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Andrew Smith

@andrewsmith_art

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Exploring nature, history & places. Read 'Walks with Max' my substack journal inspired by W.G. Sebald's "Rings of Saturn" - click linktree

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I'm delighted to be showing work in the first @edge__land exhibition at:

The Long Shop Museum
@longshopmuseum
15 Main St, Leiston IP16 4ES
Saturday 5 Sept – Sunday 1 Nov 2026

Open daily: Tues to Sat 10am–5pm and Sunday 11am–3pm
(The exhibition is free but requires museum entry fee)

Please join us at the opening event – all welcome:
Saturday 5 Sept, 2–5pm
(Free entry to Long Shop museum for the opening event.)

Meet the artists, writers, poets, photographers, and performers in this two-year, multi-disciplinary arts project.

Amy Marie Gladding
Andrew Smith
Angus Stewart
Bryony Graham
Caroline Poole
Caroline Wright
Elizabeth Ferretti
Gus Farnes
Jennifer Hall
Jude Lockie
Julie Garton
Juliet Lockhart
Kristina Tonev
Lizzi Thistlethwayte
Margaret Wyllie
Mary Wyatt
Paul Morris
Richard Allenby-Pratt
Rosie Andersen
Veronica Worrall
Victoria Proctor

Workshops during the show:

Seeing The Landscape (Writing)
10am–1pm, Sat 19 Sept – £6.00

Place And Change (Writing)
10:30am–2:30pm, Sat 3 Oct – £6.00

Writing From The Edge (Writing)
10:30am–2:30pm, Sat 17 Oct – £6.00

Once Upon A Picture (Writing)
10am–1pm, Sat 24 Oct – £6.00

Celebrating Our Trees (Art)
10am–4pm, Fri 30 Oct – Free
Children’s drop-in art workshop

Reading Event
5–6pm, Sat 31 Oct – Free
With Edge Land writers plus workshop participants

All workshops are at the Long Shop and include free entry to the museum.

For details of the workshops go to: @edge__land or:
www.edge-land.co.uk (link in their bio)

Workshops funded by Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths @coastandheaths National Landscape Sustainable Development Fund. Thank you to our host The Long Shop Museum. Edge Land website funded by The Arts Society, South East Suffolk

#suffolkcoast
#edgeland
#suffolk
#edge__land
#coastandheaths taken in The Long Shop Museum by @andrewsmith_art

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2 months ago

The EDGE LAND exhibition continues @longshopmuseum until 1 Nov, plus there are 2 more writing workshops, a drop-in art workshop for kids during half-term holiday, and a Reading event + drinks on Saturday 31 October; full details below.

Here a few more photos of my cuttlebone castings, and there is more background info about how I created these on my substack journal; the link is in my bio.

Main EDGE LAND exhibition continues:
Until Sunday 1 Nov 2026
At The Long Shop Museum @longshopmuseum
15 Main St, Leiston IP16 4ES
Open daily: Tues to Sat 10am–5pm and Sunday 11am–3pm
(The exhibition is free but requires museum entry fee)

Remaining Workshops:

Writing From The Edge (Writing)
10:30am–2:30pm, Sat 17 Oct – £6.00

Once Upon A Picture (Writing)
10am–1pm, Sat 24 Oct – £6.00

Celebrating Our Trees (Art)
10am–4pm, Fri 30 Oct – Free
Children’s drop-in art workshop

Reading Event
5–6pm, Sat 31 Oct – Free
With Edge Land writers plus workshop participants

All workshops are at the Long Shop and include free entry to the museum.

For details of the workshops go to: @edge__land and follow the link in their bio.

Workshops funded by Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths @coastandheaths National Landscape Sustainable Development Fund. Thank you to our host The Long Shop Museum. Edge Land website funded by The Arts Society, South East Suffolk

#suffolkcoast
#edgeland
#suffolk
#edge__land
#coastandheaths taken in The Long Shop Museum by @andrewsmith_art

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2 days ago

‘ In February 2026 I was walking along the beach at Dunwich and discovered thousands of ‘bones’ of cuttlefish washed up on the exceptionally high tide, along with other debris, driftwood and plastic waste.

Being a natural collector, I picked up several bags of them thinking I could use them in some way, and after researching these curious creatures I discovered they could be used for casting, since the shell-like material can withstand high temperatures of molten metal.

By happy accident (which 1 rely on a lot) I saw that there was a workshop for’cuttlebone casting using pewter, led by artist Poppy Jackson in Diss, and from there I discovered the mysteries of carving, casting and exploring form at micro scale.

More generally I explore nature, history & places through writing, images, and objects, looking for meaning and unexpected connections through time and place.’ Andrew Smith

This exhibit by @andrewsmith_art is part of the group show @edge__land at @longshopmuseum

Open till 1st November taken in The Long Shop Museum by @andrewsmith_art

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3 days ago

When I was a student in the 1980s I read the magazine 'Resurgence' then edited by Satish Kumar, so it was a privilege to hear him speak at Leiston Film Theatre and to see 'Radical Love' a film about his life and beliefs. After the film, prominent environmental campaigner Rupert Read interviewed Satish, now 90 years old, about themes from the film and about some issues facing us now. I was so inspired and frankly moved to tears by his utterly uncompromising belief that positive change is possible, and that nature will survive the current onslaught by humans. Rupert Read said that he believes civilisation collapse is almost inevitable, with climate change as the trigger, but Satish was sceptical about this and demanded that people have more hope, and trust that good people and nature will prevail - he listed the many improvements over the past 50 years, in civil rights in India, America, & South Africa, and the growing awareness of environmental issues as examples of situation that do change over time.
Read Satish's words from the film 'Radical Love':-
"Sometimes people call me a utopian or dreamer but please tell me what have the realists achieved?
Our world is ruled by the realists, our government, our business and what have they achieved?
We have global warming, pollution of oceans and rivers and soil
We have wars, all managed by realists
I think the future belongs to the idealists.
We are now at a Crossroads
We can continue to follow the same path of violence or we can turn towards the path of compassion and ethics, a path of love and a reverence for life
I have chosen and will forever choose the path of love"
What do you think - is this idealistic, or something to strive for?
The Trailer is on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nRVBNSImtVc
Or read more about the event: https://www.leistonbookfestival.co.uk/post/an-evening-with-satish-kumar
@leistonfilmtheatre
@rupertread taken in Leiston Film Theatre by @andrewsmith_art

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4 days ago

Spent the morning on an intriguing hunt for a ruined chapel or minster, deep in one of the remotest parts of Suffolk. South Elmham Minster is hidden in woodland, with ancient hornbeam, on farmland close by to the former Bishop's Palace at South Elmham St Cross, and about 2 miles from the River Waveney in an area known as "The Saints". The heritage of the Minster seems a little shrouded in mystery, but is believed to originate from the 11th century, since the Palace or Great Hall was established as a country seat by the Bishop of Norwich, and there is evidence the minster may be on the site of an earlier Anglo-Saxon chapel. taken in St Cross, South Elmham by @andrewsmith_art

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13 days ago

To the ferry – After visiting Hamilton MAS (art space - see previous post), I walked along the prom and sea wall all the way to Felixstowe Ferry, approx 2.5 miles, but somehow it felt longer, perhaps due to the seeming endless parade of concrete, railings and beach huts on your left (as you walk north) and passage after passage of beach marked out by large groynes on your right, but beautifully accompanied by the ceaseless sound of the sea lapping onto the shingle – each part of the journey bears slightly to the left, but as you reach the supposed end point, another section comes into view, so you never seem to reach the end, until finally you reach the ferry. When you're clear of development, the part of the town called Old Felixstowe, you reach the ferry golf course, stretching the length of the peninsula to the north, marked by two prominent Martello towers. At the mouth of the Deben river, there is the ferry boat that takes you across to Bawdsey, and through the boatyard, beyond the harbour master's office, the estuary and river turn inland.
I won't forget this walk as on my way back I slipped on some loose shingle on concrete, badly twisting my ankle, and having to hobble back a mile or so to the town to the train station, stopping on the way to buy a bag of frozen peas to hold on the wound! In the hundreds of miles I've walked, this was the worst incident so far (apart from getting cut off by tides maybe), but hopefully it will be mended in a few days. taken in Felixstowe Ferry Harbour by @andrewsmith_art

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19 days ago

Great to spend the morning at HAMILTON MAS @hamilt0nmas, a micro arts space on Bent Hill in Felixstowe.
Exhibition 'MAKING PORT' by Sophie Giller @gillersophie, an exhibition and PORT TO PORT Showcase, celebrating the maritime communities of Lowestoft, Ipswich and Felixstowe with an evolving and travelling artwork - in collaboration with @the_artstation. The artworks were developed over 2 years with community involvement at different locations.
It's a wonderful space with a fantastic community based arts programme lead by the incomparable @bryony.graham by @andrewsmith_art

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21 days ago

Lines of Dissent - drawings by Grace Adam @artistgraceadam at Walpole Old Chapel @walpoleoldchapel

Walpole Old Chapel is a plain timber‑framed meeting house created in 1689 by local Dissenters, and the perfect setting for a 6-month residency, giving time to see the building in all lights, seasons, and to appreciate the very fabric of the chapel. The interior’s exposed timber framing, simple plaster walls, and plain joinery reflect the Nonconformist belief that worship should be stripped of ornament, hierarchy, and ritual. It's also the perfect space to display these ethereal drawings, which capture the asymmetric lines of the chapel space, the irregular box pews, the uneven wooden & brick floors, and the fields around the chapel - in the centre hang branches that bring the outside & nature into the space. The simplicity of the drawing materials also complement the stripped back decor of the interior, adding to a sense of timelessness.
~~~
Grace Adam's notes from the show:
Lines of Dissent is the culmination of working over 6 months as Artist in Residence here.
At the chapel, I observed and recorded. In the studio I developed the ideas and abstracted the drawings. These drawings, paintings and a site-specific installation were created in response to the place and its histories.
Converted from a 16th century farmhouse, this was a place for dissenters - largely devoid of religious paraphernalia. It is plain and pragmatic as well as beautiful. In the drawings, I've attempted to reflect the sparce, modest nature of the building. The large charcoal drawings were a way to get to grips with the rough and ready nature of the construction.
Box Pews, introduced here in 18th century populate the interior with rectangles, providing near-abstraction, especially when viewed from above.
Vast windows let light flood in, and time spent here meant I was able to see and record subtle colour and tone variations in the materials.
We tend to think of the landscape as unchanging, but in reality the land around the building evolves over the centuries. The building has been amended and fixed but sits relatively unchanged.
.... taken in Walpole Old Chapel by @andrewsmith_art

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22 days ago

EDGE LAND WORKSHOP: PLACE AND CHANGE: WRITING FROM THE HEART AND MIND, SATURDAY 3 OCT IP16 4ES - with our wonderful hosts at the fabulous Long Shop Museum

In this workshop Vicky Proctor and I will be your guides as we explore the link between place and memory, and the connections between heart and mind and writing - such rich ingredients for the alchemy that is writing.

Whether you are writing memoir, fiction, poetry, non fiction or scriptwriting (Vicky will be your guide in that) - we hope this workshop will add to your writers' toolkit. And it is always fun to write in good company, isn't it.

There are a few tickets left for this event. The workshop is fully accessible, with accessible toilets and a steal at £6 per person - for which we have the wonderful Sustainable Development Fund of the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape to thank. And it could not be more appropriate as we explore our relationship with this beautiful coastal landscape.

#edge__land
#SuffolkCoast
#sustainabledevelopmentfund
#longshopmuseum by @andrewsmith_art

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22 days ago

The Harvest moon, nearly full, rises over the newly ploughed fields, at the Autumn equinox, the point in the year when there is equal day and night. Most of the crops have been harvested weeks ago, the fields are rich brown, having been ploughed and harrowed, there's an extra chill in the evening air, and the year appears to turn towards autumn and winter. Hopefully it will be clear on Saturday, when the moon is full, and will shine beautifully in the early evening. Look out for it!
#harvestmoon #autumnequinox taken in Kelsale cum Carlton by @andrewsmith_art

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24 days ago

I remember the Martello tower from early childhood, when visiting my grandparents in Aldeburgh and walking along the sea wall to Slaughden and beyond. My grandfather Dick Smith always delighted in telling us about its history, and it's thanks to the Heritage Open Days @heritageopendays and their volunteers that we can have a look inside this amazing building. In the 1970s there was a derelict art-deco style penthouse on the top, built by Mrs Freebody in the 1930s (see last pic), but the Landmark Trust removed this when restoring the building. Built during the Napoleonic Wars to repel any possible invasion, it is the most northerly of a chain of over 70 towers along the east and south coasts, and has a unique quatrefoil design, four round towers merged into one, meaning that the entrance, bedrooms and living room radiate off a central room. From the parapet you get fantastic views of the River Alde and Orford Ness including the large block building and radio masts of 'Cobra Mist'. Down below is the dark basement where supplies were stored - the powder room is lit by a lantern behind glass to avoid unwanted detonations! taken in Martello Tower, Aldeburgh by @andrewsmith_art

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a month ago

After crossing by ferry we stopped at the old bridge looking across to the Armoury, and the other 'Labs' where tests were carried out on the triggers, shell casings, and parts for nuclear weapons.
Crossing the Bailey bridge you are on
the ancient shingle bank between the
wild north sea, river and marshlands,
which stretches 10 miles along the east coast, connected by a thread to the north.
On the Ness, the horizon stretches 180 degrees, not like on 'dry land', where there are trees, hedges, and houses crowding out the sky, all the normal pointers are gone.
There's no other place like the Ness –
From mist, showers, to blinding sun,
the relentless winds howl around the rails
of the Bomb Ballistic,
from where you can see everything.
Lab time has stopped, rusted over.
Is this the past, a bygone era,
of mutually assured destruction,
or a landscape of a desolate future?

🎹 @haydennthorpe NESS by @andrewsmith_art

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a month ago