Grab a piece of original art from local artists

Saturday 16 June 2018

For the first time ever, Skipton Open Studios will include a sealed-bid auction, offering islanders a chance to win an original artwork from one of Jersey’s very own artists.

Producers at ArtHouse Jersey have selected the works of five talented, well-known Jersey artists to feature in the auction, which will be open to the public throughout the Skipton Open Studios’ takeover of Piquet House, from 23 June to 1 July.

The auction will include five original artworks, from Ian Rolls, Abi Overland, Nick Romeril, Pippa Barrow and June Gould, reflecting the diverse range visual art being created on the Island.

Each artwork will be displayed with its own small bidding box, where the bidder secretly submits the maximum price they’re willing to pay for the artwork. On 1July, at 17:00, each artwork will be sold to the highest bidder.

Art enthusiasts unable to make it to Piquet House will be able to participate online as the auction artwork will be shared to Skitpon Open Studios’ website.

All money raised from the auction will contribute to ArtHouse Jersey’s Seed-Funding Grants, which financially support local Jersey artists of all disciplines to make innovative, professional work. Past recipients include Michael Pearce, writer-director of the recent film, Beast, Christian Foley, Hannah Patterson, Jonny Labey, Frankie Davies and Lloyd Yates.

Producers say the pipeline of future recipients hints at more Jersey artists and products that will have impact on the international stage. However, as ArtHouse Jersey, due to limited funding, there is only a select few that can be supported every year, giving up to £2,000 per grant. Through the auction and fundraising, they aim to fund even more local artists in the next year.

Pictured: Piquet House on the Royal Square.

Who are the artists?

Ian Rolls: Ian is a full time artist who is well known for his uniquely wayward & quirky creations. For Skipton Open Studios, he will be showing recent work in a new gallery space in St Helier, which is part of a complex of historic buildings recently brought back to life by the National Trust.

Abi Overland: Abi specialises in drawing detailed images of natural and organic matter creating surreal and other worldly landscapes to get lost in. Abi also founded her own dinnerware brand in 2015, Abi Overland Jersey. 

Nick Romeril: Nick is the 2018 Artist in Resident for the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute and just recently travelled to the Antarctic Peninsula on HMS Protector. The Skipton Open Studios will be the first chance to see some of artwork that Nick shot while on the ship.

Pippa Barrow: Pippa is a sculptor working in a variety of materials, including bronze, resin and clay. She has undertaken commissions for both private and public artwork, including the light installation at 63 Bath Street in St Helier, and the ‘Branded Ram’ sculpture outside De Gruchy’s New Street entrance. 

June Gould: June Gould is a local potter, painter and sculptor. She works from her studio in St Ouen's Bay and is influenced by the continual drama of the natural world around her. Her reactions to this are encapsulated in her latest paintings and sculpture, which can also be seen at her latest exhibition at the Harbour Gallery. 

As part of Skipton Open Studios, participating studios and creative spaces across the island will be free for the public to visit during the weekends of the 23 and 24 June as well as 30 June and 1 July. 

Piquet House will be the epicentre of the Open Studios as ArtHouse Jersey will be taking over the former police station. It will be transformed as a pop-up venue for several artistic projects and as an information hub for the public to drop into to find out more about the event.