Before I am assaulted for not having mentioning the A word' until now: I want to reassure you that I haven't failed to notice Artweeks is currently in full swing!

(Although by the time this column surfaces you can substitute the words coming to a close'). Regrettably, lamentably, disappointingly, I haven't managed to see as much of Artweeks as I would have liked, although I have squeezed in a trip to the Said Business School to see the CD exhibition, featuring more than 100 CD cases that have been customised.

Some artists chose to simply use the CD case as a canvas, others encased their work within the case, and a few transformed the case into a new object altogether. Melita Kyle chose to smash her CD case into fragments and turn it into a necklace, and Ros Rixon had used CD cases to form a perspex cube around one of her sculptures. There is even one CD case that appears to talk to you.

Following this, I decided to pick an artist at random and visit their home. When I say random, I'm lying slightly. I chose Lulu Wong Taylor as I liked her design at the CD exhibition.

The artist hails from Borneo, and her paintings feature lush forests, vibrantly coloured flowers, birds and, according to Lulu herself, her latest obsession: eggs.

I was ushered into her living room and offered a drink. This is one of the reasons why I love Artweeks (besides the art, of course): you are encouraged to be nosey and visit a stranger's house.

Plus the strangers' you meet quickly become not-so-strange, and pretty soon you can even call yourself acquaintances or friends. And if you're lucky and especially charming, they might even offer you cake.

Speaking of visiting strange(er's) houses, I would strongly recommend a visit to the incredible 50 Aston Street, where you can enter an artwork itself.

The residents give a tour inside their unusual house, which they have painted top to bottom with mystical scenes. Many of the rooms use safe UV light, and the special paint on the walls absorbs the UV and re-emits it as visible light with stunning effects.

There is a forest room, a castle, a red room, and the toilet is even a fairy grotto! Also worth a visit is Oxford Printmaker's Images Imagined & Reflected, Thirty Years of Printmaking, at Christ Church Picture Gallery.

On display are 29 prints, plus more to browse through that are unframed, and all of which are available to buy. The work features a wide range of styles from collographs to lino cuts and engravings.

I could scarcely believe that Peter Lawrence's image Transform could be a wood engraving, as it is so amazingly detailed and skillfully executed. I also came into contact with Mohamed Bushara's work again, and his print was gorgeous.

I must also share my absolute delight at Lolapoloza Gallery's current group exhibition It's a Funny Old World, featuring the work of local, national and international artists. I immediately decided that I adored Michael O'Mahony's drawing of a dreamlike semi-autobiographical landscape.

Within this landscape the artist appears, long haired and Jesus-esque (but without a beard), as the protagonist. The scene is barmy, the artist appears in multiple guises and in many different positions; inside a Polly Pocket toy; on a My Little Pony, and often holding a Twister ice lolly.

These brands are clearly remeniscent of his childhood, and they stirred a pang of nostalgia. (The artist later shared with me that he actually now collects Polly Pockets, and I kicked myself for letting my mother throw away such a kitsch and increasingly retro' toy)!

I also loved the informal films created by Nathan Birchenough, Craig Kao and Savvas Papasavva. My favourite was Basketball, in which the three tried and succeeded in getting a plastic bag through a hoop on the wall - using hairdryers! Before I am assaulted for not having mentioning the A word' until now: I want to reassure you that I haven't failed to notice Artweeks is currently in full swing!

(Although by the time this column surfaces you can substitute the words coming to a close'). Regrettably, lamentably, disappointingly, I haven't managed to see as much of Artweeks as I would have liked, although I have squeezed in a trip to the Said Business School to see the CD exhibition, featuring more than 100 CD cases that have been customised.

Some artists chose to simply use the CD case as a canvas, others encased their work within the case, and a few transformed the case into a new object altogether. Melita Kyle chose to smash her CD case into fragments and turn it into a necklace, and Ros Rixon had used CD cases to form a perspex cube around one of her sculptures. There is even one CD case that appears to talk to you.

Following this, I decided to pick an artist at random and visit their home. When I say random, I'm lying slightly. I chose Lulu Wong Taylor as I liked her design at the CD exhibition.

The artist hails from Borneo, and her paintings feature lush forests, vibrantly coloured flowers, birds and, according to Lulu herself, her latest obsession: eggs.

I was ushered into her living room and offered a drink. This is one of the reasons why I love Artweeks (besides the art, of course): you are encouraged to be nosey and visit a stranger's house.

Plus the strangers' you meet quickly become not-so-strange, and pretty soon you can even call yourself acquaintances or friends. And if you're lucky and especially charming, they might even offer you cake.

Speaking of visiting strange(er's) houses, I would strongly recommend a visit to the incredible 50 Aston Street, where you can enter an artwork itself.

The residents give a tour inside their unusual house, which they have painted top to bottom with mystical scenes. Many of the rooms use safe UV light, and the special paint on the walls absorbs the UV and re-emits it as visible light with stunning effects.

There is a forest room, a castle, a red room, and the toilet is even a fairy grotto! Also worth a visit is Oxford Printmaker's Images Imagined & Reflected, Thirty Years of Printmaking, at Christ Church Picture Gallery.

On display are 29 prints, plus more to browse through that are unframed, and all of which are available to buy. The work features a wide range of styles from collographs to lino cuts and engravings.

I could scarcely believe that Peter Lawrence's image Transform could be a wood engraving, as it is so amazingly detailed and skillfully executed. I also came into contact with Mohamed Bushara's work again, and his print was gorgeous.

I must also share my absolute delight at Lolapoloza Gallery's current group exhibition It's a Funny Old World, featuring the work of local, national and international artists. I immediately decided that I adored Michael O'Mahony's drawing of a dreamlike semi-autobiographical landscape.

Within this landscape the artist appears, long haired and Jesus-esque (but without a beard), as the protagonist. The scene is barmy, the artist appears in multiple guises and in many different positions; inside a Polly Pocket toy; on a My Little Pony, and often holding a Twister ice lolly.

These brands are clearly remeniscent of his childhood, and they stirred a pang of nostalgia. (The artist later shared with me that he actually now collects Polly Pockets, and I kicked myself for letting my mother throw away such a kitsch and increasingly retro' toy)!

I also loved the informal films created by Nathan Birchenough, Craig Kao and Savvas Papasavva. My favourite was Basketball, in which the three tried and succeeded in getting a plastic bag through a hoop on the wall - using hairdryers! Before I am assaulted for not having mentioning the A word' until now: I want to reassure you that I haven't failed to notice Artweeks is currently in full swing!

(Although by the time this column surfaces you can substitute the words coming to a close'). Regrettably, lamentably, disappointingly, I haven't managed to see as much of Artweeks as I would have liked, although I have squeezed in a trip to the Said Business School to see the CD exhibition, featuring more than 100 CD cases that have been customised.

Some artists chose to simply use the CD case as a canvas, others encased their work within the case, and a few transformed the case into a new object altogether. Melita Kyle chose to smash her CD case into fragments and turn it into a necklace, and Ros Rixon had used CD cases to form a perspex cube around one of her sculptures. There is even one CD case that appears to talk to you.

Following this, I decided to pick an artist at random and visit their home. When I say random, I'm lying slightly. I chose Lulu Wong Taylor as I liked her design at the CD exhibition.

The artist hails from Borneo, and her paintings feature lush forests, vibrantly coloured flowers, birds and, according to Lulu herself, her latest obsession: eggs.

I was ushered into her living room and offered a drink. This is one of the reasons why I love Artweeks (besides the art, of course): you are encouraged to be nosey and visit a stranger's house.

Plus the strangers' you meet quickly become not-so-strange, and pretty soon you can even call yourself acquaintances or friends. And if you're lucky and especially charming, they might even offer you cake.

Speaking of visiting strange(er's) houses, I would strongly recommend a visit to the incredible 50 Aston Street, where you can enter an artwork itself.

The residents give a tour inside their unusual house, which they have painted top to bottom with mystical scenes. Many of the rooms use safe UV light, and the special paint on the walls absorbs the UV and re-emits it as visible light with stunning effects.

There is a forest room, a castle, a red room, and the toilet is even a fairy grotto! Also worth a visit is Oxford Printmaker's Images Imagined & Reflected, Thirty Years of Printmaking, at Christ Church Picture Gallery.

On display are 29 prints, plus more to browse through that are unframed, and all of which are available to buy. The work features a wide range of styles from collographs to lino cuts and engravings.

I could scarcely believe that Peter Lawrence's image Transform could be a wood engraving, as it is so amazingly detailed and skillfully executed. I also came into contact with Mohamed Bushara's work again, and his print was gorgeous.

I must also share my absolute delight at Lolapoloza Gallery's current group exhibition It's a Funny Old World, featuring the work of local, national and international artists. I immediately decided that I adored Michael O'Mahony's drawing of a dreamlike semi-autobiographical landscape.

Within this landscape the artist appears, long haired and Jesus-esque (but without a beard), as the protagonist. The scene is barmy, the artist appears in multiple guises and in many different positions; inside a Polly Pocket toy; on a My Little Pony, and often holding a Twister ice lolly.

These brands are clearly remeniscent of his childhood, and they stirred a pang of nostalgia. (The artist later shared with me that he actually now collects Polly Pockets, and I kicked myself for letting my mother throw away such a kitsch and increasingly retro' toy)!

I also loved the informal films created by Nathan Birchenough, Craig Kao and Savvas Papasavva. My favourite was Basketball, in which the three tried and succeeded in getting a plastic bag through a hoop on the wall - using hairdryers!