“Number seven resonates with the vibrations and energies of the collective consciousness”
Joanne Walmsley
About
SEVEN is a Creative Sketchbook Collective, based in Leigh on sea. Formed in January 2017 by local artists who met on a Creative Journal course at Metal in Southend, we have as a group, continued to develop our art practice using creative sketchbooks and altered books.
We think of our sketchbooks as the ideal space for artistic experimentation; a place where doodling is encouraged, where anything can be an art material, and mistakes can provide inspiration. Making our altered books is a way of repurposing a second hand/found book to give it a new narrative and meaning. The books we create are very tactile and full of texture; and we love to share our explorations.
Individually, we are all successful artists/designers/makers with a variety of backgrounds and skills. We love the synergy of bouncing ideas off each other and it continually surprises us to see how each person interprets the same brief in their own unique way.
“We’re more than the sum-total of our individual parts”.
Collectively we inspire and motivate each other to take greater risks than we would individually, which we believe results in a stronger body of work.
Using processes and working within themed parameters means we relinquish control, which helps to silence our inner-critic. We believe in ‘happy accidents’ and in unconscious intentions, which can often be self-revelatory.
As a collective we are committed to finding our authentic voice, encouraging each other and sharing our work. To date we have exhibited our work at various local events including the Village Green and Leigh Art Trail. We believe that by inviting others to touch the books, we are making the work more accessible; this in turn provides a more engaging and memorable experience that we hope will extend the conversation to a wider audience.
Our manifesto
Our work
At the last count SEVEN had developed over 40 creative sketchbooks and altered books; that’s in excess of 4000 pages of work!
Below is a selection of our recent developments…
Follow us on Instagram if you’d like to see more.
Blog
Leigh Art Trail 2019 invitation
SEVEN has had busy year and is showing at the Leigh Art Trail for the third consecutive year at Venue 52: Planet Leasing. We’ll be open late on Thursday 13 June for drinks and nibbles and we’d like to invite you to join us and take a look through our books. This year we have …
SEVEN get a commission – a collaborative artwork
So, this December the intrepid Kerry Doyland, from Two Tree Gallery, a small space run by a group of Leigh artists, met a woman who wanted a piece of art reimagined. That’s a task for SEVEN Kerry told her. And, that’s how we got our first commission… Old for new Our mission – should we …
Continue reading “SEVEN get a commission – a collaborative artwork”
Why today’s creatives should steal from art history
This art year SEVEN threw out the idea of a unifying theme for our Leigh Art Trail sketchbooks. For 2019 we’d make art books and take inspiration from an artist or art movement we loved. So: Jo turned to Hundertwasser; Kim chose Robert Rauschenberg; Juliet looked to Oceanic art; Amanda chose Matisse; And, Helen would …
Continue reading “Why today’s creatives should steal from art history”
Contact
We’re based in Leigh-on-sea in Essex. Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more – we’re a friendly bunch…
email: hello@sevenartists.co.uk
Thanks!
“The whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts”
Aristotle