10 questions with Abstract Landscape Artist, Jess Hellens
It’s not often I treat myself to a mid-week art adventure (mainly because: life) but at the start of August I was invited along to The Square Club’s gallery for a preview of their new exhibition. It was my first proper introduction to Jess Hellens’ art and what a wonderful introduction it was. I had seen some of her work on Instagram- just glimpses of colourful, floaty paintings- but I was not prepared for how absorbing her work is in person. A flat digital screen of my ancient iPhone could never truly communicate the deep textures in Jess’s work and how the light bounces off the metallic highlights.
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“The Liberties”: Exhibition held by Gearoid Simms - Simms Offers the Version of Ireland That Was Never for Sale.
It is that older Liberties, the one buried somewhere beneath the distilleries and the listicles, that Gearoid Simms has set out to paint. The “expressive surrealist” artist grew up there, and his “deeply personal” new collection, which opens on 17 September at the Island Gallery on Bridewell Street, charts those years. Having watched the area transform from an intimate place bound by story, community and shared spirit into somewhere almost unrecognisable, he has devoted considerable time, and no small amount of artistic licence, to painting it as he remembers it.
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How to Fix Common Diamond Painting Issues Before Finishing
Diamond painting is a relaxing craft that involves placing tiny coloured resin drills onto an adhesive canvas to create a sparkling mosaic-style artwork, but even the most careful crafters can run into problems before the final seal. Diamond painting is deeply satisfying, right up until you spot a gap, a bubble, or a rogue drill sitting at the wrong angle an hour before you planned to seal the whole thing. Most problems are fixable. The catch is catching them before the sealant goes on, because once that dries, your options shrink fast. I’ve learned that the excitement of reaching the finishing stage can sometimes make you rush that final check. On one piece, I was so focused on getting the sealant ready that I nearly missed a few drills sitting slightly unevenly near the edge — a small issue that would have been much harder to fix afterwards.
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“This bread is a spaceship”: Tai Shani at Bristol Museum
“We lived a thousand real lives”, says Molly Moody, the hypnotic narrator of Tai Shani’s video installation, Neon Hieroglyph, held at Bristol Museum until June 28th.
We are on the island of Alicudi, yet also in the skies above the Aeolian sea, drifting through a galaxy, looking up at the burning sun from the blue, navigating a CGI room with light blasting through the window and inhabiting a drone, drifting over forest.
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Like: Connected Online. Exhibited irl.
An evening surrounded by the magic of human connection, creative freedom and high spirits, on the 21st of May 2026 I attended the private viewing of the art exhibition, Like: Connected Online. Exhibited Irl. Set up in the light and spacious Kit Form on Jamaica Street, Bristol, the art of a group of friends who met online, Ellie Kerr-Smiley, Ellis King, Flo Lee, Heidi Clawson, Jasmine Rosten-Edwards, Katie Jones, Lucy Pass and Michelle Heron, was proudly displayed; it was an evening full of deep conversation and delicious wine that will inspire me for a long time to come.
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Mounira Al Solh: A land as big as her skin, or trying to review an exhibition with a baby
At the entrance to the Arnolfini’s latest show I glance down to read the visitor warning: ‘This exhibition includes references to conflict, war, rape, loss, mourning and nudity’. I pause. After all, my exhibition companion today is my one-year-old son, so I should probably think about this. Mind you, he is only one, he doesn’t really know what’s going on, and he also seems to be entering a calm and pleasant state of drowsiness as opposed to a grumpy and irritable one, which bodes well for a gallery visit. So, I put my qualms to one side and cross the threshold into the mythical-meets-modern world of Lebanese artist Mounira Al Solh. After all, I’ve got to take my chances.
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The Shape That Holds it All: The unlikely history of Bristol’s most radical venue, The Cube
And this corner is where the ghost is usually seen…
says David ‘Hoppo’ Hopkinson without a speck of irony, as we cross the large echoing stage of The Cube Microplex cinema. To refer to The Cube as “only” a cinema would be an enormous oversight. Whilst the venue’s core programme is built around a rich and informed programme of art house and second-run films, international cinema, and what could variously be described as cult or occult movies – this is only the tip of the iceberg.
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Review: Tales From The Wasteland: Post-Apocalyptic Improv
Tales from The Wasteland is, in their words, “an improvised post-apocalyptic adventure comedy”. Inspired by the likes of The Last of Us and Fallout, the twisted cast of raiders and mutants craft an absurd plot, inspired by a prompt picked by random and provided by an audience member. The show can go literally anywhere, as there is no pre-prepared characters or plot. Everything is, as you’d expect with improv, made up then and there.
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The Nanny with a Camera - Finding Vivian Maier
While hunting for vintage photos for the project, John stumbled upon a box of old negatives at a local auction. The images, mostly from 1960s Chicago, didn’t suit the book, but something about them stayed with him. Months later, he began scanning them. Though he had no background in photography, the work struck a chord. Inspired, he picked up a camera himself — first a point-and-shoot, and soon a Rolleiflex, just like the woman behind the images: Vivian Maier.
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Daniel Speight: "Printmaking is an unsung hero"
We talked to experimental screenprinter, Daniel Speight, ahead of his opening night of ‘Turn The Page’ - a showcase of his work in Bedminster. Not only will the event be a chance to mingle with some Bristol creatives, but also to try your hand at live printing!
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Review: Three Kings at Alma Tavern & Theatre
The premise of this play is simple. It starts with an eight-year-old Patrick meeting his estranged and unfeeling Father in a pub, being taught a bar game. From this point onwards, Patrick navigates various moments with his Father from their strained relationship, meandering from optimistic if anxious beginnings, to resentful endings where love is given reluctantly, if not still deeply.
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The Power of Creativity - From The Perspective of an Art Therapist
Creativity isn’t a blessing for just some of us - it’s something we are born with. Each and every one of us uses creativity in daily life; some of us just falsely think we are not creative at all.
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Spotlight - Annie Clay, On finding the beauty in the everyday
Based within the creative hub of Bristol at Jamaica Street Studios, Annie Clay’s work finds beauty in the everyday as her captivating landscapes demonstrate the beauty of Bristol and its surroundings. Her style is both unique and distinctive with the time and precision in each piece so evident within her work. There is something about Annie’s work that seems to trigger a sense of familiarity with a place and it was great to sit down and have a chat with Annie about all things inspiration and how working as an artist in Bristol influences her work.
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May Arts Review Roundup: An Evening at The Mount Without & Street Art Without Borders
An evening at one of Bristol’s newest venues, The Mount Without, is something to look forward to. The space in this big old church is fantastic and its versatility really shone for this event as it hosted a staged performance by Tom Marshman and a broader floor space for the dance pieces from Cree Barnett Williams and Yos Clark. The Crypt provided drinks and DJ’s Mister Morgan and Jim Carna gave us some pop joy; the perfect end to a magical night.
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Spotlight - Jess Knights, Creating Human Connection through Illustration
Jess Knights’ illustrations are certainly ones that you’ll recognise if you’re into your food and drink around Bristol. Her passion for food and drink really shines through within her work as her unique images are rich in texture and life, making what could be considered mundane into art.
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Spotlight - Jasmine Thompson, How Storytelling Can Inspire Change.
Jazz Thompson’s work is so integral to the city of Bristol as her captivating illustrations tell stories of individual experiences and community. Her murals have been placed all over the city from the M Shed, to The Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, speaking of individual experience and displaying a wealth of characters.
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Art, National Identity and Culture - Why the Destruction of Art is a War Crime
Art is an immortal representation of our culture, identity, and personal histories. The gradual censorship of artistic expression in Russia has been presented as more than censorship, but a simple disregard for what art is. Putin would have you believe that art is simply an additional extra, a visual option that does not express anything deeply political or particularly relevant.
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Spotlight - Every Body's Story: "We All Carry So Much Of Our Experiences From The Past, But We All Carry So Much Potential Too."
Yes, so in the book I created, and in the exhibition text in the handout, at the beginning I wrote “I invite you to view the shape of each woman's body, and then read her story and hear her voice connect her form to all that it carries and holds and think of its future, and all that it deserves.” I think that is the thing that unites them; every body has a story. And everybody deserves so much. And every story deserves to be heard.
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Spotlight - Lucy J Turner: 'Telling Young Black Kids "Yes, You Fucking Can"... That's My Favourite Thing'
Giving that message to children, especially young black kids... that's my favourite thing in the world. That's what I want to do. I think a lot of it is because I never had any of this growing up. I didn't really have like any black role models and I just wasn’t exposed to them. I guess I just want to do everything I can for black people; everything I do is because of black people, my ancestors.
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March Arts Review Roundup: Subversive Stories and Youth In Revolt
In this review roundup Lucy Pratt heads down to the Arnolfini to see their latest offering and Arts Editor George Trueman stumbles on a exhibition in the heart of Southville
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