The Clock Man

John Plaister has maintained the Swindon Town Hall clock for many years and is a an authority on tower clocks and a fund of stories. I've started a project making a film about him and the clock which was suggested by Stuart Webb of Create. Have made a 3 minute version 'The Clock Man' for a competition, which can be viewed (and voted for!) at www.fordfilmchallenge.telegraph.co.uk

Open Studios

Lucy Tennyson and I showed recent photographs, drawings and paintings at Wandsworth Open Studios the first and second weekend in October. Lucy's photos are of the Cornish landscape and sea. I showed the Watercolours I've produced over the last three summers - views of the Berkshire and Marlborough downs all done within a few miles of Shrivenham. Also showed some of the BW Bromide prints I did of the house 30 years ago. More pictures to follow.

Wandsworth Open Studios 2007

Black Lives

This is a documentary film I'm making about the members of Swindon's minority communities. It focuses on the launch party in June for the 'Black Lives' website. Tom Harris, a retired civil servant, now storyteller, has commissioned the film which will be available on their website and on DVD. Thank you Create Studios for making it all possible! Screening 12th Oct 2007 at Swindon Arts centre, Devizes Road, Swindon. 7.00pm Free Event as part of Black History month. Evening also includes storytelling, Gambian drumming concert, Gambian food and more...

Trees from Tony Hinks

Last November children from Chisledon Primary planted 30 fruit tree saplings in a field next to their school. There were 6 different varieties of apple. They came from Tony Hinks' orchard in Watchfield. To view photos, taken on a mobile phone, showing the stages of transplantation, click on pic below.

Trees from Tony Hinks

How Green Was My Downs Valley

This is a documentary film I will be making over the next few months. It's about my home town Swindon and it's extraordinary growth. The small market town and the surrounding rural community was changed for ever by the coming of the Great Western Railway in the 1830s. Then came the influx of evacuees during WW11, and following WHSmith who relocated in 1967, many big companies have come, attracted to the town for its location, transport links and low rents. Now the disastrous 1970s town centre is to be "regenerated" once more, partly it seems to retain and attract these businesses. Without a more sophisticated metropolis they'll go elsewhere. True, a fine centre and a strong economy should benefit all Swindonians. But meanwhile their greenfield sites are being eaten up, despite protest, by the need to house a population predicted to grow from 180,000 to 250,000 by 2026. The Corporation's mentality is to expand and maybe Swindon's particular energy comes from this restlessness. But I fear the influx of business people with money making on their minds will be at the expense of an already shakey sense of place and community. Will the social divide get even wider here with the elderly, the "workless" and those on incapacity benefit pushed out even further? On the positive side Swindon Borough Council is channelling some of the money into ecological housing, affordable housing and improving biodiversity and nature sites. In my programme Richard Jefferies, born at Coate near Swindon in 1848 will "come to life". He was a nature writer and pioneer environmentalist who wrote of the evils of urbanisation when it was happening 150 years ago.Wouldn't it be great if I could persuade Billie Piper, Swindonian and household name, to join him in presenting the story. A huge thank you to South West Screen the Community Channel and Alternative Light for getting me started on this. Click on photo for more pix

How Green Was My Downs Valley

Crafts in Wandsworth under threat

The "Business Village" is in a fine Victorian gas mantle factory building due to be demolished to make way for a new development. A community of mainly artists and craftspeople will lose their work space and fear the high rents of other facilities will put them out of business. I am making a record of this soon-to-vanish world which will be shown at Wandsworth Museum in October. To view the redevelopment plans visit www.wandsworth.org.uk. You can make a comment up til 6th Aug. To see some of the photographs click on photo below

Wandsworth Craftspeople

Animals and People

Here are some of the photos and photo collages that were shown for Oxford Art Weeks at the North Oxford Community Centre. Many thanks to Lucy Tennyson and Chris Day for making it possible. Thanks to Jodie, Natalie, Job and Margaret, Cherry and Carol of my art class for their collaboration. Click on cockerel to view more

Animals and People

Still Life/real life at Wandsworth Museum

Here is a tour of the exhibits for those who were unable to make the trek to the hinterland of Wandsworth. Click on picture of museum to visit

STILL LIFE/real life: exhibition of paintings

"Still Life | Real Life" - an exhibition

25th April - 20th May 2007





100 Ways to portray an Object!

Well, two. An oil painting, plus the real thing in a box.

Not only fruit and flowers!
Lipstick, an AtoZ, a seahorse, a coffee-grinder...

Can you think of something to put in a still painting?
Bring it in to be painted by the artist!

There's an empty canvas waiting...


www.janeeast.com
WANDSWORTH MUSEUM
The Courthouse, 11 Garratt Lane
Wandsworth SW18 4AQ
Click HERE for a map

FREE ENTRY
Tuesday to Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday and Sunday 2pm - 5pm

Online gallery

Here are a few pictures. (Click on the painting below to see more).

Jane's art