Succesfull ArtWalk

THE recent annual ArtWalk which included Observatory was described as one of the most successful.
The number of participants was boosted because the project, which aims to bring the public into the studios of local artists, formed part of the Cape Town Art Week.
Seven art studios in Observatory took part in the Art Walk, which also extended to studios in Woodstock and Salt River.
Over two days, studios and artists opened their opened their workspaces to the local community and the broader public.
In Obs, the participants included Bijou Studios, Peter van Straten, Spencer Street Studios, Paul Birchall, Thelma Mort and Jenny Parsons.
Mapped routes were designed to provide visitors with easy access to participating studios by following the ArtWalk routes.
Local artist Peter van Straten, whose studio in Milton Road received about two dozen visitors over the Art Walk weekend, praised the event, saying it seemed to be bigger and better organised than previous years.
He said the concept is very good for artists.
Unlike an exhibition at a gallery, it carries very little cost for an artist, who gets to sell his work from his studio without any gallery commissions.
Visitors come because they are interested in the work, as opposed to visiting a gallery as a social space.
Catherine Moss, owner of Artsource, said they held an art workshop which attracted many people. She reckons the big turnout was because ArtWalk took place under the banner of the Cape Town Art Week.