Through the Window

Pam Smart at Green Pavilion Cafe

Staring out of the window wistfully has become all too familiar as an activity during lockdown but it is good to see that some Fringe entrants have turned that on its head by using windows as a lively means of communication and expression.

Buxton artist Pam Smart has an online exhibition - Buxton, Bangkok, Bollywood and Beyond! - at the Fringe but also spotted the opportunity to have a physical presence courtesy of the Green Pavilion cafe window. There is a nice synergy about the fact that you can enjoy her colourful, pattern-driven paintings inspired by Buxton’s buildings and architecture whilst also being not a million miles away from the artist’s actual subjects.

Trail blazers ACE Art quickly realised that exhibiting in the window of Hargreaves, rather than inside, was going to be less complicated in these Covid times and a great way of making the art accessible to all. Break Your Stride is a lively selection of animal, landscape and seascape paintings by members of Buxton Adult Community Education art classes (full disclosure, I’m one of them!) with bonus pictures on the web listing’s Gallery link.

Buxton needs some brightening up and artist Lindsey Piper has devised a trail of 25 bright yellow Smiles adorning many a window in Buxton in both shops and private residences. Not all are central; you may find one in your street! Email Lindsey (oshinoo@outlook.com) with the locations of all 25 Smiles and be placed in a draw at the end of August to win your own Smile!

Art is nothing if not inspirational and there is an opportunity here for us all to start painting the town orange with Fringe-related homemade bunting and festive window displays to make us all feel more cheerful. And with many shops now open for business, colourful windows might just tempt us inside too.

Buxton Fringe

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