Family-run Treve Festival of Art returns for its 29th year

The festival is run by artists Sally Cutler and Euan Cunningham who showcase their own art and that of a selected group of other artists.

“This year we will have 23 artists exhibiting, showing everything from woodcarvings, oil paintings and ceramics to film and sculpture,” Euan said.

The first show in 1995 was started by the writer and silk textile artist Bronnie Cunningham from her cottage with her son Euan and his partner Sally Cutler, then fairly recent art graduates, as a means of showing their work to friends and neighbours.

“It grew over the years to include more artist friends and invited guest artists to form the show you see today. We have three new artists showing this year, the Lewes-based jeweller Julian Warrender, blacksmith Lucille Scott from Southsea and West Horsley felt-maker Nancy Shaffee.

“Other local, national and international artists will be taking part including weaver Hilary Charlesworth (Stedham), film-maker Gavin Kingdom (London), engraver Rosamund Fowler (Petworth), wood carver Mick Waterhouse (Buckinghamshire), ceramicist Gill Hunter Nudds (Arundel) and painter and glass artist Karen Grimstead (Tillington and Australia). This selling exhibition is shown throughout the 17th-century Sussex cottage, two working studios, marquees and gardens of the artist’s home.”

Sculptor and illustrator Euan has just completed two new garden sculptures, Seat Case made from wood and stainless steel, a bench that playfully looks like an old-fashioned suitcase and Hi Chair made from carved wood, a sculptural garden seat which forms the word HI.

Printmaker Sally Cutler has just had two works selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London Heads and Camberwell Heads, both group linocut portraits of real Londoners with antique lead-type printed descriptions of the characters’ connection to the area. She has also just been selected for The 44th Miniprint International of Cadaques, Spain, an international exhibition which she won in 2020.

Both Sally's printmaking studio and Euan's sculpture and painting studio will be open and Sally will be providing printmaking demonstrations during the show. Other artists will also be demonstrating their artform during the show from wood carving to willow weaving. Meet the artists and discover how they work. Every weekend there are free workshops for all ages on a different type of art. All materials are provided. No need to book just drop in: willow weaving with Linda Mills, July 20; printmaking with Sally Cutler, July 21; clay workshop with Gill Hunter Nudds, July 27; weaving with Hilary Charlesworth, July 28; jewellery making with Kate Wilkinson, August 3; and gelli printing with Liz Spiro, August 4. There will be live acoustic music at weekends and a tiny micro cinema seating two will be showing artists short films daily.