00:00An old fire station, a former greengrocer's and a Georgian townhouse are among the unusual spaces opening their doors across
00:08Wirral this summer.
00:09They're all part of the Wirral Open Studio Tour, returning on the 13th and 14th of June.
00:15More than 90 artists will welcome visitors into their working spaces, including Ling Wallow, who creates sculptures of flowers using
00:23paper.
00:23I spent 17 years as a wedding stationery designer, and we came to March 2020, and my entire business got
00:30cancelled overnight.
00:31And I started going out for my walks, I was looking at the wildflowers, and yeah, one thing led to
00:37another.
00:37In 2021, I was actually funded by the Arts Council to develop my creative practice, and I've been making paper
00:45flowers ever since, focusing always on wildflowers.
00:48At her studios on Wood Street in Hoylake, Ling colours her paper using natural dyes taken from plants and vegetable
00:55matter.
00:55Because my work is all about celebrating nature and celebrating wildflowers, I don't really want to do anything that's going
01:01to cause any further harm to nature.
01:04So I'm really interested in using natural dyes, and I've found that the paper that I use, which is a
01:10really heavyweight crepe paper, it actually takes colour really, really well.
01:14The tour showcases a wide range of work, including painting, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, glass, textiles, photography, and jewellery.
01:23Janine Pinion, based in Wallasey, is a watercolour painter known for her landscape work.
01:27There's a lot of room to imagine, to use your imagination.
01:32You know, when you look at the painting, what I want is people to feel drawn into it.
01:36Janine says she's inspired by the gorgeous landscapes on Wirral.
01:42When I moved over here, one of the things that really struck me was around the coast, was that there
01:46was this really flat horizon, especially on the west side of Wirral.
01:51And I noticed the colours changing all the time, throughout the year, throughout the day.
01:57So they just stuck in my mind.
01:59Now on its 16th edition since launching in 2009, the event's become a regular fixture, celebrating creative talent across the
02:06peninsula.
02:06I knew there were other artists about, so there were four of us the first year, and every year it's,
02:13you know, it's changed and it's gradually sort of got bigger.
02:16Organiser Helen Smith says it offers a chance to step inside creative spaces without the formality of a gallery, meet
02:23artists directly and see behind the scenes of their work.
02:27I wish I could clone myself during open studios and go and have a look at, you know, what other
02:33people are doing.
02:33With studios spread across the peninsula, the tour attracts returning visitors and first-time explorers alike across Wirral.
02:41I do get quite a lot of repeat visitors. People love coming in and they tell me about, you know,
02:46what they've seen and we talk about the wildflowers. It's really nice.
02:50Organisers say the event offers a rare opportunity for the public to meet artists in their own spaces and perhaps
02:56even take home original pieces.
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