three-course meal," says Rose, 43, who lives in Battersea.

 

Originally from north London, she moved south of the river to embark on an MA in Kennington. For the next Winter Open Studio Show, Rose will introduce visitors to a new artistic style which she has yet to try out on the market.

 

The daughter of a German refugee, her previous work featured images of what refugees had to leave behind, such as safety pins, keys and screws. She says her new style – big blocks of vivid colour marked with large brush strokes – represents a bandaging up and healing of that process.

 

"It's been very therapeutic emotionally," she says. "But I haven't exposed this style of work yet so I don't know if anyone's going to buy it."

 

CASE STUDY THREE

 

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Toby Steedman has had no formal art training.

 

While some were going through their necessary experimentation stage at college, Steedman was ensconced in a shed in Hampshire trying to make pots. After a period as artist-in-residence at his old school, Winchester College, he decided to take the plunge and move to London.

 

"My flatmate and I found somewhere to live in Wimbledon, so I just typed the words 'Wimbledon', 'art' and 'studio' into an internet search engine, and stumbled across this place. That was two years ago," the 27-year-old says.

 

Inspired by the tiny, imperfect patterns that can be seen under a scanning electron microscope, Steedman describes his work as "sculptural organic".

 

Although he hates the word ceramicist and prefers to be known as a potter, he is moving away from making pots and trying out framed pieces based on pollen grains.

 

He works as a tutor to supplement his income, but spends as much time as he can in the studio. "I like the slightly dilapidated atmosphere of the old warehouse. It means people are less precious about the building and less precious about their work. It's a lovely environment to be in because it's not competitive," he says.

 

Wimbledon Art Studios 10 Riverside Yard, Riverside Road SW17