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Raay - Royal Adelaide Art and Yoga

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Raay - Royal Adelaide Art and Yoga

RAAY is the ongoing project to create an inclusive, experimental and interesting space. It will hous

03/12/2025

OK everyone, here are the Matt's Paper Hog Paper Shop days for December. I'm not doing any markets, but that's OK, you've got five opportunities to come see me in the shop at RAAY and fulfill all your quirky paper needs for the holiday season. There will be hand-stamped, 127-year-old book pages for wrapping around precious objects, labels (or ornaments, if you prefer), bookmarks, cards that are only very loosely tied to winter holiday themes, and of course, piles of reclaimed, recycled and handmade paper that's perfect for you if you do all your own cardmaking, hand-stamping and so on. I'll have an array of my own drawings and paintings on sale, if you'd like to support a starving artist and give a piece of contemporary art to that special someone. Hey, I might even make you a cup of tea while you're here! See you soon, revelers.

Post Script! Friday the 5th is your last opportunity to see the A5 Open, so come on down, it's a fabulous, compact exhibition featuring the work of 25ish (mostly) local artists.

29/11/2025

Hey all, come on down to RAAY today to see the A5 Open. I might extend the show for a couple more days next week, but if I don't, this is your last chance, so come on down, we'll be here until 4. The show looks great. 25 artists each got an A5 sheet of paper I made specifically for the exhibition, and the range of engagements - pencil drawing, embroidery, collage, cutting up into tiny pieces, is enthralling. If you missed seeing the show and/or taking part, we'll do another one in 2026. In fact, we love materials-based open exhibitions at RAAY, so I've planned a calendar of them for next year and I'll be announcing the next one soon. Keep an eye here for details.

Thanks to all the artists who are part of the A5 Open this year: Mary Toon, Ellen Sims. Poppy Victory, Jean Hague, Donna Robson, Anna Christie, Margaret Corvid, Hip.P, Rob Orr, Sam Carr, Gabi Marcellus-Temple, Stella Tripp, Ripley McEwan, Clare Rogers, Richard Sunderland, Merry Pann, Rosie Kearton, Antonia Texidor, Clare Smith and Wabkin (Nic and I also made contributions).

Here are a few photos of the show, as well as pics of the postcard wall, the What I Did on my Summer Vacation installation in the Sliver, and a peek through the door into the small room filled with my drawings. I'll endeavour to photo all the work and get it up here in the next couple days.

27/11/2025

Last weekend, the Camp Writer's Kin had a postcard workshop at Union Corner with Claire Gladstone and they very kindly invited me to crash the party to talk about RAAY's love of postcards. If that wasn't enough, the results from the session arrived at RAAY today, and have gone up on our postcard wall with work from Jacqui Jones, Antoinette Moorby, and others, which is fabulous. Thanks to Tina Kutter, Charlotte Squire, Tara Casey and the rest of the group for sending your work over to us, we love it. The postcard wall at RAAY is always up and on display, and we have two albums of cards that date back to Royal Adelaide Arms pub days, as well as collections from previous RAAY postcard shows. Hey, why don't you send us a postcard? It's easy, check the last image in this set for our address and so on. One more thing, the A5 Open exhibition is on this week Thursday, Friday and Saturday each day 11-4. Come see it, it's really good.

25/11/2025

Hey all, this Saturday, the 29th, it's the last PHSS (Plymouth Hypermobility Support & Sharing) of the year. I've attached the info card to this post as well, and for further info about the session, contact Nic via telephone or email, details are on the poster. Plymouth Online Directory Plymouth Area Disability Action Network - PADAN Community Builder - Stonehouse

22/11/2025

Hey there's a ton happening around Stonehouse today! Our lovely Nudge Community Builders friends have the Festive Fair going on down at the Plot. The Rhizome art group have a Pop-up exhibition down on the Stonehouse Peninsula (I'll find their flyer and post it up here too). And if that's not enough, you can always call into RAAY to see the A5 Open exhibition and browse Paper Shop. So much to do and see!

21/11/2025

Hey all, day 1 of ths A5 Open was a treat. The show looks great, and we actually had some visitors, one of whom remarked, 'there's a lot to look at in here' which is true. So, while I was writing up wall texts, I made one that sort of explains what there is to look at and sort of where each thing is located. It might not help at all, but it was fun to write.

So, to summarise what's on the list:
1. The A5 Open, on the front landing and in the big paper room
2. A General Description Of The World - Drawings by me (Matt Thomas) - in the small paper room.
3. Paper Shop - in both paper rooms
4. The RAAY Postcard Project - on the middle landing, hanging from a big piece of black netting
5. What I Did On My Summer Vacation - an impromptu installation- in the Sliver, at the back.

Whoosh. Come on down today, 11-4.

18/11/2025

Hey, this thing's gonna happen. The RAAY A5 Open Exhibition opens on Thursday, the 20th. Opening times are Thursday-Saturday, 11-4, and the show runs until the 29th.

What's the deal? Well, I handed out 39 sheets of handmade paper, and believe it or not, more than 20 came back to me transformed into beautiful works of art (25, to be exact). But don't take my word for it, come see for yourself.

In addition, I'm showing the first lot of works on paper from a massive pile of roughly 1500 drawings and paintings that I've made since the start of the pandemic 5 years ago (5 years? Already?). I'll be showing a new stack every so often throughout 2026, alongside whatever else is going on in the space.

There's also some new & recent additions to the postcard wall (we want the postcard collection to grow and be an ongoing, ever changing work of art/archive, so feel free to send us a card anytime).

And there's an impromptu installation in the sliver, because I needed to move some stuff to make space for the Open.

Finally, Paper Shop will be open every day during the exhibition, so if you need handmade, reclaimed, recycled or just odd bits of paper, you're covered.

All this takes place upstairs at RAAY, come in the side door and follow the signs (sadly we're not wheelchair accessible).

12/11/2025

Hey everybody, Paper Shop this week is Saturday, the 15th, from 11-4. Also, if you took away a sheet of A5 handmade paper for the A5 Open, Saturday is your last chance to drop your finished work. I'm still waiting on a few works to come in, so I've delayed the exhibition for a week - it'll be hung and ready to open next Thursday, the 20th. See the poster for all the exhibition dates and note that Paper Shop will be open during the exhibition hours. Also I've included shop days in December - there will be cards, gift tags, hand-stamped sheets of giftwrap made from old book pages, and a roomful of paper to browse. Paper Shop is upstairs at RAAY (follow the signs & bring cash). Unfortunately we're not wheelchair accessible, so if stairs are a barrier, get in touch and we'll try & work out an alternative way for you experience the shop.

08/11/2025

Such a gorgeous sunny morning, it seemed like taking a few photos is the thing to do.There's some of the outside of the building bathed in autumn sunshine, and a few inside as well. The staircase with RAAY logo, the yoga studio, set up for this morning's Plymouth Yoga Teachers Support and Sharing group, and then upstairs to Paper Shop. To say we're basking in this morning is just about right.

07/11/2025

Late night, last minute posting is what's on my mind! Hey all, today (Saturday the 8th), Paper Shop is open at RAAY from 11-4. Come along and see what's in the shop - anything new? Yes, some old (at least as old as me, so definitely vintage) looseleaf school paper, some old (probably older than me) numbered/indexed sheets from a HMSO notebook, and a lot more. As usual, plenty of handmade paper, and Apple cards!

29/10/2025

Hey all, Paper Shop this week is on the road - today! - at the All Ways Apples Festival at Market Hall in Devonport. I've got a whole set of limited edition, apple themed cards for the event, and a new blank book, as well as the usual handmade paper and other paper-y treats. The festivall runs from 11-4, come along for many scrumptios reasons, not just me. Then there's a regular shop day at RAAY on Friday, 12-4. On Saturday I'll be around in case you want to drop off a piece of work for the A5 Open, but remember, the deadline has been extended for a week, so you have until the 8th to complete your masterpiece.

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