Brighton’s Arty: Art, whichever way you look at it …

One of the rare times we had an Arty argument was over Heike Roesel. Not because we disagree about her work. (We love it!) It’s just that when we’re laying it out on pages we’re never quite sure which way round it should go. However you rotate these organic, amorphous worlds of minute, exquisitely etched details, they work beautifully.

Fortunately (and somewhat unusually among artists whose work you show upside down), Heike is very forgiving. She’s also a printmaking pioneer. One of the most intriguing pieces hanging on our walls is a Heike truly original, in that it’s annotated with crazy pencil scribbles and formulae that hint at the scientific fervour that matches her creative prowess. We prised it away from the artist a few years ago when she was in ‘experimental mode’, perfecting the technique of Acrylic Resist Etching, which replaces traditional materials with a much healthier and safer way of biting the steel plates.

You can try your hand at ARE yourself under Heike’s expert tuition at Studio B5, Enterprise Point.

Or view her work at Brighton’s Bellis Gallery on King’s Road. It’s truly fascinating; packed with tiny elements sketched from memory and imagination – trees, boats, windmills, flowers – yet transported to the surreal. So look very closely!

Don’t miss: Creative photographer Alex Bamford has been running around in his pyjamas shooting extreme selfies at anti-social hours. The results are superb, and part of a new show ‘The morning after / The night before’, which also features the beautiful graphic Sussex landscapes of Finn Hopson. See them at Finn’s gallery in the new arches. Until
3 November.

Out of town: There’s still time to enjoy Mark Glassman’s bold brushwork at the Hop Gallery, Lewes, where ‘Life’s a Beach’ is showing until 16 October. www.artymagazines.com