LAF 15

So, the Lexden Arts Festival 2015 finished on Saturday night with a great jazz evening from Sam Bullard’s People and Places Jazz Quartet. Sam – now an acclaimed jazz musician who plays with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, the London Jazz Orchestra, the Heritage Orchestra, as well as smaller groups – started playing his saxophone many years ago in my instrumental group when I was teaching at Hamilton Primary School in Colchester;  there was a lovely moment on Saturday evening when I told this story, and a large section of the audience cheered! Looking round I realised that lots of Sam’s old class mates, and ex-Hamilton parents had come along to hear him play!

What a week we’ve had . . . . . . . Lots of art sales, lots of lovely visitors, a wonderfully friendly and efficient café that was so popular, a magical story-telling evening on Friday with Hugh Lupton, a happy evening on Wednesday listening to Bethany Appleton’s brilliant songs, and Ashley Blasse’s guitar music, watching the dramatic film Exodus on Monday evening and being transported back to a medieval spring by Blondel’s renaissance wind band on the first evening . . . . It’s been exhausting, but such fun.

Here are some more photos of some of the art work I didn’t show in my last post, and of the performers.

Jane Jennifer’s beautiful baskets

The rich glittering colours of Annie Bielecka’s textile work

Pru Green’s colourful ceramics

Michael Carpenter and Catherine Allen’s work in the jewellery cabinet

Blondel

Ashley Blasse

Bethany Appleton

Hugh Lupton

Sam Bullard

We spent all day yesterday clearing up, and there’s still loads to do, as well as unsold work to be delivered to artists, and bought work to be delivered to customers who were unable to collect, and the raffle prizes to be delivered to the lucky winners . . . . . . . And then there’s the accounts to do . . . .

Hope your week has got off to a happy start. 🙂