Laurence Moracchini | Art in Ditchling

Studio 17, Turner Dumbrell Workshops
Dumbrells Court Road, Ditchling BN6 8GT
The best place to start/finish the “Art in Ditchling” trail with free, accessible parking next to the studio.

Open weekends in May and both bank holidays from 11-5pm.

Multidisciplinary artist Laurence Moracchini is opening her working studio, a former hayloft, along with two local talented artists and makers. This year, she will be joined by metalworker and silversmith Eve Claire Taylor and ceramicist Katherine Robson Stark. The exhibition they have curated for you is a variety of unique, stunning crafted pieces, mixed media paintings and prints.

Laurence Moracchini: Woodcarving, woodturning, mixed media paintings and prints.

Laurence’s artistic journey, spanning across France, Mexico, and now the UK, has significantly influenced her work, allowing her to create pieces that reflect her profound connections with the natural world and the complexities of human emotions. Laurence works mindfully and is motivated by experimentation and research on materials. She cherishes the slowness of creation to let nature do her work. By embracing imperfection and the beauty within decay, she breathes new life into reclaimed materials, particularly wood. Her intuitive mixed media work blends organic and industrial elements, drawing from the rich textures of nature and the gritty remnants of urban decay. With her unique approach to embracing imperfection and allowing materials to connect and collide, Laurence invites viewers to appreciate the layered stories of transformation, celebrating the beauty found in the broken and the impermanence.

https://www.laurence-moracchini.co.uk
@lau_moracchini
@ghjuanna66

Eve Claire Taylor: Metalwork and jewellery

Eve is a jeweller, an enameller and a silversmith. She studied at the University of Brighton in 2005 to complete a full-time 3D Craft degree. She uses different techniques, with silver and copper, working with vitreous enamel. The alchemic effects that are the result of firing ground glass and silica in a hot enamelling kiln, will never cease to amaze. This is one of her many inspirations to experiment and create new work. Her enamelled copper bowls are handmade with a wooden former. Eve is a member of The Sussex Guild of Makers. Her workshop is at the Phoenix Studios in Brighton.

https://www.eveclairetaylor.uk
@eveclaire.silver
@jewellery_conservator

Katherine Rabson Stark: Ceramics and textiles

Katharine makes sculptural hand-built clay vessels that use the pinch and coil methods. They are then smoke-fired using materials gathered on walks: bracken, thistledown, dock and dandelion. The essence of the plants are captured on the clay by this firing technique, leaving ethereal and beautiful marks in greys, browns and blacks. These methods of making: slowly and organically, aim to capture something of the essence of time and the place in which they were made.

https://www.katharinerabsonstark.com
@katharine_rabson_stark_artist

Walking from the centre of the village:
Follow the red “Art in Ditchling” signs from Ditchling centre, taking a calm, 5-minute walk along the countryside footpath. Avoid walking along the High St/N End Road because it is longer, busy and noisy. The short footpath is a peaceful and quicker way to access the studio.