Birgit Ackroyd, a Swedish artist long-settled on the Isle of Wight, is inviting visitors into her Cowes studio for the 15th year as part of Isle of Wight Open Studios.
Her studio, located at the top of a garden that once featured on Gardener’s World, will display a vibrant mix of watercolours, abstract works, travel-inspired paintings, and life drawings.
A passion for painting and movement
Birgit lives in Cowes, overlooking the sea, and has developed her artistic practice over decades.
Although she had no formal art education, she discovered a lifelong interest in drawing and painting after uncovering some of her life drawings from as far back as 1959. She explains,
“I still do life drawing.
“I love the shape and form of the human figure.”
Inspired by the world around her
In recent years, she has focused on watercolours. Birgit says,
“The way it behaves randomly, and you only get one chance! You lose control but in a delightful and surprising way.”
Her landscapes often stem from her background and her eye for the natural world.
“Then I don’t have a lot of details to worry about, and the colours can be what I see, not what they really are.”
Travel, colour and creativity
Birgit has travelled widely, including trips to Vietnam, India, Cuba and across Europe.
“I always take paint, brushes and paper with me,” she says, often giving her artwork to travel companions to raise money for charity.
She also enjoys experimenting with multimedia and collage, creating vibrant pieces that spring from both memory and imagination.
Studio and garden open to visitors
Visitors will also find a selection of greetings cards featuring her original paintings.
The studio is located at 34 Queens Road, Cowes PO31 8BW and will be open 16th to 21st May, 10am to 4pm daily.
This year’s open studio is another opportunity to explore the creativity of a long-time Island resident who says,
“The Island has a special atmosphere. It makes you slow down – it’s therapeutic. I feel it’s my home.”
If you are an Isle of Wight artist opening your studios this May, let OnTheWight readers know by taking an event feature like the one above. Find out more.
Our thanks to the artist for sponsoring for this feature. They and other businesses and organisations taking paid promotion enables you to continue reading OnTheWight for free.
