Multi Story Theatre Company are a small-scale touring theatre company that will run a participative session for NDA members which examines the way artists see, using activities such as kinetic sculpture.  Multi Story will introduce themselves with a short performance from their current work, probably from the piece that they will be taking to the North Devon, Brighton and Prague Festivals in 2008.

Multi Story is crammed full of experience. Bill Buffery both performed and directed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and was Artistic Director of Orchard Theatre Company for eleven years. Gill Nathanson worked with some of the UK's top Education and Community theatre companies before joining Orchard Theatre Company in 1989. As well as playing leading roles with the company, she ran three Youth Theatres and an extensive workshop programme.

As the name implies, Multi Story are centrally concerned with the enduring power of story - and with communicating the richness of experience that the old stories contain to new audiences, both young and old.

Pictured right are Bill Buffery and Gill Nathanson - photograph taken by Guy Harrop.

Kate Rowley discusses her career as a textile designer for clients such as Tommy Hilfiger, Garnet Hill, Ludvig Svensson, Almedahls and IKEA. Kate began her career selling print designs for fashion through agents, and worked in Rome and Paris. Since returning to the UK she has concentrated on furnishing print designs for curtaining, bedlinen, shower curtains, table cloths, beach towels, etc. She has also recently worked on wallpaper designs.

Come to hear the stories and inspirations behind New Year New Work 2008- as participating artists are informally invited to talk about their work. A real chance to get an insight into the working methods, creative responses of fellow members.

There will be a session on how to get the best out of the NDA web site. There will be an introduction to some useful new features on the site. There will also be a discussion on how to get your own web site address and web site and how to create and maintain your own web site. The evening is hosted by Mark Hajdukiewicz of m2z ltd, designers of the new NDA web site. The meeting notes with links are available here.

Fiona Fraser-Smith, co-ordinator of the Appledore Visual Arts Festival, will also speak. Starting off the evening, she will explain the format for the 2008 Festival and be asking for NDA artists to be involved, either exhibiting, doing workshops or, responding to their call for artists in residence.

This is the annual Christmas Party at Broomhill. This is a great way of introducing friends and interested people to NDA as it is always a fun night and one where we can get to know each other in a relaxed setting.

The tickets are £18 and include a three course meal and a complimentary glass of wine. There's a fun Christmas Creative Challenge to bring or wear your Christmas tree - a prize to the best. Also bring a wrapped present to the value of £1.

Tickets are £18 and can be purchased by sending your cheque made payable to 'North Devon Arts' to: North Devon Arts, PO Box 291, Barnstaple, EX32 2BN

How to choose frames and best present work can be a problem to artists. Practising artist and framer Christina Bonnett will talk about displaying artwork including some tips on presenting work for Exhibition and Galleries.

More about NDA member, Christina can be found on her at NDA gallery page.

An unusual introduction to Picasso led to Lydia Corbett (or Sylvette David as she was then known) modelling for him on a regular basis. Stunningly beautiful: ‘The Girl with a Ponytail’ was the inspiration for numerous paintings and sculptures and this encounter with genius was instrumental in developing her own artistic practice in later life.

From an early age Lydia has been engaged in the world of artistic expression. In the last few years her work has been increasingly expressive and illustrative, recalling those early impressive years and later her journeys through motherhood, love of nature, religious, social and philosophical themes. Corbett’s paintings and ceramics possess a dreamlike quality born of naïveté.

Those organising and participating in Devon Art Works and Art Trek explain what goes into making an open studios events work - costs, promotion, brochure distribution, etc. It promises to be a lively and topical discussion, as it takes place during the Devon Art Works open studio event (Devon Art Works takes place 8th-23rd September).

Web sites: for Art Trek www.northdevonfestival.org/events/arttrek.html; for Devon Art Works www.devonartworks.info

Jeweller, April Doubleday and textile artist, Jill Denton will talk about their commitment to fair trade products and environmental issues relating to their work.

How jeweller, April sources her materials for her silver and gold jewellery without using the mines that exploit their workers and how she uses recycled old wood from muscial instruments.

Textile artist, Jill will talk about how she's become sick of the waste produced everywhere and the need to buy new frames and materials all the time, now tries to recycle and reuse in her work wherever possible, using found objects and recycled materials. All related to the same environmental issue, and is something she feels very strongly about. Having spent time in India and similar countries, Jill has seen how resourceful these peoples are, inspiring one to think along similar lines.

Come to hear the stories and inspirations behind the ‘Square Picture Show’ exhibitions as participating artists are informally invited to talk about their work.

This well known local artist will be talking about his painting career and demonstrating his techniques. Colin’s modest but easy and confident manner is infectious and shines through in his paintings and drawings of life in the North Devon landscape.

Andy works as a mosaic artist and his latest creation is a fabulous, large, classical mural. His pet interest is resistance to the creative process, or artists 'block' as we know it. Andy will talk about his mammoth mosaic and hopefully impart how he copes with the ‘blank canvas’ syndrome! www.andywhitemosaics.co.uk

Vanessa is a well known sculptress and has spent many years working to commission, making life-sized bronze or resin figures. She will provide us with details of what this has entailed in marketing terms, being at the right fairs/shows and the sheer hard work of creating large scale art works. Her paintings can also be seen at the NDA ‘New Year - New Work’ exhibition until 1st March. www.vanessamarston.com

Preview for the third, ‘New Year - New Work’ Show A casual, ‘meet the artists’ afternoon, where you can see and buy the latest works from North Devon Arts members.

Hear exhibiting members talk about their work in the Winter Show and what inspires and motivates them. As a special addition to end this evening, artist Tony Culver will engage us with his ‘off the wall’ ideas on Art.

Having taken early retirement from teaching in order to focus on her writing, Frances completed an MA in Creative Writing at Exeter University in 2003, gaining a Distinction and a School Commendation. In the last few years, her poems and stories have appeared in many magazines and anthologies in the UK, the USA and Ireland.