Art Archives - Page 6 of 22

29 October 2018 In Art

SHAF Arts Trail Visitor Comments

As I write this, Anne and I are reflecting on a busy fortnight – the past two weeks – and the SHAF Arts Trail.

Highest footfall to date

This is my fourth year as an exhibitor for the SHAF Arts Trail and I was delighted to welcome more than 100 people.

It was great to see friends from the Kingsbridge Walk & Talk group, the Modbury Art Club and the Kingsbridge and District Camera Club (KDCC), and many others who had visited us in previous years and came back for more.

I had 37 original paintings on display, plus examples of the new affordable art range:

fine art wall plaques
table mats and coasters

plus my fine art greetings cards.

Visitor comments

We ask everyone to sign the Visitor’s sheet and it’s heart-warming now to read their comments. Here’s a selection.

Absolutely beautiful artwork
Amazing!
Beautiful
Brilliant
Entranced
Fab
Fascinating exhibition and stories
Great paintings – fantastic views
Interesting and fun
Lovely venue for display – very good
Spendid display and such a warm welcome
Stunning paintings and hospitality
Superb!
The best yet!
Very inspiring – the light is fantastic – very talented
Very talented in several mediums
We love it! Very impressive
Wonderful range of paintings
Wow!

(I am now blushing!)

Guest exhibitor at Beacon House Gallery

I shared my gallery space with my tutor Michael Hill and he had 26 original paintings on show, plus a few items in the browser.

I am sure the higher footfall this year is down to him.

So, thank you to Michael for joining me this year.

And, I’m also delighted that Michael will be joining me again next year.

Missed the Arts Trail?

If you didn’t find time to come in the past fortnight but would like to view my work, the Beacon House Gallery is not open to the public again until the same time next year, but you may contact me to arrange a private viewing at a time to suit us both.

22 October 2018 In Art

SHAF Arts Trail: Half-term week

It’s half-term week and Salcombe is full of visitors. We look forward to seeing many of them on the SHAF Arts Trail.

Guest artist: Michael Hill

I have attended Michael Hill’s classes at Salcombe Art Club for the past decade or so. I learn something new in every session and look forward to the critiques he gives before we pack up for the day.

His paintings have a magical air to them; dark and yet illuminating. And they are beautifully framed.

There were 26 of Michael’s original paintings on show at the start of the SHAF Arts Trail. There are now 25 and a lady is delighted with her birthday gift.

Affordable Art

My new wall placques, coasters and place mats are proving very popular.

They make ideal Christmas gifts.

Coasters are £3.75 each or a set of 6 for £20
Place mats are £17.50 or a set of 4 for £60
Wall plaques are £19.99 each

There are all available in designs of your choice.

WHEN CAN YOU VISIT BEACON HOUSE GALLERY?

Beacon House Gallery will be open all of the half-term week until 28 October for visitors 10am-5pm each day. (Tuesday: CLOSED)

You don’t need to book ahead. Just turn up and you will be made very welcome.

WHERE IS BEACON HOUSE GALLERY?

Beacon House Gallery is within my home – the hall, stairs and landing, no less. It’s not normally open to the public, except by prior arrangement.

DIRECTIONS TO BEACON HOUSE

As you approach Salcombe, there will be yellow posters with arrows pointing the way to Beacon House.

We have wheelchair access and plenty of parking space available on our private drive.

Alternatively, you could park in the park’n’walk at the top of Bonfire Hill and walk down. There might also be parking spaces in Bonfire Hill alongside the allotments.

Please do not park on the shared drive.

We look forward to your visit!

15 October 2018 In Art

NEW! Affordable Art

My fine art greeting cards are what I call ‘affordable art’.

Now, I have added to the affordable art range: fine art wall plaques, coasters and placemats. See them under ‘MY WORK’.

affordable art

Bring affordable art into your home

Ideal as gifts, or for holiday homes.

Come and see them during the SHAF Arts Trail: on until 28 October.

Every day:10am – 5pm apart from Tuesday.

Order in time for Christmas!

To order: you choose the design(s) from any our ‘square’ range.

Delivery approximately 14 days.

For more information, click here for fine art wall plaques and here for coasters and placemats.

8 October 2018 In Art

SHAF Trail 2018: 13-28 October – preview on Friday 12th, 6-8pm

The SHAF Trail is an annual event organised by the South Hams Art Forum – and it starts on Saturday.

Local artists open their homes, allowing visitors to see for themselves how we work, and to talk one-on-one with the artists.

Brochures giving a complete list of all the artists taking part in the SHAF Trail are available at a number of places: Salcombe Information Centre, Bonningtons the newsagents, Spar (Loring Road), Salcombe Yacht Club, …

Guest exhibitor: Michael Hill

I am delighted that Michael Hill will be sharing my gallery space for this year’s SHAF trail. I’ve attended Michael’s classes for a decade or more and much admire his work.

Michael and I are hosting a preview evening on Friday 12 October, 6-8pm. Invitations have been sent by email but if you haven’t received yours and would like to attend, please contact me.

WHEN CAN YOU VISIT BEACON HOUSE GALLERY?

As well as the preview evening, Beacon House Gallery will be open 13-28 October for visitors as follows.

Saturdays and Sundays: 10am-5pm
Mondays, Wednesday, Thursdays, and Fridays: 11am-4pm
Tuesdays: CLOSED

You don’t need to book ahead. Just turn up and you will be made very welcome.

WHERE IS BEACON HOUSE GALLERY?

Beacon House Gallery is within my home – the hall, stairs and landing, no less. It’s not normally open to the public, except by prior arrangement.

DIRECTIONS TO BEACON HOUSE

As you approach Salcombe, there will be yellow posters with arrows pointing the way to Beacon House.

We have wheelchair access and plenty of parking space available on our private drive.

Alternatively, you could park in the park’n’walk at the top of Bonfire Hill and walk down. There might also be parking spaces in Bonfire Hill alongside the allotments.

Please do not park on the shared drive.

We look forward to your visit!

1 October 2018 In Art

Tidal Gallery: Simon Dobbs

Tidal Gallery logo Simon Dobbs is one of many artists featured at the Tidal Gallery, Kingsbridge. I admire his vibrant image. They sing!

WHERE IS THE TIDAL GALLERY?

The new Tidal Gallery is situated at 1 Victoria Place, The Promenade, Kingsbridge, Devon.
Its central location, the bottom floor of a Victorian building, near the Kingsbridge town square and in the Estuary Promenade, makes the visit most inviting, with great views over the water.

MORE ABOUT Simon Dobbs

He studied at St Martins School of Art before training as an Architect and Town Planner. He took up painting full time in the 1990s, exhibiting paintings of the urban landscape in London. Then, for five years, he ran the ‘Seagull Gallery’ in Salcombe showing mainly his own work. Now he paints from his home studio, occasionally organising solo exhibitions in local galleries. He has exhibited in London and Japan, as well as locally in South Devon.

Simon’s paintings are abstracts and semi-abstracts with some figurative hinted shapes. His inspiration is nature and wildlife. He paints in acrylic on large canvases with bright colours and bold brush strokes.

Tulips is an original acrylic on canvas (framed). It costs £925 and is 1000mm x 750mm

Berry Head from Start is an original dyptich acrylic on canvas (framed). It costs £725and 1300mm x 580 mm.

WHEN IS THE TIDAL GALLERY OPEN?

Anna says: A warm welcome on arrival and great attention to detail is what you will encounter when setting foot in our Kingsbridge premises. We strive to provide great customer service both in house and through our online gallery. Offering advice on works, suitability, care, framing and offering the right provenance to ensure your work retains its value.

Closed Mondays

Tuesday to Saturday: 10am to 5pm

During August, as part of the Kingsbridge Traders’ Open Sunday initiative, open on Sunday: 11am – 3pm

More information – and an online catalogue – can be found online at the Tidal Gallery website: www.tidalgallery.co.uk.

24 September 2018 In Art

Salcombe Art Club Summer Exhibition ends Saturday

Doesn’t time fly?

It seems like only yesterday when the Salcombe Art Club Summer Exhibition opened. Now, we have only a few days to go before the gallery is transformed back into a classroom for the winter months.

Last chance! My paintings on display in the Salcombe Art Club Summer exhibition

Salcombe Art Club Summer exhibition On display in the Loft Studio, there are five of my paintings.

On the left, from top to bottom:

On the right, from top to bottom:

139 Watching the Merlins Race
143 Yawls at Salcombe Harbour Hotel (featured above)

I’ll be stewarding on Wednesday 26 September. Pop in and say hello?

The plan for the winter months

I’ve signed up for my usual two courses:

Michael Hill’s Tuesday class, for watercolour and acrylic paintings – more details here
Ian Carr’s Friday class, for oil painting – more details here

I’ve also put myself down for some portraiture workshops and still life, too. It’ll be a busy winter!

SHAF Arts Trail: 13-28 October

As soon as the Salcombe Art Club Summer Exhibition has been taken down, I’ll be focusing on getting ready for the SHAF (South Hams Art Forum) Arts Trail. My home, gallery and studio will be open to the public for two weeks 13-28 October.

I am delighted that, this year, Michael Hill will be exhibiting with me at Beacon House Gallery.

SHAF notice

I hope to see many of you during the Arts Trail. We have wheelchair access and plenty of parking. And there will be cake!

17 September 2018 In Art

Postcard from Stratford-upon-Avon: Castle Fine Art Gallery

During our trip to the historic Stratford-upon-Avon to see Macbeth, Anne and I had some free time the next morning to explore.

We took a boat trip and then wandered the streets … which is where we discovered the Castle Fine Art Gallery.

Where is the Castle Fine Art Gallery?

Located in the centre of town, this gallery is situated in state-of-the-art premises on Wood Street and was the first-ever Castle gallery to open in 1995.

We were on foot but if you are coming by car, the nearest car park is on Rother Street and has the same postcode as the gallery: CV37 6JP.

We were given a great welcome by Jason Lawson, offered coffee (which we declined as we were still in recovery having consumed an enormous full-English breakfast) and allowed to wander around and admire the displays.

At the Castle Fine Art Gallery: Like kids in a candy shop!

There was so much on display, a huge array of talent, it was difficult to choose what to mention in this blog post. However, space dictates and we selected two artists: Peter Smith and John Wilson.

Peter Smith’s work is fun

L2R: Our House (£495) and You’re My Cup of Tea (£495)

Peter’s talents as a surveyor, a computer programmer and a graphic artist in the fashion industry combine to produce work in 3D (above) and 2D (below), and both are clear and brightly coloured.

Clockwise from top left: Fizzy Rascals (£450), Size Matters (£495), Kinda Care, Kinda Don’t (£395) and Sip, Sip, Hooray! (£450)

His ‘trademark’ is the Impossimal, a strange character with a long nose and big eyes (which can be altered to mimic friends and colleagues) and their stripes.

Don’t miss John Wilson at the Castle Fine Art Gallery: 22 September

The 3D illusions created by John Wilson are so clever. Not until you are inches away is it clear that it’s on a 2D surface.

Loving Vincent (£850)

John Wilson is at The Stratford Castle Gallery on 22 September from 1pm until 3pm.

Contact the Castle Gallery at stratford@castlefineart.com or on 01789 262031 or on their Facebook page.

This post is one of my POSTCARD series, sharing all things ART with you when I go travelling.

10 September 2018 In Art

This Week at Salcombe Art Club: Elen Claire Williams

As a full member of Salcombe Art Club, I have the option to exhibit in the This Week corner of the Loft Gallery that some of us still call the Little Studio. This year, I had two consecutive weeks: 28 July until 11 August.

The turn of Elen Claire Williams

It’s now the turn of Elen Claire Williams to exhibit her work in the Little Studio.

Fine Artist, Elen Claire Williams MA works in the genre of the British Walking Artists: recording and interpreting her local South Devon landscape, principally between the moor and the sea. She commonly selects popular places at those solitary times where distance from modern life encourages deeper thought, imagination, self-discovery and inner peace.

Through varying visual languages, Elen Claire creates atmospheric, evocative impressions and visual documentations arising from ‘The Art of Slow Walking’. Often the narrative behind the artwork becomes a series of works exploring the deeper aspects of art making. This reaches beyond the decorative aspect of making art, to the key issues of our times e.g. spiritual poverty and environmental issues, becoming essential deeper elements in the artist’s work. Elen Claire seeks to raise the audiences’ awareness of the fragility of all life. An interest in local history, rural traditions and personal faith are reflected in the narrative of specific series of artwork.

Here are just three of Elen Claire’s paintings. Visit the Little Studio in the Salcombe Art Club to see more. Elen Claire’s show ends on Saturday!

Salcombe – Home for Tea: Oil on canvas: 610mmx1220mm

House on the Avon: Mixed media: 455mmx610mm

Safe to Shore: 505mmx760mm

WHERE IS THE LOFT GALLERY?

Williams The Loft Gallery is situated behind the Fortescue Inn, and above a popular shoe shop, on a delightful footpath called Victoria Quay, which overlooks one of the best views in the UK including the mooring berth of the RNLI lifeboat Baltic Exchange III.

See Elen Claire also on the SHAF Arts Trail: at venue 33

Elen Claire is one of over 60 artists opening their studios for the SHAF Arts Trail.

This year, the SHAF Arts Trail runs from October 13th to October 28th. Two whole weeks, including half-term week.

Elen Claire’s studio, ART SPACE: Fine Art Studio is venue 33 and all the details are on page 18 of the SHAF Arts Trail Brochure.

Small group workshops

Elen Claire also runs group workshops led by professional artist tutors at her ART SPACE studio.

For more details, contact Elen Claire at ec.williams@hotmail.co.uk

Also see her website and her Facebook page.

If you have an exhibition coming up, let me know. I’ll tell my readers about it.

3 September 2018 In Art

On show: At The Gallery Project, Noss Mayo

Maxine Cumberland’s The Gallery Project at Noss Mayo offers a great space for artists.

Way back, Maxine asked if I’d paint some scenes of Noss Mayo and Newton Ferrers.

To date, I’ve created six. Four of them are now on display at The Gallery Project.

Bridge End, Newton Creek £325
Bridge End Newton Creek
Low Tide at Newton Ferrers £325
Low Tide Newton Ferrers

The Quay at Newton Ferrers £375

The Quay at Newton Ferrers

Newton Ferrers from Noss Mayo £400

Newton Ferrers from Noss Mayo

Where is The Gallery Project?

You need directions?

See the red dot?

When is The Project Gallery open?

27 August 2018 In Art

Tidal Gallery: Ani Buckland

Ani Buckland

Ani Buckland is one of many artists featured at the Tidal Gallery, Kingsbridge.

Where is the Tidal Gallery?

More about Ani Buckland

A member of the South West Sculptors Association and the Devon Artists Network, Ani, like myself and the owner of the Tidal Gallery, Anna Ventura, is a member of the South Hams Arts Forum (SHAF).

Ani’s professional life as an artist started as a full-time art psychotherapist, 1984-2005, in NHS children’s mental health services and then continued as a part-time freelancer. She began intensive study of clay figure sculpture with Lucianne Lassalle (2005-2010), followed by Rebecca Doe from Art Academy, London 2010-present.

Also, she has studied portrait master classes with International portrait artist Luke Shepherd and workshops with Clare Trenchard. She continues to develop through engaging in several streams of practice and study in solitude and with others: keeping a drawing journal, life classes, intensive master classes, visiting exhibitions and public art, exploring art history and cultures through reading, film, and travel.

Ani now lives and works in The South Hams in South Devon and specialises in figurative clay sculpture.

A guest for summer 2018, Ani’s work on show in the gallery are sculptures of hens, cockerels and guinea fowl (tall and short and in pairs).

Ani says: ‘It has been an enormous pleasure to pursue my passion for figure sculpture in the last decade. Working in the round, with clay or wax or plaster & scrim, I find that sculpture is infinitely complex & challenging. The beauty of human and natural forms are deeply inspiring, offering a limitless and gratifying means for self-expression, communication, and celebration.’

WHEN IS THE TIDAL GALLERY OPEN?

Closed Mondays

Tuesday to Saturday: 10am to 5pm

During August, as part of the Kingsbridge Traders’ Open Sunday initiative, open on Sunday: 11am – 3pm

More information – and an online catalogue – can be found online at the Tidal Gallery website: www.tidalgallery.co.uk.