Swan Hill Studios presents ‘Forage’: A celebration of winter’s quiet beauty

A Creative Hub in the Heart of ShrewsburySwan Hill Studios is an artist-led space dedicated to fostering creativity, collaboration, and community. Home to The Circle Collective, a growing network of artists, makers, and creatives, the studio provides a space for exhibitions, residencies, and workshops. The collective was founded on the belief that creativity thrives in supportive, shared spaces—offering a place where artists can connect, develop their work, and engage with the public.

As both a curator and exhibiting artist, Sam Pooley-Stride describes Forage as a deeply personal project. After a period of creative hibernation, she sees the show as a re-emergence into the public art scene.

“My work is an emotional response to my surroundings,” Sam explains. “Painting allows me to escape into a meditative state, bringing order to the chaos in my mind. I’m drawn to raw materials, working intuitively to create layers of depth and texture.”

Her minimalist yet expressive paintings, created using acrylic, sand, gesso, and oil pastels, explore the essence of winter—both its physical landscapes and its internal, reflective qualities.

Kaori Okado Hood (@te.by_kao), a Japanese ceramicist based in Shropshire, brings a selection of stoneware that merges Japanese aesthetics with the rugged beauty of the English countryside. Her functional pieces are designed to encourage mindfulness—finding stillness in the everyday.

Camilla Jane Gittins (@camillajanegittins), whose artistic career has spanned from window design for Jack Wills to conceptual work for Tommy Hilfiger, presents a collection of abstract paintings inspired by nature’s layered landscapes. Using acrylics, pastels, oil bars, and spray paint, Camilla’s work captures the movement and emotion of the natural world.

Stephanie Eufemia (@stephanieeufemia_artist), a Shropshire-born artist with Italian heritage, offers meditative paintings that balance the grounding influence of English landscapes with the warmth of Mediterranean light. Her latest body of work features open skies and luminous horizons, designed to bring a sense of peace to the viewer.

Forage opens with a Private View on Thursday, 27 February, from 5.30pm to 8.30pm, offering an opportunity to meet the artists and experience their work first-hand. The exhibition runs through the first week of March, with open gallery days on Saturday, 1 March, and Sunday, 2 March, from 10am to 4pm.

As part of the wider Swan Hill Studios community, which fosters collaboration and artistic support, this exhibition highlights the power of creative circles and independent artists in Shrewsbury.

For more details and to RSVP for the Private View, visit Swan Hill Studios’ Instagram @swanhillstudios or follow the link in their bio.