Camberwell artists gear up for Christmas with one-day market and open studios

Marie Lenclos producing one of her oil paintings Pic: Marie Lenclos

With Christmas approaching Camberwell will be putting on an exclusive arts market on 1 December – while local artists will throw open their studios for two weekends.

The ‘Made in Camberwell’ Arts Market will be displaying the work of some local artists, where visitors will be able to buy anything ranging from handmade jewellery to paintings, across three central Camberwell art venues.

Over 80 Camberwell artists and makers will be opening the doors to their studios over the first and second weekends in December, inviting people to join them and learn from how they create their art work, allowing visitors to take part on their arts creation, such as ceramics, clothes, jewellery, paintings, photography, and accessories; or just to have a look on the space where artists create their masterpieces.

Shauna Blanchfield, events coordinator for Tate and volunteer manager for Camberwell Arts, said: “Camberwell Arts Festival is the biggest visual art project in the UK.

“In the winter we run our open studios programme, this year we have 86 studios being open to the public.

“Camberwell is a great location because a lot of the local artists know each other quite well, making it a social event, also because people get to know that there is art in Camberwell, and they can come down to visit the studios and buy gifts, enjoy the artistic view that is located in Camberwell, knowing people not only are involved with arts in the college, but as a passion outside”.

Camberwell Arts is a registered charity organisation founded in 1994 by Selina Hamilton, together with a group of local residents and artists, to highlight the diversity of the local arts scene.

The charity aims to embody and encourage the diverse cultural geographies of Camberwell, and encourage local residents to engage with the environment, using contemporary art practices to improve social, community, and cultural resources.

The open studios event celebrates Camberwell’s artistic and creative talent by asking local artists to open their working space and local galleries to the public, also celebrating the gifting during Christmas time.

One of the artists to be opening her workspace to the public, is a French painter, known as Marie Lenclos, she uses oil on canvas and linen; her passion is painting, but she also works as a community tutor and runs a children’s cinema club.

She was asked if she finds inspiration in Camberwell, and she said; “Camberwell is a big word. It’s a big world. There are many parts to Camberwell: posh parts, poor parts, miserable parts, strikingly beautiful parts, mad parts, arty parts, food parts, health parts, green parts. It’s where my children were born, in the incredible micro-society that is King’s College Hospital. I am inspired to live here because it is a place where I can be invisible and therefore feel free to observe and see beauty everywhere”.