Bishopsteignton Outdoor Art Group


	Bishopsteignton Outdoor Art Group

This intrepid, inspirational, inventive and lively village group only has one rule and that is: ‘if it stops being fun, we stop’. But at the moment, the group does not seem in any imminent danger of stopping and instead seems to be going from strength to strength.

From humble beginnings in 2005, the group has produced a remarkable number of ‘outside art’ projects given that the members are all volunteers with limited time, no budget and allegedly little artistic skill. From the first project to make a giant willow wave with ‘seaphenalia’ woven in to commemorate the Year of the Sea, to the latest project called ‘Road Kill’ which won the ‘Best Community Project’ award for TRAIL (Teignbridge Recycled Art In the Landscape). ‘Road Kill’ involved picking up over 1,000 squashed drinks cans from the roadside and making them into a heavy metal quilt to cover a car. As a complimentary project, Bishopsteignton School Art Group made a collage can car with their own green messages.

‘Environmental and local messages are often included in the art we produce’ said founder member Gill Greatorex, ‘And we try to mostly use recycled and sustainable materials’.

The 5 ‘R’s of recycling - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Resplendent Display, Responsible Disposal – give the group part of its inspiration. ‘It may be rubbish or litter to one person, but it’s a useful source of raw materials for us.’

Other projects have included:

Painted 'beach huts' with sea poem by Mary Elms for Bishopsteignton School

12 Days of Christmas around the Village for December 2006

'Art and Run' days: the group go to a site, such as a beach or woods, and make art out of whatever they can find there, letting the weather or tide naturally erase it. On one such trip a giant beached mermaid was made.

‘The Well Dressed Tree' for the annual village tree dressing day December 2005 gave a well loved tree the 'posh' treatment with suitable collar and tie.

An original butcher's shop meat hook is used as an outdoor hanging 'gallery' near where the butcher's shop used to be - exhibits have included a celebration of Brunel and a giant and unusual Christmas wreath.

25 Letters for Christmas around the village for December 2007. This provided a visual treasure hunt for villagers to seek the sentence made from letters.

And now there are even more projects in the pipeline for the year ahead. A case of watch this space!

Anyone in the village can join the group. No particular artistic skills are required.

Please contact Gill Greatorex on 01626 779628 or email greatrocks@btinternet.com


	(c) Teignmouth Arts Advisory Group 2008 - 2010