Art in Woodstock really paints the town (From Oxford Mail)

Art in Woodstock really paints the town

2:00pm Tuesday 26th October 2010

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ART lovers painted Woodstock red as a public art wall helped kick-start the town’s biggest arts festival.

The town has been transformed into a riot of colour with pubs, restaurants, shops and churches hosting hundreds of paintings, sculptures, photos, and installations for Art in Woodstock.

Sixty artists are exhibiting in 22 venues across the town centre for the nine-day festival, which is in its fourth year. Organisers say it will attract about 1,000 visitors.

Highlights include a wire sculpture of bodies by Jericho artist Rachel Ducker surrounded by 7,000 pink ribbons at the Oxfordshire Museum in Park Street.

They are signed by those who took part in the annual Pink Ribbon Walk around around Blenheim Palace to raise money for breast cancer sufferers.

Ms Ducker said: “It’s quite moving.”

Eynsham artist Danny Flynn painted his Lunartics fantasy characters and helped children and adults decorate three giant public art walls in the Market Square.

The science fiction illustrator, who designed covers for three Arthur C. Clarke novels, is also running a competition for children to design aliens.

Carole Bartlett, 45, from Leafield, took her two children Eleanor and Joseph.

She said: “The children have had a fantastic day and it’s great to come out and see all different kinds of art everywhere.”

Joseph, nine, who designed an alien, said: “It’s fun being able to paint whatever I want on a big board.”

Oxford artist Tom Kemp is producing a giant wall entitled ‘Missing’ in which members of the public paint names of living people who they miss such as former partners, family or friends they wish they were still in contact with.

He said: “Rolls of honour are always for dead people and it’s tragic and so final but I think the relationship between us and the living is so much more important.

“It’s sad to lose someone who is living from your life. This commemorates people who should be here and they’re not but who could come back if you made the effort or your luck turned.”

Organiser Paul Mortimer said this year’s festival included artists who have featured in London’s Saatchi Gallery.

He said: “It’s been an absolutely fantastic start. We sold seven pieces of art in the first hour even though it isn’t strictly a selling show.

“It’s definitely been getting bigger each year but the standard of artists involved has also risen considerably.

“We’re hoping in two or three years time it will be a very important festival in the south of England.”

The festival runs until Sunday.