Buzz back at the Brewery

Some would argue that it never disappeared.

I suggest it did, for a spell.

Maybe it was just a lull at the Kendal arts centre after retiring director Anne Pierson drove off into the sunset.

Whatever it was, her rugby-playing successor Sam Mason is on the ball and has put the pace back into the place.

For me it all happened at the lively launch of the Brewery Open - a milestone in several ways, not least that the open is probably the most comprehensive show the Brewery has staged showcasing local artists.

Credit must go to its visual arts officer Trevor Avery for having the foresight to put it on - not forgetting the input of Carole Hamby's Kendal Windows on Art.

And so to the artwork, from some of the region's best, running until October 20, is splashed across the whole of the arts centre from the Warehouse to the Green Room and all spots in between.

Nothing bordering on the controversial though - a few nudes, engaging, but more tame rather than subtle or sensuous.

Thought provoking?

Well, apart from the likes of Catherine MacDiarmid's Tuer le Temps; Ian Walton's Wisdom; Rosie Wates's Venus Arising; Hold, from Russell Mills; and K.

Fowler's Gypsy Girl and Dragon Fly, I would say it isn' t.

Of course that doesn't mean the exhibition isn't worth seeing.

It certainly is.

Art is in the eye of the beholder and there is something for everyone.

Art should be fun too, and Karen Lloyd's The Last Afternoon Tea, a depiction of the Last Supper from a Women's Institute-type perspective is just that.

Also on show is man of mystery Martin Greenland's Age of Decadence.

I'm a big fan of his other-worldly creations, but I admit I don't understand where Martin is coming from on this one.

Swirling landscapes from David Penn and Margaret Uttley catch the eye and Carole Hamby's Landslip shoots a blast of colour for those dropping into the Warehouse Gallery.

Good to see the work of Rebecca Heaton Cooper back in the frame as well and Matty Bradley' s Looking Down from Wansfell Pike to Windermere sits comfortably in the new-look gallery.

At the tops of the stairs and into the Sugar Store Gallery, Paul Clark's 2 Blue Circle greets you.

Swing to the right and Margaret Phillip's Centres and Margins reminds me of Op Art, somewhat Bridget Riley style.

And George Cannon collectors will not be disappointed by his Point and Counter Point.

All that's missing is a Danny Clahane sculpture.

But I suppose you can't have everything!