HUNDREDS of people are estimated to have visited the Brecon Town Open Studios event on Friday and Saturday June 23 and 24. The annual art trail, now in its second year, involved 14 Brecon artists opening their houses and their studio doors.

This year saw a new venue, the Vaults Art Studios in Market Street and a new artist, puppet maker Graeme Galvin, taking part.

Sculptor weaver Sue Hiley Harris said: “We think the event went very well. It was an opportunity for artists to talk to members of the public about their work and for visitors to get more of an insight into the artist’s work.

“There was a feeling at the end of the event that we, the artists, had been talking, with hardly a pause, for two days. Many of my studio visitors thanked me for allowing them to come up to my studio.”

Luckily, the event narrowly avoided the heatwave of last week and visitors came from far and near.

Brecon Town Open Studios co-founder Sue adds: “It was well attended. I know about a hundred people visited my studio – these were local people who had seen the publicity in the shops and in the B&R, visitors to the the area who picked up a leaflet at the tourist information centres (this included visitors from the UK and abroad) and people who had been invited by the artists and had come from other parts of Wales including Hay, Crickhowell and Cardiff. Many visitors came along after seeing the event promoted on social media.

“Visitors were delighted to be able to visit the studios. Some local people had no idea what was happening behind normally closed doors. I was greeted at the top of the stairs to my studio by one visitor who said she was from Brisbane, my home town – she was on a tour of the UK and happened to be in Brecon on Saturday and was thrilled that her visit coincided with Brecon Town Open Studios.”

Participants also included glassmaker Kathryn Roberts from The Gate Gallery, painters Veronica Gibson, Roy Powell and Hilda Benham, visual artist Tessa Waite and photographer Sean Crawford.

The recently opened Vaults Art Studios houses painters Angharad Pickering, Sarah Powell, Harriet Rowland, Karin Mear and Gemma Schiebe, filmmaker Nigel Evans and photographer Velvet Cole. The Vaults was visited by Mayor of Brecon Ieuan Williams on the first day.

Sue Hiley Harris said: “We will meet in a week or two to debrief but from what I have heard we will be running Brecon Town Open Studio event again and as far as I know all were happy with the attendance.”

Visitors were offered coffee and cake at many of the studios in return for a donation to the project’s chosen charity, Friends of Brecon Mind. Sue adds: “We are not sure yet how much was donated for refreshments for the Friends of Brecon and District MIND but I do know that it will be over £100.”

For more information about Brecon Town Open Studios go to www.brecontownopenstudios.co.uk.