THE biennial 10Parishes Festival of visual and performing arts returns in and around Wiveliscombe closes on Sunday (September 14).

This year’s theme was ‘Tree of Life’ and artists had the option to include it in their work for the nine-day exhibition period.

Wiveliscombe street market and carnival procession on Sunday will help to see out this year’s festival.

Artist studios were scattered around the local villages, including Jane Mowat’s in Little Hurstone, Waterrow, with carving, printmaking, and jewellery on show.

In Fitzhead, visitors could see Katherine Jackson’s observational painting as an intimate means of giving attention to her surroundings.

Neighbouring Halse saw Ian Iles and Caroline McMillan Davey exhibit in the popular New Inn, combining to explore landscape through both oil painting and photography.

Milverton hosted a range of venues, including Beth and Dyana French with sculpture, functional pottery, and expressive art, Sally Lancaster’s photography and acupuncture, jewellery by Penny Price, and Judy and Chris Willoughby in the Old School, in Sand Street.

Wiveliscombe Community Centre was home to four artists, including Victoria Ward’s exquisite watercolours and illustrated maps and Chinese brush paintings using Indian ink.

Doulla Aebli’s ceramic sculptures of British wildlife featured a selection of critically endangered animals from around the world.

Chris Howe works mainly in watercolours and uses a limited palette, his main inspiration coming from the countryside around his home on Exmoor.

John Abraham paints mainly in acrylics, creating impressionistic seascapes and landscapes, often Westcountry-inspired.

A new artist taking part this year was Rachel Byles, who was brought up on a dairy farm on the fringes of Exmoor.

A life-long familiarity with farmed landscapes gives inspiration, particularly through autumn and winter months when she sees what the cast of a low sun reveals.

Rachel has been reviving her practice in recent years after a long fallow period and works in a range of media and has exhibited in Hele Farmhouse, Brompton Ralph, throughout the festival.

She recently had work selected for a range of open exhibitions, including this year’s Society of Graphic Fine Arts annual exhibition in London.

Last autumn, she was included in the 2024 South West Academy annual open exhibition held at Kennaway House, Sidmouth, and won the inaugural Modern Art Distillery prize.

Remaining festival events include: