Eleanor Street is a local artist and printmaker who is showing with FOLD Art Collective at the Jeannie Avent Gallery, North Cross Road, from the 10th to 19th October.
How long have you lived in the area?
We moved to the area in 2017 from Camberwell.
What do you most value about the area/street you live in?
I love the support for the arts and creativity in the area: the turnout for Dulwich Artists’ Open House each year is great; there’s the new Oliver Projects gallery, to add to 155a and Jeannie Avent; art clubs for kids, like And Art London; and obviously, the fabulous Dulwich Picture Gallery is so close.
Do you know your neighbours?
Yes. There’s a real sense of community in Ondine Road: neighbours support each other and there’s a friendly atmosphere – and the street WhatsApp is very entertaining!
Do you belong to any groups?
I belong to two art collectives: FOLD Art Collective and Critical Edge Collective. FOLD is a group of women artists who gets together each month for mutual support and discussions about our work. We’re delighted to be showing Works on Paper at the Jeannie Avent Gallery later this month.
What’s your favourite place for a night out?
I struggle a bit with how noisy restaurants are nowadays, so my favourite thing is a more intimate evening with friends at someone’s house.
Where are you likely to be found on Saturday?
In the studio, which is over on the old Aylesbury Estate and which I share with four other artists.
Where’s your favourite place to walk?
Peckham Rye, where we walk our whippet, Bramble. But I’m a big fan of Sydenham Woods too, and the wilderness of Greendale a bit closer to home.
When I want to relax…
I make some art – I get so absorbed and completely switch off from the day-to-day worries: it’s like magic.
What is your favourite shop?
The food shops in East Dulwich are brilliant – loads of variety and excellent quality. A lot of these shops have opened since we moved here but my favourite is the one that was here before us: the Cheese Block. They have a brilliant range and some cheeses that are hard to find elsewhere.
The book I’m reading at the moment..
I’ve just finished one by local author Susan Allott – it’s her second book, The House on Rye Lane, an unsettling, tense story of 3 different families that have lived in one of the big Georgian houses overlooking Peckham Rye. It’s a great read, underpinned by some of the fascinating history of the area.
This article first appeared in the October issue of SE22.