Preview: Wylye Valley Art Trail

The fifth Wylye Valley Art Trail opens on May 30 and runs to June 7.

This biennial festival of open studios, workshops and exhibitions takes place within a 12-mile radius of the centre of the Wylye Valley, covering Hindon, Tisbury, Warminster, Westbury and villages in between.

This year there more than 280 artists showing their work in 84 venues. The art trail offers a rare opportunity to meet the artists and talk to them about their work, ideas and inspirations.

Visitors will also have a chance to have a go and get their hands dirty. Work includes painting, sculpture, print-making, furniture, jewellery, installation, digital art, ceramics, photography glass and textiles.

Wylye Valley Art Trail guide maps are available from tourist information centres, arts centres and may other locations. These provide listings of the various venues, a map of the art trail, images of the work on view and directions and opening times.

All the information can also be found on www.wvat.co.uk.

Workshops include silk painting, gilding with gold leaf, silver jewellery making, photography, sculpture, printing, sewing and quilting, lino cuts and video mixing.

There are many children’s hands-on activities and booking may be necessary for some of the workshops.

Some of the exhibitions are by single artists. Others are by small groups linked by a theme, or geography. There are two dozen artists and artisans at the Black Barn Gallery in Boyton, ranging from a walking stick maker to handmade wooden board games.

At the Angel Inn, Upton Scudamore, six artists have come together under the banner of Quinessentially English.