A Postcard From the Barn - June 2026 Exhibitions, Open Studios & Online Offerings
- Su France
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
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In The Garden
I've been staring at two patches of the border a lot lately. One fizzing with the copper and flame of geum, the other a low drift of forget-me-not blue that turned up entirely of its own accord, threading between the stems, like it had always planned to be there.
Both came from seed, which still feels like a minor miracle every spring — that you can press something so small into compost, wait through the grey months, and have this at the other end of it.
Geum's botanical name comes from the Greek for "to give off a pleasant fragrance," referring to the clove-scented roots — something I had no idea about until I started digging into the lore behind these two. Clove is one of those ingredients I always leave out of anything I cook, no gingerbread men, biryanis or chutney of mine will ever know cloves!
In folklore, geum was traditionally grown near homes for its protective properties, believed to ward off evil spirits. I like that... the taste would ward me off too and its obviously working round here. This is definitely a plant that looks so cheerful and the zing of colours. Mai Tai, Cosmopolitan and others make the border sound more like a cocktail menu than a plant list.
The forget-me-not carries older, sadder stories. One medieval German legend tells of a knight who leaned over to pick a spray of blue flowers for his beloved, lost his footing under the weight of his armour, and as he was swept away, flung the bouquet to her calling out 'Vergiss mein nicht' forget me not. The truth of the story hardly matters; what it tells you is how long people have looked at these small blue flowers and deeply felt something.
The botanical name Myosotis comes from the Ancient Greek for "mouse's ear," after the shape of the leaves — which made me laugh, because it's so accurate alongside all that romance.
They're both at their peak right now, along with some white forget me knots and they've somehow arranged themselves into the most pleasing combination — warm embers and cool blue or white stars neither one asking much of you. Just a bit of patience earlier in the year.
Edition of 3- An Exhibition Celebrating Collagraph And Three Artists
I'm delighted to invite you to Edition of Three at Indigo Crow Gallery, Lincoln; a new exhibition bringing together the work of Deb Davis, myself, and Sinclair Ashman, running 16th–21st June 2026.
All three of us work with collagraph, but step inside the Lincoln Gallery and you'll see just how different that can look. From rich layered texture and bold earthy colour, to quiet mark-making and stitch, the exhibition makes a case for collagraph as one of the most expressive and versatile forms of printmaking there is.
Please do join us for the Private View on Tuesday 16th June, 5–7pm, at 57 Burton Road, Lincoln — all are very welcome.
I'm really pleased to be part of Print Cromer 2026, as it's become one of the highlights of the summer print calendar.
Two prints from my Above the Fields series will be on show at Artspace on the Prom, West Promenade, Cromer, from 20 June through to 10 July, open daily 11am–4pm.
The exhibition is free to everyone, and if you're able to make it for the opening evening on Saturday 20 June from 5:30pm, I'd love to see you there.
Find out more about the exhibition here.
One piece I submitted didn't make the final selection, which is just how these things go, but I rather love it, and if you'd like the chance to own it, it's available to buy on my website. It will also be on show at my open studios (26th – 28th June, Creative Lincs Art Trail, studio 14), so you can see it in person there too.
Click left to see more..
The pieces I am currently working on all incorporate chine colle and if you're interested in how those pieces become part of my art pieces which hang on your walls, here is the link to my latest blog post about where journey is taking me.
Open Studios- find me here
The doors will be open — come in
In a few weekends time, 26th–28th June, my studio (near Blankney) will be open as part of the Creative Lincs Art Trail. I have always opened my studio independently, but this year I am part of this great, creative initiative, linking artists and an art- loving community.
My husband Andy, who makes work under the name Scrambler 23, will be showing alongside me. And if you've seen my work; slow, quiet, pulled from earthy colours and landscape — you'll understand that Andy's work is quite the contrast.
Raised on a diet of Lego bricks, punk rock, and motorcycles, his work is where graphic novels crash into rock 'n' roll, at full throttle. He's a university lecturer as well as a digital artist and genuine cinephile, with a huge back catalogue that spans Star Wars, classic film, and iconic music — bold, graphic, unapologetically loud.
You can look up his website here
Between us we cover a fair amount of ground.
The address is
Oak Holt Barn
Blankney,
Lincoln
LN4 3BG ...
and if you use what three words its ///swordfish.spellings.unravel
Look our for the Arts Trail signs!
When you visit, you'll find my prints, alongside textiles coloured with earth pigments — ochres, red chalk, the quiet palette of the Lincolnshire landscape pressed into linen and cloth.
I have just mounted some smaller works which are for sale on the Open Studio weekend but as a subscriber you may have a first look and chance to buy first.
Open studios are one of those rare chances to see work where it's actually made. You might leave with a print, a piece of Andy's pop culture art, something textile, or just a head full of ideas. All of those feel like a good afternoon to me.
Plus you will also get to meet my new lodger - a larger Gunning press than the previous model (who didn't go to live on a farm, but did find a happy, new home).
I'm studio number 14 on the trail.
Pick up a map at creative-lincs.com and make a day of it...or have a look at this link, where you'll find details of all the studios involved.
We'd love to see you. In the meantime, enjoy your weekend.
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