Art for Art’s Sake, Avenue St Andrew’s Church Hall – 22/23 August 2026 – supported this year by HRA@50!

Arts for Art’s Sake will feature ten local artists, several crafters and three authors. As artists and crafters prepare for the event being held over the 22/23 August at Avenue St Andrew’s Church on the Avenue, we bring you news of three more exhibitors at this year’s event.

Barbro Fitzjohn organised the first Open Studios event and has exhibited each year showing beautiful still life paintings one year, supersized landscape canvases and brightly woven baskets the next. This year she is creating linocuts and paintings. Barbro’s husband makes the canvases for her. If the bees have had a productive year, he can sometimes be seen selling honey at the event. In the photograph below, Barbro is standing next to Christine Benning, who together with husband Martin are this year’s event organisers. Christine has painted scenes of Southampton Common, which she will be exhibiting as well as greeting cards of the scenes. Martin will have an eclectic display of photos and greeting cards for sale.

Heidi Turner creates exquisite hand-painted silk scarves (see photo below), cards and paintings. Her stall is always very popular and local shops have stocked her work. Heidi started creating in retirement. Her latest interest is pyrography, which involves drawing scenes on wood and then using a wood burner to create designs. Heidi will have some make-up mirrors, small boxes and spoons for sale as well as a number of very colourful paintings. Heidi is a member of the Association of Botanical Artists.

Cara Sandys (see photo below) has been making her colourful brooches and earrings for more than 30 years. Her work first sold in Australia when she was living there in the 1990s. Then she returned to the UK and travelled around finding galleries and craft shops to supply. Now, thanks to her bus pass, she is still travelling and finding new outlets from the West Country and Wales to Brighton and Bexhill.

Each piece is cut with scissors from a thermoplastic material covered with metallic foil. It is heated, allowing the features and details to be added when the items are soft. On cooling, they set hard again. Lightweight and affordable, they make ideal gifts.

For more information about the event, please contact Christine and Martin Benning at hraopenstudios@gmail.com

Photos below: