‘Green Man’ blesses start of Harleston and Waveney Art Trail

The eighth Harleston and Waveney Art Trail, which starts this weekend, was launched on the longest day with a special summer solstice ceremony.

'Green Man' and Norwich artist Douglas Losh-Atkinson blessed the trail at a packed launch event at the Fluffy Egg Diner and Gallery in Harleston on Wednesday, where BBC gardening guru Bob Flowerdew, from Dickleburgh, declared the trail open.

Caryl Challis, one of the trail's founders, said: 'It was a wonderful start to the trail. Douglas really attracted attention in his Green Man outfit, and Bob is such a lovely man and a fantastic raconteur.'

The trail, which offers people the rare chance to visit artists in their studios and see work in drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, garden design, textiles and photography, runs this Saturday and Sunday and continues on June 30-July 1 and July 7-8, 11am-6pm.

Award-winning shibori artist and indigo dyer Jane Callender, from High Road, Wortwell, near Harleston, is among the artists taking part.

'Shibori is the Japanese word for an ancient technique for patterning fabrics used in India, the Far East and Africa – in fact, wherever indigo plants were grown,' she said.

'It's a bit like tie-dye but using stitching instead of, for example, pebbles to create the patterns. It's much more controlled, so you can design the patterns.'

Jane, who has been using shibori for about 30 years, has recently had a book published, 2000 Pattern Combinations, and will be running a course in indigo dyeing and shibori from July 10-14.

Other artists taking part in the trail include: Caryl Challis (wax resist textiles) at Harleston Gallery; Rose Martin (painting) at Skeetsmere House, Needham; Parr and Lynn (sculpture and cast glass) at The Upper Waveney Sculpture Meadow, Brockdish; Gill Levin (oil painting) at The Tithe Barn, Needham; Nell Close (mixed media) at Low Road, Wortwell; Sue Laughlin (oil on canvas, charcoal drawings) at Mundy's Farm, Mendham; Lin Patterson (textiles) at Home Farm Barns, St Cross South Elmham; Dinny Turner (collage, gesso paintings) at Wood Lane, Starston; Christina Greathead (textiles) at Cart Lodge Barn, Starston; David Page (painting) and Jane German (painting) at Redenhall Cottage, Starston; Nick Holmes (painting, photographs, prints and collage) at St George House, London Road, Harleston; and Alan Frewin (painting and pottery) at Millhouse Pottery, Station Road, Harleston.

This year, visitors could win an artwork or tuition course worth up to �350 – and the more studios they visit, the more chances to win.

A taster exhibition with samples of everyone's work is on at the Harleston gallery, in the Thoroughfare, and at the Pennoyers Building at Pulham St Mary until July 10.

For further details, pick up a brochure at the gallery or visit www.hwat.org.uk.