events

This month in our gallery: drawings and paintings by Philip Franks.

In common with everyone else in the UK, I spent lockdown reviving old passions and attempting to find new ones. My industry ( the theatre) had shut down completely and a return to drawing was the obvious choice. I’ve always drawn but years go by when I’ve convinced myself that I was too busy. Not any more. I started drawing or painting every day, got a bit better and tried to keep it up when work came back to life.

A number of these are places I’ve toured to. I’ve done a lot of dogs to commission and occasional portraits.  

Join fabulous artist Maryam Hashemi for an evening of art-making, drinks and celebrating.

Through this workshop you’re going to make funny little characters from found materials and create a short scene straight from your own imagination.

The whole idea behind this workshop is that you don't need expensive equipment or fancy art supplies to make something interesting. Most of what we'll be using is recycled junk, charity shop finds, bits of cardboard, clay and all sorts of random objects that would probably have ended up in the bin otherwise.

The cost of living keeps on rising and the cost of running a bookshop is no different. People are buying fewer books than they used to, and we’re looking for new ways to keep this place sustainable.

So we want you to help. We’re doing a ‘New Ideas’ drop-in from 2pm, where we’ll be doing an open discussion about new ideas to help us financially. Whether that’s grants or sponsorships or new events we haven’t done yet. We’re open to ideas and we’d love to hear yours!

As always, we’re looking for ‘I will’ as much as ‘you should’. But if you’re up for helping, come along!

We're getting our Shakespeare on! Come and join other Shakespeare fans - this month, we're going to chat about your favourite Shakespeare monologues and pick a play to read and discuss next time.

We're all licensed, so you can also have a glass of wine from our fully stocked bard... I mean bar.

An exhibition of paintings called 

Soooooo many paintings 

by Damian Nelson

with accompanying 

readings and performances by 

Tom Bland

Sophie Anya Carapetian

Graham Clifford

Dominique Golden

Edward Shipsey

In 1991 on the Swindon art college prelim course I excitedly made my first ‘real’ painting. 

I stretched up a canvas, well a bit of old bed sheet nailed around some 2” by 1”and primed it with emulsion. Then I painted a (miss)interpretation of Jasper Johns alphabet painting. After so many years of painting, then not painting, then painting, then not painting ive now done some more paintings. 

From memory i have attempted to re-make that first painting, reenacting 

that special moment  while simultaneously mourning something lost.  

In the afternoon of the first Sunday of each month from now on we will be holding a relaxed movie screening. Each film will be shown with subtitles, at a lower audio volume than we do at our regular movie night. Attendees can feel free to talk and move around as they wish while the film is showing. And the shop and bar will remain open throughout.

Under the terms of our license we're not permitted to reveal in advance the name of any film we screen - but nearer the date we can give you some clues. ;D