A Twickenham art studio, which created notable pieces in shows such as Bridgerton and Outlander, has opened its doors to run a variety of different creative workshops for budding artists of all levels.
Following the success of open studios sessions during the summer, Colne Road Studios will host courses including life drawing, origami and lino cut Christmas card sessions over the coming weeks.
The studios, which are based just behind Twickenham Green, are both the home and workplace of David Whetton and Karen Grosch, sculptors and model-makers who have produced models for museums and the film industry for the last 30 years.
Due to the diversity of projects and models created at the studios, David and Karen often bring in freelancers to help them with their work, with a variety of different skills ranging from moulding to carving.
They now want to open their space up to other artists and provide local people with the opportunity to express their artistry in whatever way they want to.
The pair had originally been based in Wandsworth but were forced to move to make way for residential developments, and as a result, found themselves in Twickenham.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic and Writers Guild of America strike last summer, the film industry was heavily impacted.
As a result, Colne Road Studios faced threat yet again, and are now juggling funding troubles and market dominance from bigger production companies.
Karen said: “Fundamentally we rely more on film, and there was a post pandemic bulge, where there were productions just throwing money at films to get them finished after the pandemic.
“Then we were hit by the strikes, and everything stopped.”
All of Colne Road Studios’ models are painstakingly handmade, and the intricate details required mean that projects can often take months to complete, making competition with larger model manufacturers starker.
Karen spoke of the importance of protecting smaller independent studios, but said she understood that the time and level of detail that went into such meticulous work was often overlooked in favour of quicker production.
She said: “We are makers, that is what we do and that is what we have always done.
“There are companies that will manufacture and that’s fine as a lot of productions have to squeeze for budgets.
“We could gain a lot from getting a lot of printing machines but it’s just not what we have done and there are still a lot of designers like us who prefer to create things by hand.”
The workshops and courses are run by a mixture of local artists and industry experts who want to share their love of artistry and passion for teaching.
Karen also emphasised her desire to support not only independent and small organisations within the arts industries, but also bring local people together and give them the opportunity to experience these skills for themselves.
She said: “It’s also a great place for people who are just starting up or want to come to a place where there are other like-minded people, and they can get off their phones and computers and do something else.”
The building itself is a symbol of Twickenham’s industrial engineering history and was originally home to post-war engineering works before being turned over to model makers and artists.
David and Karen have also created a green roof garden on top of the studios and are keen to share the space and its rich history with even more people.
Karen said: “Everybody says it has quite a special atmosphere and it is completely personal.
“The making gene is in our DNA, and we have put every single penny we have ever made into the building to try and have a space that is comfortable to work.”
Courses will run throughout November over weekends, evenings and throughout the day, to fit the schedules of all those interested, with a mixture of shorter and more intense longer courses.
Plans are also in the works to add more sculpting and moulding courses to the timetable over the coming months as well as eight week drawing courses.
For more information head to https://colneroadstudios.co.uk
Featured image credit: Karen Grosch
