August 22 2014.


The Lewes District Art Festival, Artwave, launches tonight and officially gets under way tomorrow. One of the most popular Artwave venues in recent years has been Driftwood Garden in Bishopstone. This multi-award-winning garden, which recently featured on national television, plays host and is the magnificent canvas on which the talented artists work is creatively displayed.

This year there will be 16 different artists work filling the garden. Organiser of the Driftwood event and garden owner, Geoff Stonebanks, persuades participating artists to donate some of their work and has a raffle each year in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support's new cancer centre in Brighton, and has raised over £20,000 for the centre since 2010.

This year the event will get off to a flying start on the afternoon of the 23rd of August, with local vintage gramaphone collector. Graham Barber, bringing some of his antique machines to the garden and playing 1920's and 1930's music, (weather permitting), while visitors browse the art and sample the fabulous home made tea and cakes, all served on vintage china on trays in the garden at the back, or in front of the house on the wonderful beach garden overlooking the sea.

Since first participating in the event in 2009, Driftwood has seen nearly 4000 Artwave visitors who have consumed over 1500 cakes! More importanly in that same period, visitors have bought over £18,000 worth of art.

So why not go and see the venue on one of the seven open days, Saturday 23rd, Sunday 24th, Monday 25th, Saturday 30th & Sunday 31st August or Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September. Open 11.00am to 5.00pm each day.

There will be a wide variety of work on show from Mark Glassman, Frances Doherty, Phil Duncan, Serena Thirkeell, Panny Edwards, Su Cloud, Richard Hannay, Jim Pilston, Cat Brown, Paul Cox, Chris Burchell Collins, Chiara Vagnarelli, Celia Hughes, Sarah Stonehouse, Paula Haughney and Lee Highley.

All details can be viewed on the event web page at www.driftwoodartwave.co.uk