Hitting the High Notes BORN IN CHESHIRE, singer Julie Kench has lived in Reading since the mid-90s when she moved here with her teacher husband. Having studied music and drama, initially she wasn’t sure about […]
Comfort Art out of chaos Jenny Robins may be a relative newcomer… but she is already busy livening up and bringing a smile to our neighbourhood. She introduced Elestr Lee to her award-winning graphic novel, […]
Sweet Dreams This September marks the first anniversary of BKRY which opened its doors a year ago, offering coffee, delicious cakes – and upstairs, an Academy, where young and old alike can learn the art […]
Mission to make connections and collaborations THE GLITTERING, modernist energy-rich port of Aktau on the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan – with its cold desert climate, lying mostly below sea level – sounds about as far […]
All that glitters… Award-winning silversmith Machi de Waard will be showing her stunning designs at the Whiteknights Studio Trail this June – and Reading has a special place in her story, as she explained […]
From tiny terraced houses to large estates, local landscape gardener and designer Hugh Netley has watched the seasons come and go since setting up Netley Landscapes 39 years ago, as he told Elestr Lee HAVING […]
Who’s that person, busy with her easel and paintbrushes, engrossed in capturing the local landscape… it’s artist Christabel Forbes, who tells Elestr Lee about her passion for painting en plein air MANY OF the creative […]
A passion for words and writing has always driven Rebecca Netley …resulting in two gothic historical novels being published by Penguin Michael Joseph. The Whistling, which appeared in 2021, was adapted into a play last […]
Pets play a vital part in many of our lives… owning a portrait is a great way to honour or to remember a favourite animal. Rachael Hunter-Lara tells Elestr Lee how she is developing her […]
As well as providing a bespoke picture framing service, a small shop in Church Road is now creating quite an impact as an art gallery. Lydia Gledhill (left) explains to Elestr Lee about her […]
Dr Alison Johnston, Caversham Bridge, 2017 (Editors Login)