Cathy's Art Diary

Clever display at Sissinghurst Castle Garden looking at how the previous owners of the house Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson’s circle defied societal norms of gender and sexuality. This show was cleverly arranged in the library using the books on the shelves to highlight the lives of the couple’s friends and lovers, explaining who they were and what they did. There were also displays on various literary legal cases with a focus on the Radcliffe Hall case. It was a good way of telling quite a complicated story in a simple and engaging way.   Closes 30 March 2025  

Fascinating discussion at the Charleston Festival between Emma Bridgewater and Sarah Raven, excellently chaired by Nicolette Jones. They were both talking about recent books. Emma was “Toast and Marmalade” a beautifully inllustated book about how she set up her pottery and the inspiration for her designs.   Sarah’s was on Vita Sackvile West’s garden at Sissinghurst using Vita’s own writing and adding her own thoughts from having loved with the garden. However the discussion became about how they say their influence on people’s home space and what they felt their brands represented. Both of them were very funny and erudite and it made for a fascinating afternoon. One of the joys of Charleston Festival is the discussions it was lead to and this was a perfect example.