Local Events
What People Thought About Carshalton Artists Open Studios 2026
July 2, 2026 - 5 min read
Carshalton Artists Open Studios is one of the easiest ways to meet local artists without the formality of a gallery opening. You can wander between locations, talk to people about their work, and see paintings, prints, cards, ceramics, textiles and other handmade pieces in the places where they are being shown.
In 2026 I showed work at Location 11, The Water Tower in Carshalton. It is a beautiful and recognisable local building, with the entrance in West Street, opposite Festival Walk, and it felt especially right for watercolours rooted in Carshalton, Sutton, Surrey and quiet South London places.
From the publicly visible reaction I have seen, CAOS26 seemed to land with real warmth. I can only speak from public posts, event pages, search snippets and app reviews, not private Facebook comments, Instagram comments behind login, direct messages or the official visitor feedback forms. But the public feeling was clear enough: busy, friendly, community-led, full of conversations, and proud of its 10th anniversary year.
Why CAOS26 felt different
Carshalton Artists Open Studios 2026 marked 10 years of the trail. That gave the event a sense of occasion, but the thing people seemed to value most was still very simple: real artists, real places, real conversations.
The public language around the event kept circling the same words: community, inspiration, discovery, buzz, local pride, connection. That matters. Local art is not only about putting work on a wall. It is about letting people meet the person who made it, ask a question, notice a detail, and feel that creativity belongs in their own streets.
What you can see at Location 11
At The Water Tower, visitors can see work by several artists in one place. My own display includes original watercolour paintings, A3 and A4 prints, cards and smaller gift-friendly pieces where available.
I exhibited alongside Kevin Wells, Maggie Penton, Neringa Paulauskyte and Penny Smith. That mix mattered. Illustration, printmaking, painting, acrylic, collage and watercolour all held the room together in different ways.
If you have seen a painting on the website and want to know whether it is available for a future event, collection or local viewing conversation, you can contact me with the artwork title.
A relaxed way to look at local art
Open Studios is useful because you do not have to know exactly what you are looking for. You can simply arrive, look slowly, ask questions and notice what catches your eye.
Some visitors are looking for an original painting. Some want a local print or card. Some are just exploring the trail and discovering artists they did not know were nearby. All of those are good reasons to come.
The Water Tower and the CAOS26 buzz
The Water Tower seems to have been one of the lovely surprises of CAOS26. Public posts described strong visitor numbers, colour, conversation and community, with one Water Tower update describing more than 300 visitors through the doors on a single day.
That kind of footfall changes the atmosphere of a place. A historic building becomes full of voices. People move between paintings, prints, cards, ceramics and conversations. Someone arrives because they saw the map. Someone else comes because a friend mentioned it. Someone finds a painting they were not expecting to find.
Why Carshalton is central to the work
Much of my artwork begins with familiar places: Carshalton Ponds, local parks, the Water Tower, Honeywood, Sutton, Wallington, Surrey walks and quiet corners of South London.
I am interested in the emotional atmosphere of those places: reflection, stillness, memory, colour, old buildings, paths through green space and the way a familiar view can become a small sanctuary.
Prints, cards and originals
If an original painting is not the right format, prints and cards can still carry the feeling of a place. A Carshalton card or print can make a thoughtful local gift, especially for someone who knows the ponds, the village or the surrounding area.
I am also happy to talk through how buying works, whether a piece is available, and what options might suit a room, gift or budget.
The app, booklet and 10-year story
One practical reason CAOS26 worked well was that it gave visitors structure. The new app was publicly praised as simple and useful for finding artists and locations, while the A5 celebration booklet helped tell the 10-year story of the trail.
That combination matters. A good local arts event needs both feeling and navigation. It needs warmth, but it also needs a map. CAOS26 seemed to have both: nearly 80 artists, 29 locations, a practical app, a keepsake booklet, and enough human energy to make people want to keep walking.
What CAOS26 says about local art
My read is that CAOS26 worked because people still value real local art, real conversations and real places. The trail made art feel reachable, not remote. It let people meet artists in Carshalton, follow the map, discover buildings, and feel part of something made by the area rather than dropped on top of it.
That is the soil my own work grows from. South London watercolours painted as places to breathe. Carshalton Ponds. The Water Tower. Oaks Park. Surrey walks. The ordinary places that become less ordinary when you stop long enough to look.
Leave your own CAOS feedback
If you visited Carshalton Artists Open Studios 2026, the most useful thing you can do is leave feedback through the official CAOS visitor feedback form. You can also find wider event information through the Carshalton Artists website at www.carshaltonartists.com. Visitor feedback helps the organisers understand what worked, what people loved, and how future trails can be even stronger.
It also helps show how much local art matters. Not in an abstract way. In the real, practical way: people walking around Carshalton, meeting artists, discovering new places, buying work, talking, asking questions, and carrying the event home with them.
Before a future visit
CAOS26 ran across 27 and 28 June, then 4 and 5 July 2026, with trail locations open from 11am to 5pm. For future events, please check the main Open Studios page and official CAOS channels before travelling, because dates, venues and access details can change.
You can also browse my Carshalton collection online before or after local events.
Occasional collector notes
New paintings, local events and the stories behind the work
Ask to receive Simon's occasional personal notes. They are sent gently rather than on a fixed marketing schedule, and you can leave at any time.