Words from the Shore - Devon Open Studios 2025 - A Reflection by Charlotte Ellis a Devon Artist
- hello554331
- Oct 1
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 9
It’s taken a while to get around to writing this blog which is my reflection on taking part as a Devon artist in Devon Open Studios this year. I thought I would write it as soon as I closed the door at the end of the event but in reality I was just too tired. Having taught for decades it reminded me on the end of term feeling where you get to the finish line and although happy with your achievement you sort of just collapse in a heap on the floor. I knew I’d be tired so had already planned a restful next step which involved escaping to St Ives for a few days in the van. It was the annual September Festival in St. Ives, which was brilliant – full of music, art and creativity. The weather was gorgeous and it was great to be able to wander along cobbled streets, be on the other side of Open Studios and be the person walking in through the studio door to look at art rather than be the focus. I joined art walks, did an abstract drawing workshop and found time to sketch, swim and walk the Cornish cliffs in the autumn sunshine. It was perfect!
Now a week and a half on I’m ready to gather the thoughts that have been swirling through my head about Devon Open Studios. To set the scene, it is the third year that I have taken part in the event, but the first time I have done it on my own and the first time I have actually opened up both my home and studio.
For me, this year’s Devon Open Studios in Lympstone was great in so many ways. I sold work, I had interesting conversations and made connections with both customers and visiting artists. It was great to have it as a focal point for this second half of the year. My visitors were a mix of collectors, people I already knew and new faces. There were those who had found me in the booklet, or found me on line, Instagram followers @ontheforshoreartist and people who just stumbled across the yellow arrows which led them to my sage green wooden door. I was humbled by return visitors who visited more than once and sometimes brought others on their return. Doing Open Studios this year reminded me that actually I can do this and I am full of enthusiasm for the next step of my art journey.
Things that worked well that I will do again next year
·      I will do Devon Open Studios in the house again. Visitors loved the connection between me, my paintings, the Exe estuary (my true studio), my studio, my home and my garden in Lympstone, Devon. There were so many comments about this.
·      I often write alongside my paintings and this worked well and again was commented on as it gave more insight into the feelings and inspiration behind the work.
·      I had work at different price points and this was good as anyone who liked my work was able to take home something as a memory.
·      I will do it on my own again next year. I have really loved sharing space with other artists in past open studios but I really liked being immersed in and talking about my own work. It’s a funny one this as I don’t usually like to take centre stage but as my work is so calming and peaceful it felt really great to be able to invite people in to share this calm space with me.
·      I will write a daily blog as the act of sitting and writing is a great way for me to turn and explore my thoughts as I evaluate what has gone well and what could be improved.
Things I will do differently
·      Get cards and giclee prints printed way earlier, probably by the end of May,  so that I can just put them away and not have to think about them until the event.
·      Print smaller flyers so that they are more cost effective. I found the flyers to be useful but could have saved some money on these. Next time I’ll go for A6 instead of A5
·      I think instead of opening for 4 days each week I will probably only open for three. This would give me more time to visit other open studios and also mean that it was not quite as tiring.
·      Take more photos and videos as a reminder but also to use for marketing purposes.
·      Be more consistent about asking people to write in the visitors book. It is such a great way of getting feedback and good to read if you are having a wobbly moment.
·      Make a social media schedule leading up to the event so that I don’t run out of time to post things. This is really important because however beautifully created your work is, if no-one is there to see it you’ve kind of missed the point.
·      Make sure that I don’t miss deadlines for newspaper and village magazine publicity opportunities. Note to self ‘Lympstone Herald’ isn’t published in August.
I shall come back to this blog from time to time as I think of more things to add to my aide memoire. In the meantime you can see my work in Seaglass Gallery in Lympstone. If you have any top tips for open studios, whether it is Devon or not, do add them in the comments as I would love to hear them and maybe use them myself. Sharing ideas and shining the light on others is all part of this wonderful artistic community we are part of.
