If you’ve ever visited Judy Stevens’ Open House at 6 Clifton Street, then you’ll be familiar with the work of Jonny Hannah. His screenprints, linocuts and quirky painted cut-outs on board, mostly featuring colourful hand-lettered text or a quotation linked to his many interests (jazz, country music, seafaring) are instantly recognizable, and his illustrations are increasingly seen on the covers of paperback books. An exhibition of his new work has just gone on show in a new gallery in Lewes, The Tom Paine Printing Press Gallery, on the High Street, right opposite Bull House, where Tom Paine lived and worked, and next to Pipe Passage. Entitled ‘An Illuminating Exhibition of New Work from the Legendary Jonny Hannah’, it does what it says on the poster. But there’s more – behind the wooden printing press is an alcove museum of Jonny’s collected ephemera and jokey constructions, of imaginary books for example, that will delight his fans. And some very reasonably priced hand-printed cards far too nice to give away that would look fabulous framed. The exhibition continues until the end of February.

The Press Gallery is the brainchild of artist/writer Peter Chasseaud and artist/printmaker Carolyn Trant, and it moved here from the Market Tower, Market Street, last December. This is only the second exhibition. It all revolves around a replica 18th century Common Press, used to print letterpress/woodcut artists’ books and other ephemera. Their first exhibition was of prints and artist’s books by the Russian artist Dmitry Sayenko, from St Petersburg.

http://www.tompainepress.blogspot.com/

http://carolyntrantparvenu.blogspot.com/

Kinetic art outside Embassy Court

Well, it’s less than a week until the Xmas AOH Festival of Open Houses kicks off. Harriet Mancey-Barratt and myself will be blogging here to keep you informed of what’s happening over the next couple of weekends, and during next year’s May festival. But first let me introduce myself. I’m Fred Pipes and AOH’s official Twitterer. If you’re already on Twitter, join us at http://twitter.com/artistshouses and I’ll retweet any Open House news you send me. Some houses have been open already, you may have noticed, mainly to avoid clashing with the crafts fair Made 09 at the Corn Exchange last weekend – but they won’t be in the brochure because it’s only just hit the streets! Embassy Court (AOH house 18) opened on Sunday night for a film show about kinetic art (in the open air!). I was down there in the afternoon, delivering a print, and  boy was it windy! Ideal weather in fact for all the amazing kinetic sculptures by Circus Kinetica – all made from recycled materials. Open Houses come in all shapes and sizes and the exhibition at Embassy Court, the Modernist masterpiece designed by Wells Coates and built 1934-36, is in the basement. Check out their website (and my print!) and there are more photos on the AOH Flickr site.

There are 75 Open Houses this year and so there will be loads of Private Views (or PVs as we say in the trade) this coming Friday – and Saturday morning – if you’re lucky enough to be invited to one (or two). I’m particularly looking forward to seeing 6 Clifton Street, where Peter Chrisp and Lisa Wolfe will be showing their Wild West Diorama in the bathroom – if you are a member of our AOH Facebook group, you will already have had a sneak preview! As well as underneath Embassy Court, my prints will be on show at the Dragonfly House, 48 Ditchling Rise. Check the brochure with the swans on the front or this very website for times.