Why the ‘Happy House’? One person I met recently said, “The Happy House! Aren’t all artists miserable and angst-ridden? What a silly name!” We don’t think so, as, I’m sure, nor do many artists! We hope that ‘The Happy House’ will lift visitors and give them a feeling of relief from day to day life - and the exhaustion of visiting so many fascinating open houses - as well as give them a chance to smile and relax in our lovely garden. Mr and Mrs Happy (Tony and Helene) met less than two years ago and have been inspiring and exciting each other ever since. Last year we visited over one hundred open houses and were fascinated by seeing so many varied types of work, meeting so many varied types of people (worthy of a novel in itself!) and getting the chance to nose around and see how other people live. (Come on, this is England and all part of the fun of Open House trails!) At first we thought of joining one of the existing houses and squeezing in a few works but then, based on comments from family and friends, realised that where we lived was unique and an ideal backdrop for displaying artworks and that, for this first year, we would go it alone. We are a cross between an art gallery, bizarre bazaar and a lovely home.

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