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Paston story heads west to Oxburgh Hall
The next chapter in the Paston story takes place at the spectacular Oxburgh Hall, in the south-west of Norfolk, at the beginning of September. The hall, owned by the National Trust, is hosting an exhibition of the art and poetry created during the Paston Project, partly by InPrint members, and the £1000 handmade book will also be on show. There will also be an opportunity to see a DVD of the making of the book, live music from the time when the Pastons flourished, and paper-making, calligraphy and related skills in action.
InPrint artist Annette Rolston, who was one of the main forces behind the printing of the book, will be leading an art/poetry workshop with InPrint poet Tim Lenton. The exhibition runs from September 4 to 15, but the workshop is offered on September 4 only, starting at 11.15am in the Chapel and ending at 3.30pm. It will include time to look round the exhibition, break for lunch and enjoy the atmosphere of the hall, and will cost £15 (NT volunteers and concessions £10).
Those interested in the workshop, which provides a unique opportunity to get involved in the world of the Pastons, should contact Lucy Care of the Paston Heritage Society at Dayspring, Mundesley Road, Paston, NR28 9TE, or lucyecare@aol.com. Payment may be made by cheque (payable to Paston Heritage Society).
Although owned by the National Trust, the hall is the home of the Paston-Bedingfields, the only surviving link to the Pastons of the Letters. References to the Pastons abound in the hall, the chapel and the nearby church.
Annette and Tim visited the moated Hall on August 9 and were deeply impressed by the setting. "This is a magnificent place," said Tim. "You could spend hours here and find something new every minute."
The hall is situated in the village of Oxborough, slightly south of a line between Swaffham and Downham Market.
More information at Paston Heritage Society and Oxburgh Hall.
Artists get notice as Bally closes down
The shock news this week is that the Bally Art Factory is closing. InPrint artist Annette Rolston, together with founder member Rupert Mallin and many others, has been given notice by Targetfollow and will have to get out of her studio by June 8. This means the cancellation of workshops as well as moving and storage problems. The Poetry Vending Machines (remember them?) will be looking for a home, so if anyone is interested, get in touch with Rupert.
This will give an added piquancy to the imminent Open Studios event, which kicks off this weekend (May 22, 23, with private views on the 21st). A must for all who have an interest in the innovative, quality art that has been on show there over recent years, and in the artists who have been working there.
Also of interest to InPrint followers is Art Alive at St Margaret's Church, Paston, on May 29-31 from 10am to 4pm, where the Paston Book will be on show. The handmade book, of course, was made with the help of several InPrint members, and printed by Annette.
Further Art Alive details:
May 29, rood screen workshops 10.30am to 3.30pm – workshops in paper, calligraphy, willow, letters and poetry with an invitation to learn about the Pastons and the uses of flax and herbs in the 15th Century, and an evening Great Barn tour led by Ash Murray, Natural England. Book through Jo Berry on 01263 720743.
May 30, Minstrels Gallery workshops: music from the time of the Pastons at 12noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm (£3). Service – Latin Compline at 7pm on May 30: Father Paul Atkins will officiate.
May 31, rood screen workshops 10.30am to 3.30pm. Refreshments. St Margaret, Paston, NR28 9TA, www.pastonheritage.co.uk
Paston exhibition at North Walsham
Walking poetry at Art Alive
Paston Church was open again to the public for the Art Alive weekend of May 23-25. InPrint artist Annette Rolston was there all weekend, demonstrating printmaking and showing the handmade book to interested visitors. Meanwhile InPrint poet Lisa D'Onofrio offered poetry walks to the discerning, using part of one of the walks from the newly published book, Exploring Paston Country, by Lucy Care and Jack Earl.
Lisa was also involved with the other InPrint poets in the superb Voicing Visions exhibition put on by the Norwich Twenty Group of artists at St Margaret's Church in St Benedict's, Norwich, from May 11 to 22. The private view was so full that people were queuing outside, and as well as the exhibition itself, the Twenty Group produced a catalogue and CD to professional standard. As well as Lisa, the exhibiton also featured Caroline Gilfillan, Tim Lenton and former InPrint poet Rupert Mallin. They also have poems in the catalogue, and their voices can be heard on the CD.
On the edge
InPrint poet Lisa D'Onofrio considers her options as she researches a poetry walk for Art Alive at Paston.
Out of the Grapevine
InPrint artist Annette Rolston and Martin Laurance took down the Paston Grapevine exhibition on 19 April, with some help from gallery owner Peter Low. InPrint poet Tim Lenton took some of the pictures over to Paston and seized the opportunity to research a couple of Paston walks, which will appear in the forthcoming guidebook being written by Lucy Care.
Next event in the Paston saga: Art Alive at Paston Church over the weekend of May 23-25.
Grapevine evening well attended
The special Wednesday evening Paston event at the Grapevine Gallery in Norwich attracted a very good attendance and received many comments that went way beyond appreciative – but sadly this excellent exhibition has received almost no media publicity. The Gallery is very well suited to the show, and the variety and quality of work on display are first class, as was emphasised by gallery owner Peter Low.
InPrint members were to the forefront again: poet Caroline Gilfillan organised the events and hosted proceedings. Artist Annette Rolston explained the process of putting the hand-made book together, and poets Lisa D'Onofrio and Tim Lenton gave readings, together with Caroline herself and Paston poets Dot Cobley, Kay Riggs and Rupert Mallin. Paston Heritage Society chairperson Lucy Care gave an amusing and enjoyable introduction to the Letters, and Jo Berry sang three songs – one from the 15th century, a more modern folk song about Bromholm and one of Caroline's poems that had been put to music by Tony Triggs. So music has become part of the collaboration between poetry and the visual arts!
The exhibition continues until April 18.
New photographs from Grapevine
A selection of photographs taken by poet Adrian Ward, who also has photographs on show at the Grapevine Gallery.
Grapevine exceeds expectations
The launch of the new, expanded Paston exhibition at the Grapevine Gallery on Unthank Road, Norwich, today exceeded expectations, with the gallery room well filled for over three hours and huge amounts of praise heaped on exhibitors by all and sundry. This was a reward for the organisers and everyone who took part, but especially for hardworking InPrint artist Annette Rolston, who demonstrated the hand-made book to visitors with assistance from InPrint poet Caroline Gilfillan and artist Martin Laurance. Such was the enthusiasm that for much of the time crowds were gathered round them and the book was invisible to the rest of the room!
Paston Heritage Society chairperson Lucy Care, without whom the whole project would never have happened, was happily well enough to attend with her family and gave a brief introduction to the Paston Letters, just before the poetry reading. All the InPrint poets read: Caroline, who had acted as lead poet for the project, followed by Lisa and former InPrint poet Rupert Mallin, opened proceedings. Then Dot Cobley, Kay Riggs and Adrian Ward, followed by InPrint poet Tim and ending with Rob Knee. All poets were very warmly received by what must have been a crowd of about 50 people.
The exhibition itself featured a large amount of impressive new work, and although the handmade book itself drew most interest and comment, there was also a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for the scope and quality of the work on display. Paston Heritage Society members in medieval garb also drew interest for their calligraphy and paper-making demonstrations. All-in-all, a day to remember.
On the brink at the Grapevine
With the big Grapevine Gallery Paston Exhibition on the verge of opening in Norwich, most of the work fell on the shoulders of InPrint artist Annette Rolston and her neighbour at The Art Factory, artist Martin Laurance, who has been heavily involved in the Paston project from the outset. Poet Adrian Ward also gave valuable assistance. The exhibition features a great deal of new work, both art and poetry.
Watch this space for news and pictures of the private view, and word of a new project involving InPrint poets.
Firm dates for Grapevine exhibition
More details of the Grapevine Paston exhibition were revealed by Annette at a joint meeting of 15 Paston poets and artists at the Cringleford home of poet / photographer Adrian Ward. We also heard about plans for a big exhibition in summer 2010 at Oxburgh Hall, a National Trust property south-west of Swaffham with strong connections to the Paston family.
The dates of the Grapevine exhibition have now been fixed. It will open with a private view on Sunday, March 29, from noon to 4pm, with poetry readings at 2pm. The exhibition will then run daily until April 18, with an additional evening of special events, including poetry reading, on Tuesday, April 7, from 7pm.
New poems and images from InPrint members and others will be on display at the Grapevine, which is in Unthank Road, Norwich, and is currently housing Coast to Coast, a stunning one-man exhibition by Paston artist Martin Laurance. Well worth a visit!
We heard that four of the hand-made Paston books had been sold out of a limited edition of 15. Valuable publicity was being provided by members of the Paston Heritage Society around North Norfolk, and one of them – Jo Berry – was pictured in the EDP on January 26, with a long piece on the progress of the project.
Lucy Care, chairperson of the Paston Heritage Society, said there were plans for an exhibition in the Griffin Gallery in North Walsham in May, and the possibility of other venues was being explored. She reminded us of places with connections to the Paston family that might inspire more work or give an opportunity for further exhibitions. They include two houses in Norwich – in Elm Hill and King Street – Caister Castle, Baconsthorpe Castle, Felbrigg Hall, and Framlingham Castle in Suffolk.
A brief meeting of Inprint members later the same day agreed that our main thrust for this year was still the Paston project, and we would be looking at ways we could expand this, through workshops aimed at the creation of further poetry and the propagation of the eco-friendly non-toxic intaglio printing process.
Here is the Book
Here on the edge of a drowned world
land of the True Cross
we walk on the moon, dark side,
among marbled pillars
touching unearthly colours
dusty passages
fingering forgotten legends
Treasure buried in the priory
where foreign knights battle secretly
against skeletons
and in the Kingdom of God
near Bromholm
the dead are raised
Iron stands like spears against the sun
while stone dissolves
As in the beginning
the word breathes on
until the void takes form
becomes a sacred, fertile field
Visions of Hildegard or Agnes in the rain
play dark tricks
as the world folds into paper,
holding on
Ruins bought and sold
breathe again
words emerge from the rock:
locks are broken
Burning kingfishers perch on fallen walls:
paths burst from the undergrowth
Here on the edge of the moon
Here is the book
Here are the letters thrown down and lifted up
Here the rushing wind
fire and water
laid like a cloth of gold and silver
under the patient stars
Poet's comment: This was written for the Paston Project in 2008 and draws on many aspects of the work, especially history and the surrounding countryside – and of course the book itself.
Cromer's Paston exhibition taken down
The mini-Paston exhibition hung at the North Norfolk District Council offices in Cromer for a couple of weeks was taken down on a cold and damp 17 November, with Paston Heritage Society chairperson Lucy Care and InPrint poet Tim Lenton in attendance. The exhibition consisted of about 24 framed prints hung in a corridor on the first floor outside the restaurant, and we were given to understand that it had been very well received.
Meanwhile a third hand-made Paston Country book has been sold.
Paston exhibition success in the sun
The "amazing weekend" forecast for the Paston exhibition turned out to be exactly that, with the sun shining brightly throughout, and medieval characters to be found enjoying the unexpected warmth of the sun in the graveyard, as well as fulfilling such functions as scrivener and paper-maker inside. In the normally cold church the atmosphere was temperate, even for the Latin Compline on the Saturday evening, when fog paid a fleeting visit outside.
The Private View on the Friday evening was a big success, with a fascinating film of the project being followed by a poetry reading, in which InPrint poets Caroline Gilfillan, Lisa D'Onofrio and Tim Lenton took part. The handmade, leather-bound book had centre stage, with InPrint's Annette Rolston turning the pages and explaining the background. Prints and poems from the book were on display. Small facsimiles of the book were very popular at £10 a time, and two copies of the big book, priced at £850 each, were ordered during the weekend.
On the Saturday Annette and Lisa offered a workshop, and bookbinder Judith Ellis from Aylsham demonstrated her skills. There were further poetry readings from the InPrint poets and from the other Paston poets – Dot Cobley, Kay Riggs, Rob Knee and Adrian Ward. Natural England organised a couple of visits to the Great Barn, which is rarely accessible. Visitors to the exhibition were augmented by a large party of ramblers who happened by and who found the whole project fascinating, especially Annette's description of the book's contents.
Sunday was dominated by the visit of medieval music interpreters Horses Brawl, who rehearsed during the afternoon and put on a concert of 18 songs in the evening, interspersed by readings from the Paston Letters. One of the pieces, sung by Jennie Cassidy, was from a manuscript found in the church in the 1920s and dating back to the time of the Pastons. It was believed to be the first time it had been heard since that time, and it was beautifully sung by Jennie.
InPrint were proud to be part of the project, which owed much of its sucess to Annette's determination to master the innovative non-toxic intaglio process and produce excellent prints. Lucy Care, from the Paston Heritage Society, had the vision for the whole thing and worked closely with Annette to bring it to fruition. Part of the exhibition will now go on show at Nottingham, and at the North Norfolk District Council offices in Cromer. The book itself will be on display in the Millennium Library in Norwich in December, and more exhibitions are lined up for the New Year. The Eastern Daily Press recognised the importance of the project by devoting two full page threes to it – one on the Friday and one on the Monday.
Paston exhibition ready – despite the mud
InPrint members overcame unexpected obstacles when they put together the Paston exhibition at St Margaret's Church on October 9. The weather was wonderful, the church was open, Ruth had made buns and tea, and Jack Earl was waiting to assist – but where was the van with the screens, driven by InPrint organiser Annette? InPrint poet Tim had given some small assistance to Simeon Care in delivering one or two items from the home of Paston Heritage Society supremo Lucy Care, and there was nothing left to do but wait...
Meanwhile some ten or twelve miles away, the missing van was stuck in the mud at Rackheath, and proving impossible to free. Eventually a local produced a chainsaw and cut down a tree, narrowly avoiding reducing the InPrint membership figures in the process, and after some more manouevering, the van was free – and ready to pick up the screens. By 2.30pm, after much anticipation, the van put in an appearance at Paston Church, and the screens and other materials were unloaded.
A certain amount of reorganisation was then necessary after it was found that the master diagram allowed for too little space down the central aisle, but some quick rethinking resulted in the screens being erected in the pews, and the prints – looking every bit as stunning as had been predicted – were carefully positioned. Meanwhile, Siri-Susanna Taylor was checking out her film settings for the following evening's Private View, a florist from North Walsham arrived to check the church for a wedding, and an elderly couple turned up from Nottingham to look at the building and its usual contents (for which Jack proved an expert guide).
By about 5.30 everything that could be done had been done, and everyone prepared to leave. Everyone did leave, in fact, apart from the occupants of the van, which – you guessed it – found some more mud to get stuck in. All efforts proved in vain, and the van ploughed deeper and deeper in. But Annette and Teri Lockton, one of the Paston artists, managed to get a lift to Mundesley, where they obtained a tow out from a local garage. It was that sort of day.
Final decisions made on book and exhibition
With the Paston hand-made book nearing completion, four members of InPrint met with Lucy Care, of the Paston Heritage Society, at Annette Rolston’s studio in the Bally Art Factory, Norwich. A variety of prints, plates and pages were available for viewing, and decisions were made on the running order of the book, publicity for the exhibition and practical matters including finance and setting up subsequent exhibitions.
As well as organising the whole project Lucy is also an artist, and has contributed images and a poem to the book. Annette, on whom the burden of printing has largely fallen, also has images in the book, as has InPrint member Joan Murray. Poems from InPrint members Caroline Gilfillan, Lisa D’Onofrio and Tim Lenton are also included.
The main exhibition, at which the book will be on display, is on October 11 and 12 in St Margaret’s Church, Paston. It will be followed by exhibitions at Cromer and Nottingham, and the book will eventually be on display at the Millennium Library in the Forum in Norwich.
The pictures here were taken at the Bally meeting on 14 August and include a few of the prints that will eventually become pages in the book, though not necessarily in their final form.
Week of work on Paston book
26 July 2008
A full week as far as work on the Paston book is concerned. On Tuesday Annette and Tim met in Norwich to discuss how the various pages might look. On Wednesday the final, full workshop, led by Annette and Caroline, brought in views from other poets and artists, as well as doing some key printing. And on Thursday Annette, Caroline, Tim and Lucy made the final decisions on what will be included - though not the order of the pages. It all seemed to fit together rather well. On Saturday, Lucy and Tim printed off acetates - the font chosen was only available on Tim's computer in Norwich. Further work on the plates will be done under Annette's direction next week.
Work on Paston book nearing completion
The printing and writing workshop on Wednesday 23 July will be a key moment in the Paston Project. Final decisions will be being made on the composition of the hand-made book – which images will be used, which poems, and how it will all fit together. Annette Rolston and Caroline Gilfillan will be leading the workshop, with some assistance from Mike Fenton and Tim Lenton as far as the book is concerned.
Excitement is rising as InPrint members – notably Annette, who has worked her socks off – overcome technical problems in the new process with the help of experienced workshop members. Any of the high quality material produced over the past months that doesn't make it into the book will in all likelihood find a spot in the Paston Heritage Society exhibition scheduled for autumn.
Meanwhile Mike Fenton is putting together a website dedicated to the Paston Heritage Society, which should go live ini the near future. It will contain much of the work produced by InPrint and others during the Paston project.
Next Paston workshop
The Paston workshop this Sunday (June 29) will be led by Caroline Gilfillan and Annette Rolston, and will probably follow a similar pattern to the last one. Caroline says: "We'll all work together for a short time, and then the artists will work with Annette, and the writers with me – though I must stress that you can move between writing and visual arts and vice versa. I know that several of you are interested in both, and that's fine.
"In the writing section of the workshop, we'll spend some time on new material – we have two new writers joining us – and devote some time to sharing and workshopping poems you've already written. Some of these will have been circulated already, but please bring copies of up to three poems – eight copies of each should be more than enough. Getting feedback on your work and having it heard can be such an exciting, instructive experience, so do bring work with you. Plus, hearing the work written by others is always interesting and inspirational.
"This part of the workshop might also help you decide which poems you might want to put into the book, too – if you need to choose. I'll prepare some activities both around writing in a specific form (probably the sonnet) and writing in free verse. As before, we'll use specific extracts from the Paston Letters as source material."
Here is an example of a ghazal written by Caroline at a previous workshop:
St Margaret’s Church, PastonThe wind sighs through the pale horse chestnut flowers
And ivy spills like water over elderflowers.A spider’s web is glued from pew to pew,
Its maker crouching in the carved wood flower.Outside I gather speedwell, borage and cranesbill
untended beside the dipping heads of gilt rose flowers.Beneath the stinging locks of nettles, a tombstone warms my hand.
And Margaret gives thanks for every leaf and flower.
And here is a verse from Tim Lenton, also based on the Letters and written at a workshop:
PartridgeI fear that Partridge may attack
He really has no business here
My husband must come home and drive him backA thousand angry men are drawing near
And he is miles away in London town
While I am pregnant, lost in fearI'll write and tell him to come down
He must bring crossbow, spear and shield
And I will wear my broadcloth gownHe'll slaughter Partridge in the field
The thousand men are bound to yield
The photograph at the top of of this section is of St Margaret's Church, Paston, from the path to the cliffs. It shows how unusual it is in being situated in a hollow, whereas most Norfolk churches are at high points. The picture was taken by Tim Lenton, who added this verse to it:
Balanced like light on fields of barley
Margaret the sleeper
slips into the background
becomes part of the picture
seen from the sea
More pictures from Paston
A selection of photographs taken at the two most recent workshops at The Barn, Dayspring. At the first, on May 11, Annette Rolston was leading with Rupert Mallin; at the second, on May 31, she was in charge of the artists while Caroline Gilfillan was with the writers. Some high quality work is being produced, and the prospects for the planned book and exhibition are excellent. However, a great deal remains to be done.