Presteigne artists open their studios to visitors this month
Nation Cymru
A four-day celebration of artists and makers – offering visitors the unique experience of visiting working studios and spaces – returns to Presteigne this month, running alongside the renowned Presteigne Festival of Music.
Presteigne Open Studios & Exhibitions will see a host of painters, sculptors, printmakers, ceramicists, photographers, jewellers, furniture makers, textile artists and more open their doors to reveal the ideas, materials and processes behind their work. It is a rare chance to step behind the scenes and see how artists and makers create, and to talk to them about their creative process.
Presteigne Open Studios is a non-profit organisation run by a small team of artists and volunteers. Now in its 9th year, Presteigne Open Studios 2026 will run from 28 to 31 August 2026, 11am to 5pm daily.
This event is free to attend, and whilst visitors can support local creativity by buying directly from artists and makers – whether a major artwork or a small piece such as a card – the main aim is to demonstrate the wealth of talent within this small community, and its contribution to the life of the town.
Presteigne Open Studios takes place largely within the town, with most exhibitors within easy walking distance of each other, so visitors can enjoy strolling the streets and alleyways, whilst stopping off at the many local hostelries and cafes. A map (which will be available on this website and in the brochure) explains where each venue is to be found.
There are many parking options (with disabled parking spaces available), for more information about getting here, visit Presteigne Festival website. So there really is no reason not to take a trip to this beautiful town and to meet and see the work of the artists and makers who live and work here!
Presteigne
Presteigne is regularly voted one of the best places to live in the Sunday Times. Once the county town of Radnorshire and a wealthy centre of wool production, it is a real gem of a small border town, set amidst stunning scenery, with a mix of stunning Georgian buildings, half-timbered houses and Italianate and vernacular architecture.
The award-winning Judges Lodging Museum, which once housed the county courtroom, can be found in Broad Street – open throughout the weekend – and is well worth a visit. It now also houses newly refurbished flats in which to stay, all in the Victorian style of the museum itself.
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Alongside Open Studios, the acclaimed Presteigne Festival of Music offers a mix of the best modern classical music together with a huge range of more historic pieces performed by both solo artists and a first-class orchestra.
Presteigne High Street is lined with independent shops, galleries, cafes, pubs, restaurants and antique shops. Standing at the top of Broad Street, the view is straight out to the hills. You can walk out of town into the beautiful countryside that surrounds it, where you go for miles without seeing anyone at all…
Participants
The list of participants taking part in the ninth edition of Presteigne Open Studios is endless, but to focus on a few:
Terry Brown will be showcasing his timeless Celtic country chairs.
Chairs, in various guises, have been in existence for 1000s of years but it is only since the 6th. century that country chairs have become the style recognised today.
He shares: “As a woodworker, the uncluttered, simple design of Celtic country chairs persuaded me to try my hand at making them. Now, 40 years on, I am still making them.
“I make my chairs from three hardwoods, Oak, Ash and Elm, using traditional hand tools, then finish with an eye to detail, ensuring comfort with authenticity.
“The trinket boxes are a decorative way of showing the richness of various exotic woods”
Rhiannon Hooson will present many of her latest works. She writes: “My work explores the tension between the domestic vignettes of the still life, and the ways in which we conjure these safe but separate spaces into being.”
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“Our comforting domesticity is constructed around us piece by piece, a spell brought into being by the placing of objects. We lay the table. We put flowers in a vase. But these comfortable spaces are easily ruptured by something wilder, something unknowable – a constant tension between the real and the imagined.”
Stephanie Jacobs is also taking part to the delight of her many admirers. Based in mid Wales, Stephanie works from her studio creating unique mixed media sculptures suitable for home and garden. With over 13 years of experience, Stephanie has developed a strong reputation for her expressive style and attention to detail. Her work reflects a deep connection to nature, emotion and the human form, capturing moments in time through storytelling in sculpture.
In addition to producing and selling her creations, Stephanie is passionate about sharing her skills through workshops, offering participants the chance to explore her style of sculpting techniques, and develop their creative potential in a fun and welcoming environment.
Claudia and Paul Petley are another renowned pair of artists taking part. After years of traditional blacksmithing, making gates, railings and candlesticks, Claudia and Paul are following their love of Nature.
This new direction has led them to design and make sculptures focusing on birds and wildlife. Their pieces are made from forged, shaped and welded steel which is then galvanised, etched and allowed to weather naturally.
Claudia and Paul have developed a collaborative working relationship, where both create pieces individually and together. Their work captures the intrinsic essence and character of the subject; the serenity of a barn owl, the rowdiness of a crow, the sleek line of a fish.
Another artist of growing acclaim, and an endless waiting list, is Helly Powell of Fauxidermy.
Helly has combined her deep love for Wales’ landscape and its flora and fauna with a lifelong obsession in textiles, which she expresses in her textile taxidermy sculptures aptly named Fauxidermy.
Having recently moved to the area from the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, Helly has opened her own atelier and shop on Broad Street, Presteigne.
In her artist statement, she shares: “As Humans we have a deep bond with nature, a bond that heals and enriches the soul.
“Through my work I hope to inspire this beautiful connection between humanity and wildlife. My Pieces are not only for visual enjoyment but I hope they will inspire people to appreciate the wonder of the natural world around us and to cherish it for future generations.”
View the full list of participants here.
Discover more about Presteigne Open Studios, which takes place from 28 to 31 August 2026 here.
Find out more about Presteigne Festival of Music here.
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