ARTISTS across the Malvern Hills are busy preparing to welcome visitors into their studios over the bank holiday weekend.

Now in its fourth year, Worcestershire Open Studios the popular three-day event gives visitors a unique opportunity to delve into unseen creative spaces and talk directly to artists about their inspiration and creative processes.

A diverse collection of arts and crafts will be available to see and buy, including printmaking, painting, textiles, photography, ceramics, jewellery and mixed media.

With 33 venues in the Malvern Hills district, extending from Lower Broadheath and Leigh Sinton to Colwall, Upton and Malvern itself, there’s no shortage of choice.

Artists Penny Vere, Margaret Price, Sarah Bennett and Geoff Rowswell are all exhibiting in the centre of West Malvern.

Photographer Mark Zytnski will be based a few minutes away in Cowleigh Road with St Peter’s Printmakers demonstrating linocuts, drypoint and letterpress printing in St Peter’s Church, Cowleigh Bank.

Other exhibitors include Mark Brayley and Kitty Kavanagh’s sculptures in Belmont Road and Cathy Andrews at Croft Bank.

Elsewhere in the town visitors can view art and crafts work and demonstrations by six artists in Goodson Road, jewellery by A Crafty Moment in Ash Close and ceramics by Hiromi Nakajima and John Beck in Madresfield Road.

Malvern School of Art, co-sponsors of the event, will host a large exhibition featuring work created by its tutors and Elmslie House will show by Antony Bridge.

Printmaker and letterpress printer Andrew Judd will be exhibiting in Belmont Road, painter Avril Spickernell in Moorlands Road, mixed media artist Trudi Foggo in Clerkenwell Crescent and pastels painter Deb Stanley in Cotswold Road.

John Phillips will be exhibiting paintings at Tan House Lane and Kamala Todd at Church Road, both in Malvern Link, Antony Griffiths his mixed-media works in North Malvern Road, and Derek and Evelyn Cunningham their paintings and jewellery design at Geraldine Road.