WALL ART

Subcategories

• Elaine Adams

  Elaine originally trained at Liverpool Art School, Liverpool Polytechnic (now LJMU) and graduated with a BA Hons in Graphic Design and a PGCE in Art and Design. After a 25 year career as an Art teacher and sessional lecturer, she now pursues her own work and enjoys the challenges of a rugged and windswept landscape or coastline, and the fleeting effects of light on colour which impacts strongly on her work in both felt and paint.

  Her work primarily draws inspiration from the foreshores and estuaries around the west of Britain and the untamed landscape of Cumbria, Snowdonia, the Peak District and British moorland. She sets out to record the patterns and textures of the land created by changing tides, weather and light as the land is reshaped and reclaimed. 

  Working initially in sketchpads, she begins with drawings and colour references on site, developing this work back in the studio using British and Norwegian pure wools, flax, linen and silks.  Her work also includes paintings which stand alongside the ‘painterly’ fibre work to provide the viewer with greater insight into her relationship with the great British landscape

• Casey Allum

  Casey Allum is a full time, professional portrait artist and illustrator specialising in animal and human portraiture. She draws in pencils, inks, pastels and coloured pencils; paint in oils, acrylics and inks. Born in Langdale Valley, Cumbria in 1985.

  “My love of art was apparent right from the start, I was guaranteed to sit quietly when given a pencil and a piece of paper. I was always drawing!… My graphite pencil portraits draw attention to the negative space and light surrounding the subject which is so often discarded; this space is important to help the subject breathe and ultimately draws the eye to the detail in the portrait rather than the overall sometimes complicated composition. I pay close attention to the finer details in my work, construction, form and texture, being able to perfectly describe a subject with a pencil line; that’s truly where my passion lies.”

• David John Almond

  "I began my unique pointillist style in the latter months of 2017. It is a process which I have not deviated from and I continue to learn from each painting. First, I carve out the pencilled image with linocut tools on MDF, then spray paint at a certain angle to pick out the grooves and lay a rough colour scheme, finally tiny acrylic dots are applied with the tip of a small palette knife to add the final colour. The grooves give definition to the pointillist style, first created by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac in 1886. I love to be original, and believe that my diagnosis of Paranoid Schizophrenia has opened my mind to be gifted in such a precise technique. Today, I continue to be well and fruitful in all aspects of my life, and look back on my history with mental illness with interest and nostalgia." David John Almond

• Marion Bradley

• Harry Brioche

  Harry was born in the Seychelles in 1965 of Creole and American parentage. The freedom and sense of adventure island life offered to him as a child was idyllic and wonderful. However this was brought to an abrupt end when his family was forced to flee the island and the Coup d’etat in 1977. Harry finally moved to England in 1980 with his parents and sister, and embraced his new land and culture. He has since happily settled in Cheshire with his wife Catherine and two little boys.

  Harry considers himself a self-taught artist despite attending College of Art. Following an ultimatum by his college lecturers to conform to the institutions style and methods of painting or leave, he made the brave move to go it alone. Harry went on to carve out a highly successful career as an illustrator and graphic designer with his company Tom Dick and Harry, working with world renowned brands including Dr Martens, Coca Cola and BAE Systems.

  From an early age Harry was captivated by the beauty and drama of the great British landscape and it’s ever changing skies, which are in sharp contrast to that of the Seychelles. This inspiration at such an early age was and continues to be ever present in his expansive, lyrical, majestic landscapes, which are a joy to behold.

  With his total commitment and passion for his art, and the creation of such beautiful pieces it is no surprise that his original paintings now hang in private and corporate collections around the world. Harry is undoubtedly assured of continued success and longevity.

  Harry’s work is regularly exhibited at the Mall Gallery in London through the NEAC, ROI and the RBA annual exhibitions. He has a full calendar of national and international exhibitions and shows planned for the year ahead.

• Alistair Brookes

  Alistair was born in a mining village in County Durham,  surrounded by imagery of mining and the community life which gives him a rich source of inspiration.
  
  Living in the Dales, Alistair says that he “finds the rural life full of characters.” Raku pottery is his main interest but he is also developing stoneware pottery.

• David Cemmick

  David Cemmick has been a freelance artist since his first sell-out solo exhibition in 1974, at the age of nineteen. Over the past four decades he has travelled extensively, gathering field experience and documenting scientific expeditions in some of the world’s remotest habitats. He has painted the ethno medicinal plants of Madagascar for Dr David Bellamy’s Conservation Foundation, illustrated two books focusing on the endangered Kakapo Parrot and Black Robin and the ground breaking conservation work of the New Zealand Wildlife Service and studied coral and fish communities on Jamaica’s Morant Cays coral atoll, whilst painting under water.

  These, and many other field expeditions, have helped fuel his deep respect and fascination for the animal world and given him the thirst to make ‘art’ from what he has seen in nature. From field sketch to finished painting, sculptures in bronze and clay, figurative sculptures and café sketches, this site explores the broad spectrum of David’s work.

  Living just outside the Lake District National Park, in the foothills of the Cumbrian Pennines of England, David is constantly inspired by the changing dramatic landscape and the abundance of nature he sees every day.

  
  
  

• Sarah Cemmick

  Sarah studied environmental illustration at Sunderland University which started a love affair with lino printing. Shortly after in 1998, she was awarded the Lloyds private banking award at the Society of Wildlife Artists for her print, Rhino Lino. She has spent the following years creating new works which have been exhibited throughout the UK. A lovely interuption of a daughter, son and a wedding led to a move to Cumbria in 2003. Now living in the shadow of Crossfell in the beautiful Eden Valley, current works are inspired by the hares, songbirds and abundant furry creatures she sees in and around the surrounding fells.

• Dawn Gabrielle Chandler

  Dawn was born and brought up in Manchester but for the last forty years has lived in the Lake District. Although surrounded by beautiful scenery she has chosen not to do landscapes, preferring instead to concentrate on still life, bringing together everyday objects that reflect a person or subject, with each painting having its own theme.

  Dawn’s training in graphic design at Cumbria College of Art and Design certainly shows through in her work, which features many different forms of typographical content. She spent twelve years after leaving college working in the printing industry, producing amongst other things the artwork for Quiggins and Wilsons Kendal Mint Cake wrappers. In 2005 Dawn gained membership of the prestigious Lake Artists Society.

  The process of producing a ‘Shelflife’ painting consists of several different stages. It all starts with an idea, then notes and lists are made. A shelf is constructed using a cardboard box and then the items from the list are carefully positioned on the shelf, the composition being one of the key elements of the piece. A sketch is made in pencil straight onto the thick watercolour paper, then painted over with layers of gouache. The work evolves as it progresses with some items occasionally being replaced by others.

  As well as exhibiting with the Lake Artists Society every summer at Grasmere, Dawn has also had many paintings shown over the years at exhibitions in London including the Sunday Times Watercolour competition, The Royal Institute of painters in watercolour, C21 at Bankside, The Society of Women Artists, The Discerning Eye and The Society of Graphic Fine Art, of which Dawn is now a member.

• Richard Clare

  Landscape artist Richard Clare is known for his colourful and dynamic paintings of the northern landscape of England, urban Manchester, Italy and France. Many paintings are created from memory or sketches, using colours not normally associated with the British landscape. Many people believe they depict the landscape better than real life. “Several people have come up to me during previews and said that they know exactly where that view is, although I have created it from memory and I find that amazing” says Richard. “After seeing my paintings they start to see the landscape with a fresh perspective”.

  For Richard the final picture is only one part of the painting process, since he spends a lot of time walking and sketching the landscape, soaking up the atmosphere. Back in the studio, inspired by these sketches and his emotions he paints very quickly to get them down on canvas. Despite being colour blind, he sees this as an advantage and not a disability. “Sometimes I feel like I am missing out on colours what most people can see so I create my own little world of colour in my paintings”.

  He has received media attention in national magazines, and in 2006 became a Finalist in an art competition organised by International Artist Magazine - an art magazine that is sold all over the world. In 2001 he was a prize winner in The Laing National Landscape Painting Competition. In 2008, he was featured in the June/July issue of International Artist Magazine. Richard’s paintings are included in many private collections throughout Britain and more recently in France, Italy, Spain, China, America and Australia.

• Fay Collins

  Fay is a visual artist based in Lancashire. She works using oil, acrylic, wax-oil pastel and watercolour to create images based on explorations of landscape and natural features within it. Fay's observations from coast, woodland and mountain regions of Lancashire, Cumbria, Scotland and Ireland continue to inform and inspire her work on a full-time basis. "I am fascinated and fired-up by the complexities of nature and landscape.

  "My paintings are mainly concerned with glimpses of sunlight and shadow that are so evident in the fickle weather conditions here in the north west. Walking and cycling allows me to explore the wonderful and dramatic local coastline, mountains, wooded valleys and moorland, gathering visual material as I move through the varied landscape. My images and thoughts are then processed from these environments into studio-based sketched and paintings, where I use mostly oils for their versatile consistency and rich, vibrant colours. I enjoy the physical process of scraping back areas of paint to reveal unexpected colour combinations underneath and I delight in discovering that at some stage in production areas of a painting can partially evolve seemingly autonomously. I hope that in some way this letting go within the process is also reflected in my theme of standing water that inevitably and freely reflects complex and fascinating shapes and colours of the subject matter. The raw, powerful experience of being in mountain and coastal environments has been a regular feature of my adult life. In my twenties I spent much of my spare time backpaking in Wales, northern England, Scotland and the French Alps, seeking out wild, dramatic and high-level places. During those physical and mental challenges I hadn't realised until recently, just what an impact those experiences had made on my creative drive."

• John Connolly

  Born in Leeds in 1954, John studied Fine Art at Leeds College of Art before training as a Drama teacher at Doncaster and Derby. Since graduating in 1976, John has enjoyed a successful career in ‘the arts’ dividing his time between, acting and writing and more recently painting. To balance the books, John also teaches Art in Derbyshire. John sometimes describes himself as a ‘Derbyshire based, Cornish artist’ - an expression of frustration at being a landlocked artist whose first love is to paint the sea. He is never reluctant to make a 700 mile round trip to Cornwall or South Wales to sketch and paint in his sketchbooks, further developing the work back in his studio in Derbyshire.

  John works mainly with watercolour and acrylics, and often mix media using a variety of found materials, making marks and interesting textures with anything at hand. "I scratch, scrape and sometimes throw the paint onto the canvas to create runs and dribbles that suggest waves or interesting cloud formations. In some of my larger paintings I include collaged materials. Beach sand may be used to create an interesting texture in a landscape or to represent itself with pebbles in a seascape."Dried grass, twigs, leaves and ferns have been known to appear (as themselves) in John’s landscape paintings.

• Malcolm Dobbins

  Malcolm is a professional artist and has painted since pre school days. He describes himself as a contemporary painter and his work ‘Abstract Realism’. Influenced by his mother and artists such as Hans Hoffman, Howard Hodgkin and Keith Vaughan along the way. Graduating in 1996 from The Univercity of Sunderland with BA (Hons) Fine Art, he went on to gain a Masters Degree in Art & Design in Context (2005). This is where he learned good research skills and became disciplined in his working methodology. Time spent on colour combination and designing the palette is important to him, he uses mainly analogous palettes on each series of work and says “paintings look good hung together, when the colours in them relate to one another, it makes life a little easier for galleries too!”.  Drawing books contain various palettes, and relate to each body of work. “Working in series, keeps me fresh. I enjoy the excitement of a new series; inventing new colours and fresh palettes,  its one of the less frustrating tasks too”.  His work can be described as Abstract Realism, to a greater or lesser degree. “By exaggerating colour, playing with perspective and finding good overall form, I come to a satisfying balance, where the image created has some physical qualities of the geographical location”. 

• Susan Dobson

  Based in Northumberland, Susan’s striking and atmospheric images draw you into moor and mountain landscapes, evoking memories of ever changing weather and light and familiar feelings of place.
  
  “I am inspired by northern landscapes, particularly the wild places. I have spent many years walking in and drawing the mountains and fells of northern Britain, and more recently the Alps and Pyrenees. I love to be in the high hills, in close relationship with the mountains – often clinging on for dear life!
  With the fear comes also exhilaration at completing routes, the reward of stunning, breathtaking views and a growing knowledge and understanding of how mountains fit together - not to mention an intimate acquaintance with the particular structure of limestone!
  
  I am fascinated by the fugitive effects of weather, and light on wild mountain landscapes. In my work I capture these transient, atmospheric qualities. I create images which range from the representational to those which express abstract qualities of light, texture and form.”

• Peter Dworok

  Born in Nottingham, Peter studied art firstly at Nottingham College of Art and then at Leeds Polytechnic Faculty of Art and Design. After leaving college Peter lived and worked on the Isle of Skye and later Edinburgh where he exhibited his work widely. On moving back to Nottinghamshire, Peter was employed by Nottinghamshire County Council helping to establish Rufford Craft Centre as a centre of excellence for the applied arts. 
  Over twenty five years later, Peter retired from his role at Rufford, has begun to put together a new body of work based on his interest in the landscape and his regular visits to the Isle of Skye, the North Yorkshire Moors, Derbyshire and the Lake District. 
  
  ‘I have always had an interest in the landscape, especially dramatic landscapes, those that have an underlying threat to human settlement. Where the line of the hills gets lost in a leaden, storm ridden sky and a glimpse of sunshine on the horizon promises a brief interlude to the wind and rain of a passing storm. It is these glimpses that I attempt to capture, the moment in time when the light creates an ephemeral landscape, a landscape in transition that a moment later would have changed completely. The Lakes have all of the landscape characteristics that I look for. They provide the backdrop to this changing drama of light and shade that I attempt to capture.
  The paintings, in oils, reflect the colour and tone that the weather brings to the landscape and the seasonal changes in mood and light. The paintings comprise of various layers of paint, the depth of tone and variation in texture being dependent upon the thickness of application. Other materials are used to create the textured surfaces that both contrast and compliment the areas created using more traditional painting techniques.’

• Libby Edmondson

   “I do not have any deep or intense philosophy about my work but I love the act of painting – of picking up paint and putting it onto a canvas – it’s a one-off mark every time – and therefore exciting and without guarantee!

  I live in a wonderful environment – a both geographically and spiritually rich place. I respond to a range of subjects for painting in terms of colour and texture. For the most part I use acrylic paint for its immediacy and quick-drying properties that suit my style of painting.

  Libby adopts a varied approach to her painting, which is predominantly in acrylic. Some of her work is quite abstract whilst other is more figurative. One of the distinguishing features of all her work is a vibrant use of colour. Much of her recent work reflects her interest in the local landscape, the Lake District and surrounding areas.

• Derek Eland

  Derek Eland is a Cumbrian born artist who paints his native landscape from his studio in the Lake District. His farming family background and love of the fells gives him a distinctive and unique voice when interpreting these mountains and valleys: rich patterns and colours interspersed with farms and cottages. Derek has an MA in Contemporary Fine Art and has exhibited his work in public and private galleries throughout the UK and internationally. He has been awarded a number of art prizes and was an official British War Artist in Afghanistan in 2011 and in artist-in-residence at Everest Base Camp in 2016.

• Lyn Evans

  Lyn trained at Sunderland Collage of Fine Art in the 60’s. She now lives and works from her home in the Lake District. She has exhibited in galleries at St. Andrews, Pittenweem Arts Festival, Edinburgh, Paisley, London, Slovenia and Italy. Her art work is also held in private collections in America, Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany and the UK.

  “I painted in oils and created sculpture intermittently until 2000, when I started painting full time. I am strongly influenced by light, particularly low morning and evening, also the seasons Autumn and Winter. I prefer to paint en plein air, I have been known to sit happily on a plastic bag in the snow to capture it’s beauty. 

  My pastels are impressionistic; I adore their immediacy and the chance to select a colour that is not always obvious. I use Unison, Ludwig and Henri Roché on sanded paper.

  In recent years I have started to explore abstract landscape, using watercolour for its ability to translate what is in my head onto the paper.

  I love that I am not always in control but can usually trust watercolour to do what it does best. I use exclusively Danial Smith pigments for their depth of colour and nonfading qualities.

  My influences are Edward Seago, Arthur Melville and Chien Chung Wei.”

• Martin Evans

  Martin Evans lives and works in Carlisle, Cumbria and studied Graphic Design at Cumbria Institute of the Arts where he developed his eye for colour and composition. A self-taught painter, it is the pure joy of painting that drives his process. Cumbria has some of the most spectacular landscape in the UK, and he is constantly inspired by this subject matter. Martins work has been exhibited widely and most recently he has had work selected for the prestigious 2020 Discerning Eye Exhibition. His work can be found in private collections across the UK and worldwide.

  "The main theme running through my landscapes is the exploration of paint and colour to capture the atmosphere of a place and time. My inspiration comes from the changing seasons or changing light at a specific time. My focus is on capturing a contemporary impression and not an exact representation. I always stand at my easel and tend to work fast because I want my work to have immediacy and energy. Spray paint drips and brush marks are incorporated as I also want my work to be a celebration of paint itself. The tools I use such as large brushes, spray paint and rollers, are very fluid so it allows the paint the freedom to move around the surface. I also explore scale within my work and how my techniques can transfer. My largest painting being a 5.5m x 3m outdoor mural, and my smallest pieces 20cm x 20cm."

• Venus Griffiths

  Venus was awarded a scholarship to Wakefield Art College after which she was employed, in industry, as a Technical Illustrator until leaving work to become a full-time mother. After the children had grown up she returned to her own education completing a Foundation/ Fine Arts course at Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham and later qualifying as a teacher. Whilst in Nottingham she taught Art and Screen-printing to full-time and recreational students as well as running Art Workshops for the mentally disabled. Venus moved to Keswick in 1988 and took on a part-time teaching position running an Art Workshop for Lairthwaite Adult Education Centre. She also set up her own studio, at home, working in watercolours, acrylics and mono-screenprints. She has now given up teaching in order to concentrate on her own work, which is exhibited in several galleries and invited exhibitions in Cumbria and the Northeast. The name Venus comes from her maternal Grandmother but to the relief of her daughters has not been inflicted on the next generation.

• Patricia Haskey

  Patricia loves to absorb the atmosphere of places and the landscapes and landmarks of the North West where she is based provide the stimulus for much of her work. She is inspired and excited by the changing characteristics of the elements, when details of architecture, land and sky emerge as transient moments, caught in shifting patterns of light and colour. 

  Patricia's work is held in the House of Lords Permanent Art Collection, in the Head Office of Cadbury and in private national and international collections in Europe, America and Australia.

  She is represented by galleries in the North West and takes part in exhibitions in the region and across the UK, with shows in N. Yorkshire, Newcastle, Edinburgh and London. In 2004, she represented artists from the North West of England in the Summer Exhibition in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.

• Philipa Headley

  Philippa is a full time independent artist based in the UK who paints contemporary landscapes and seascapes using traditional oil painting techniques.

  She has a diploma from the Royal Society of Arts, graduating from Christies in London in 1989.

  Philippa’s art is held in private collections in Europe, America and Australia and is represented by commercial galleries.

  “Nothing can be better than being surrounded by the drama of the landscape. Firstly absorbing the landscape through experience, its surprises and never ending vistas by walking and looking – always feeling a response to the challenge of being able to translate this beauty onto a canvas. Secondly when considering subject matter a myriad of choices are always available for selection, a distant mountain, a solitary tarn, clouds scudding across the horizon or sun glinting off the rocks. Now back in the studio, I consolidate my thoughts using the studies, photos and reference material gathered plein air and planning starts in earnest.  The technique of painting then has to be combined with the source material in a way that maintains the freshness of the initial response. Further studies then ensue to test the composition before considering the colour palette to be selected to best reflect the intention and brush can be put to canvas.  The true creativity starts which is always part mystery part planned.  Adjustments and reactions to the overall compositional image being made as part of the process towards the finished artwork “ - Philippa

• Jo Hill

• Alex Hinge

• Freya Horsley

  ‘Led by my responses to landscape, light and weather and also by the process of painting itself, I make paintings that refer to both the permanent elemental nature of land and a more ephemeral sense of fluidity and change. In drawings made on the spot and in larger paintings in the studio, I try to capture the intangibility of the changes which rain, mist, sunlight, cloud, snow bring to the face of the land.

  I am increasingly exploring in greater depth the relationship between what is being painted and how it comes about, how much is real place and how much painted space. Drawing and making notes outside in the landscape allows me to instil in my mind a feeling of a place with its sights and sounds. However, the separation involved in making the paintings back in the studio is equally important to allow me to approach the work freely, as a painting rather than as a detailed geographical record. In the first stages of a painting, I pour and drip very liquid paint, manipulating it by tilting and moving the support on the floor and easel. Gradually I refine this process, responding to the marks and to my own sense of the space that emerges. I also often use wax, collage and other media alongside the veils of thin acrylic and oil paint, to explore these different levels of looking and ways of experiencing a place and space.’

• Janet Kenyon

  Janet Kenyon is a multi-award winning watercolour artist who as gained an enviable reputation for her innovative use of watercolour and is now recognised as one of the UK’s leading watercolour artists.

  Over the course of her career, Janet has received an impressive number of accolades, including winner of the Sunday Times/Smith & Williamson Cityscape Prize twice, first in 2009, for her painting titled: Northern Lights, Blackpool and in 2016 for her painting titled: Gridlock (Manhattan). The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition is the largest and most prestigious showcase of contemporary watercolour painting in the UK.

  Born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1959. In 1975 she studied for two years at Bolton College of Art & Design. In 1977 she moved away from Bolton to study at Leeds Polytechnic and later gained a B.A. Hons. in Graphic Design. It was here she began to experiment in watercolour and ever since as continued to push the boundaries of this very difficult medium.  Janet says:

  “It’s the capturing of natural & artificial light, in my paintings, and the way it interacts with the landscape, alongside the unexpected perspective and sense of space, that ignites my imagination.”

  Janet’s highly individual and distinctive landscapes have been exhibited in many leading galleries including the Mall Galleries, London, The Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh and The Lowry Gallery, Salford and can also be found in private collections in the UK and abroad.

• Andrew Kinmont

  Andrew graduated from University of Wales with a first class Fine Art honours degree, obtaining further training from St Martins College London and West Dean College, Chichester. Since then his work has met with critical acclaim and is collected both locally and abroad. He is featured in the notable “Who’s Who in Art’ (Movern Press), is an elected member of the prestigious Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, as well as the Manchester Academy of Fine Art. His work has appeared on the cover of various magazines and catalogues and is regularly selected for the Royal Institute of Oil Painters annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London. He currently lives and works in Cheshire

  'As humans we have evolved from nature and therefore have a deeply ingrained physical and spiritual connection with it. I create paintings as a response to my own experience of landscape. I constantly experiment with a range of techniques to evoke the raw experience of nature. The resultant paintings are as much about my feelings and the atmosphere of a place as they are about how it looks. As a result they are not always ‘realistic’ and can be quite abstract. This is important as it allows viewers to bring their own interpretation and experience to the work.'

• Angela Lawrence

  Angela lives and paints in Scotland, but was born in London and lived in Finland for many years. She has always painted but her training has principally been as a musician: before becoming a full-time artist, in 2004, she was a professional violinist who working freelance in London orchestras and full-time in the Joensuu City Orchestra in Finland.

  “Much of my work portrays the beauty of Galloway and the Solway coast of South West Scotland which I have come to know very well through my passion for walking. I aim to conjure up my impressions from being by the sea or up a mountain mainly with attention to light and with naturalistic, vibrantly fresh colours. All of my paintings are about the natural world. Some themes are more abstract, such as “Reflections” and “Sea Spirits”, while the seascapes and landscapes are more representational, aiming for recognition in terms of location and also in a sense of “being there”. I enjoy the changing mood and light and the distant allure of the horizon. Recently I have also been exploring mountain heights in the English Lake District, where giddy viewpoints, rapidly changing atmosphere and cloud shadow are so dramatic.

  In oils, I prefer to paint quickly, “alla prima”, as the immediacy corresponds well to the fresh outdoor subjects. Detail is carefully added in so as not to overwhelm, but to enhance texture and perspective, and I subtly transform locations for an effective composition, to bring out something of interest or to heighten a feeling of connection or mood.”

• Gill Lee

• Howard Levitt

  Howard studied, and graduated in, art and design, specialising in illustration, at Manchester in the mid 1970's.

  He initially worked as an illustrator of books and for advertising agencies in London in collaboration with the Young Artists Agency before relocating to Cheshire, where he continued as an illustrator.

  With the decline of the use of illustration and the advent of CGI Howard turned his attention to painting and drawing for his own enjoyment and private commissions. He is a member of the High Peak Artists in Derbyshire.

• Susan Lincoln

  “I like my work to have a happy or magical element to it. Art should make you smile as well as think. I feel I have the perfect career. When I am painting everything seems right, the outside world falls away and I am immersed in my own subject and experience. When starting each new painting I visualise in my mind the key elements of the work and paint directly onto the canvas. I use acrylics because they dry very quickly. Every painting is a challenge for pleasure and enjoyment.”

• Delcia McNeil

  As well as being a practising artist, Delcia is also a psychotherapist and energy healer, having worked in the field of mental and physical health for over forty years.

  Together with a  love of nature and landscape, she is deeply connected to emotional processes and the movement, form, light and colour of subtle energies. Her paintings are inspired by metaphysical and human themes such as healing, spirituality and the unconscious mind. She is constantly open to new ways of creating and perceiving.

  Delcia finds most art inspiring but it is certain abstract artists whose work she is most strongly influenced by e.g. Frank Bowling, Lee Krasner, Cy Twombly, Mark Rothko and Anselm Kiefer.

• Fiona Millar

  Fiona lives and works in the Scottish Borders but it was her Galloway childhood, living in the artists' town of Kirkcudbright, that has influenced her paintings and their subject matter. Fiona's father was, and still is an art dealer and the many paintings by artists from the 19th and 20th century that passed through his hands have left a lasting impression upon her. Fiona started painting around twelve years ago with encouragement from her sisters and grandmother, all of whom are artists. She has exhibited throughout the UK and she looks forward to future exhibitions and developing as an artist.

• Andrea Mosey

  Andrea Mosey is a contemporary landscape artist working from her home studio in North Yorkshire. Through her paintings she aims to tell the stories of the places we love through the use of colour, light and shade. Andrea is inspired by the natural landscape and enjoys painting big skies and dramatic landscapes that capture an ethereal quality of light.  Evocative, calming and peaceful landscapes that convey a sense of time and place.

  Andrea works exclusively in oils, mostly using an all prima approach. Her work combines reference images, imagination and memories. 

  Andrea exhibits in galleries throughout the UK

• Chris Mouncey

  Chris was born in Felixstowe, Suffolk, in 1954 and was brought up in Billingham, Teesside. He now lives in Weardale, Co.Durham, with his wife, Val, who is also a painter. He has painted water colours as  a profession since 1980, specialising in landscape, seascape and architecture. Many of his works are in private collections in this country and abroad. Other collections include Grey College, University of Durham and Warcop Army Field Training Centre in Cumbria. Chris has recently completed a commission for the Duchy of Lancaster.

• Mark Pearce

  Mark trained as a graphic designer before working in London in the profession, during which time he won a number of awards for his work. He went on to work as a design consultant and created and worked on many brands including Vodafone, the BBC and Unilever. After a stint at night-club ownership Mark set up a studio on the banks of the Ravenglass Estuary. This is where he practices his passion for painting and printmaking.

• Janette Phillips

  Janette, a member of the Lake Artists Society, is well known for her expressive painting and joyful use of colour. Her distinctive style seems to sum up the optimism and hope of the natural world, with inspiration drawn from the mesmeric Cumbrian coastlines, vast estuaries and majestic fells that surround her studio.
  
  ‘The sparkling abundance of nature inspires me daily as I take my cues from the natural world; flowers, landscape, scents and even sounds. I love to work with a variety of art mediums including oil paint, inks, pastels, watercolours and collage. Colour is always
  predominant in my work, I simply cannot suppress my urge to use it and why would I want to! My use of colour seems to have the power to lift moods and carve positive spaces into people’s homes and this transformative effect still thrills me. Following degrees in Design, Art History and Fine Art my creative practice today is underpinned with time spent drawing, looking, photographing, musing. I’m thankful for the strong foundation upon which I constructed my own creative world. I’ve been a professional artist for 20 years and it still surprises me how much I still have left to do.’

• Chris Pollard

• David Pooley

  David is a self-taught artist based in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. He has a background as a graphic designer, however art is his real passion and now main focus. He prefers not to restrict himself to one medium or subject matter and feels that his background as a graphic designer is responsible for this work style. He works in a variety of media including pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, pastel and acrylics. David produces work with a variety of subject matter including wildlife and landscapes.

• Nick Potter

  Nick was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire (of 'crooked spire' fame) in 1959.  Despite attaining an 'A' in art at ‘A’ Level he was encouraged to go to University rather than Art School. He read Archaeology at Leicester University followed by a P.G.C.E.   

  Nick paints in his garden studio to the background of ‘Audio books’. These are often unabridged and can last up to 17 hours. He is so attuned to this way of working that he cannot paint without them. 

  Nick paints mainly in acrylics and acrylic inks for their versatility and  quick- drying properties, but  also employs various mixed media techniques and textures and is known for his variety of painting styles.

  Nicks love of wild landscapes and seascapes and his concerns regarding the pressures upon them fuels his desire to paint.

  Nick now lives yards from the sea in Embleton on the fantastic Northumberland coast where he is inspired by the landscape and seascapes every day.

  His work can be found in many galleries throughout Britain. 

• Alan Richmond

  Alan Richmond was born in 1960 in the Hertfordshire village of Welwyn, moved to Hawick in the Scottish borders in 1969 and has lived there ever since, and has come to love Scotland, especially the highlands and islands.

  "A love of paintings and pictures probably goes back to early school days, where our school encouraged play as a way to learn, great fun, but we played more than we learnt. That all changed in Hawick, where fortunately Maths and English were more important. Until third year in high school, when I was able to choose A level art, with 8 out of 40 periods a week, and a great teacher.

  My goal is to create images that are suggested, to give a feeling or impression, rather than literal depiction, giving enough information to be a landscape, whilst aiming to go beyond the immediately obvious,leaving as much as possible to the imagination of the individual viewer."

• Chris Rigby

  Born in Lancaster in 1967, Chris attended a foundation course at Lancaster after which he went on to study Illustration at Falmouth School of Art where he was trained in a wide variety of illustration techniques from tight photographic life science to loosely rendered figurative work.  Whilst there Chris developed an interest in the painting of the old masters and sighted it as the touchstone from which all these illustration techniques were derived. 

  "Living in Cornwall a second time from 1996-98 endeared me to landscape painting, especially seascapes.  On returning to Lancaster I explored the local coast in a series of paintings on Cockerham sands.  Gradually I see different aspects of my life and work marry and landscape entangles with manscape.  Most of my current painting concerns buildings; usually well weathered ones bearing the scars of time.

  I’ve never been happy with images that simply prettify; to me they are just not worth it.  Art is about ideas, thoughts, human experience.  Lately I’ve been looking at the work of Anselm Kiefer, especially his depictions of landscape which carry great philosophical weight and ideas relating to Joseph Beuys, shamanism and alchemy amongst other things.  All these things I try and feed into my work in digestible portions.  I try to remain consciously aware of these things believing it influences the way I look at the world and will have an effect on my handling of the medium, but avoid imposing any particular symbolism on my work."

• Maggie Robinson

  Maggie’s bold contemporary landscapes are inspired by her early years growing up in the North Yorkshire Moors in a large musical family. Her ‘Music of the landscape’ series is a collection of works in which each piece is developed through the exploration of the musical qualities of melody, harmony and rhythm found in our beautiful countryside. Each painting has a musical title and an Opus number, many of which are now hanging in homes across the UK.

  In recent years she has concentrated her walking in the National Parks of the North York Moors, the Peak District and the Lake District which, with her husband and family she visits regularly always to gather fresh inspiration for her work. 

  Maggie is a member of MAFA (Manchester Academy of Fine Art), she exhibits regularly with The Royal Society of British Artists and The Society of Women Artists both in the Mall Galleries London.

  As well as exhibiting here in the Old Courthouse Gallery, Ambleside, her work can be seen in:

  The Zillah Bell Gallery, Thirsk

  The Pineapple Gallery, Bishop Auckland

  Coast Gallery Scarborough

  St John’s Gallery and Café, Ashbourne

• Jenny Ryrie

  Jenny Ryrie has an M.A. in Fine Art from Edinburgh (1980) and specialises in water-based media, ranging from large abstract works on paper to semi-abstracted acrylics on canvas. Her work is intuitive and expessive with a strong use of colour and light, underpinned by a formalism of composition and shape.

• Anna Sharpe

  Lake District artist, alpinist, mountain lover.

  ‘Being slow to pick up reading and writing, art quickly established itself as my go-to mode of expression; it enables me a freedom of expression and communication that is not encumbered by words. Today, the creation of art helps me to expose deep emotions that live beyond the alphabetic language. 

  On moving to The Lake District, aged seven, I discovered another place of freedom, the natural landscape. To have the fells on my doorstep was, and still is, incredulous. 

  My love for mountainous landscapes has taken me across the world: climbing peaks in the Alps such as the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc; trekking high passes in the Himalayas; and of course, many more local trips to Scotland and around The Lake District. I find mountains to have an incredible power and ambivalence. Fear and wonderment, beauty and horror.  

  I now recognise both climbing and art to be ways of interacting with the ‘more-than-human’ world. In a time when the environment is frequently mistreated as a resource, I look to reawaken our physical and spiritual connections to it.’

• Rob Shaw

  The story of Rob Shaw’s career as an artist is truly incredible. Rob was born in Derbyshire where he was failed for art at school so he didn’t consider his future to be in painting and instead he chose to became an Interior Architect, - “apparently architects don’t need to draw”

  Rob studied at Newcastle College and Teesside University and graduated in 1997 with a First-Class Honours Degree. He then went on to pursue a successful career in Interior Architecture both here and abroad. Rob’s parents relocated to North Yorkshire in 1994 and bought a cottage high up on Boulby Cliff, overlooking the fishing village of Staithes. Rob fell in love with this absolutely beautiful village and began to paint it. It’s Staithes which has continued to inspire Rob’s art work no matter where he has lived in the country and that’s where his successful career as a professional artist was born. Rob returned to live in Staithes in 2007 and began to paint full time. Since then Rob has also exhibited large Cityscapes in New York, London and Tokyo and exhibited and sold art work at the Royal Academy in their annual Summer Show.

  Until recently Staithes Gallery would be the only gallery who represented Rob in the UK. After recent visits to the Lake District Rob decided to explore landscape in his art as well as coastal scenes and what better place to do it then the Lakes. We are thrilled that he chosen Old Courthouse Gallery to display his beautiful paintings. 

  Rob has also appeared on TV several times.

  The One Show

  Countryfile 

  Robson Greens Coastal Lives

  Antiques Road Trip

• John Sibson

  John Sibson lives in Cumbria having spent his youth in the north of England, earlier in Westmorland and later on Tyneside. An earlier career in mining and quarrying took him to North Wales, Northern Ontario and the Rockies of BC in Canada, the Highlands of Scotland and then Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. It was here that he took up watercolour painting and quickly began to make a name with his distinctive style.
  
  He soon had a number of one-man and shared exhibitions in the Yorkshire area, and became an elected member and subsequently Chairman of the Yorkshire Watercolour Society. This led to exhibiting pictures three times in the Houses of Parliament, and at other times in Westminster, and as far afield as Poland.
  
  John's main subject matter has been the hills and dales of the North of England and the historic market towns and cities of the area. The portrayal of the buildings within their landscape is his particular speciality.

• Geoffrey Smith

  Geoffrey Smith was born in Manchester in 1945 and studied illustration at Mid Cheshire Collage of Art. His preferred medium is oils working on a gesso prepared panel or stretched canvas. He has painted a wide range of subjects but over recent years has concentrated on hares, barn owls and herdwick sheep often using light to created atmosphere whether moonlight, sunset or misty dawn. He lives and paints in Ambleside. 

• Annie Turner

  Annie holds a BA Hons in Fine Art from the University of Gloucestershire (2004). She has recently held a solo exhibition at the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal (2017). Prior to that she has held exhibitions in Germany, Italy and the North of England.

  She works as an art teacher and technician in an art and design department Of her work, Annie says

  ‘[it] has developed from my interest in a balance between letting the materials produce magic moments within the painting and then taking control. The way I work pushes the possibilities of the materials and challenges me to take uncomfortable risks throughout the development of the painting. I do not know how the painting will develop and have to trust the process and make mistakes along the way. Some paintings take months to resolve and go through various stages before they finally come out the other side. I work with collage, paint, stitch, mark making, resin and oil bards and am influenced by my life experiences, the amazing landscapes around me and by maps, networks and symbols.’

  Annie’s latest work has been influenced by the floods which affected Cumbria recently.

• Amanda Watson

  Being mainly inspired by the natural world I seek solitude and wild places, being drawn to the landscapes of the Lakes, Yorkshire Dales, Moors and the sea. I’m particularly interested in the effects passing weather systems have on land and water, setting the mood of a place.

  My paintings and drawings are an attempt to recreate the sensations and experiences I have whilst out, a fleeting moment that etches itself on one’s memory. How to render that in paint is the constant challenge I do actually relish; technically which potions and mediums when mixed with paint and applied to a board or canvas will allow me to create an object that evokes a particular memory. At the moment I’m enjoying pushing the materials to find new ways to represent the fleeting experience. I tend to revisit a place, getting to know it. I find I can then work without visual reference, allowing a way of working which is fully focused on the painting.

• Chantelle Watson

  I was born in Cape Town to my mother, the daughter of a sheep farmer, and my father, an English chef. I grew up in the shadow of the majestic Table Mountain and remember letting my imagination run wild as I conjured up faces and shapes within its contours.

  Since I was a child, I’ve always felt a strong connection to nature, be it with the sea or exploring the mountains in Southern Africa. I always felt I saw more than others with shapes, angles, colours…

  In 1999 I was accepted into an advertising and graphic design college. It turned out 

  I had very strong conceptual design and thinking skills. I won various bursaries and was the top student throughout college. 

  Creativity has always been like a best friend to me and a saving grace during difficult times in my life. I’ve had a wide range of experience in the creative industry, and I’ve dabbled in photography, above and below-the-line advertising, design, conceptualisation, illustration, and packaging… but something was missing. 

  In 2017 I had a go at my first painting of trees on a large canvass for my husband as a Christmas gift. I had never touched a canvas before and I had next to no experience of acrylic paint, other than finger painting as a child! It was an amazing experience, and something happened that inspired me.

  Since then, I’ve found a place in painting where my spirit feels at home. I visit the Lakes and the coast with my husband and 2 sons many times a year, where I feel myself melt into the landscapes and its surroundings. I photograph the beauty I see and feel, absorb the energy from mountains, gasp at the colours, wildness, and power of the natural world I stand within at that moment. These are times when I feel all my senses are at their peak. 

  When I return to our beautiful home in the Surrey Hills, I paint not only what I saw, but I’m inspired by what and how I felt too. I become the mountains, the sky, the clouds, the movement in the water and grass. How they are so different but joined to form a landscape. I feel a freedom and a connection to these elements through the paint and how I put it onto the canvas. It’s not just a painting, it’s a part of me and I love it.

• Simon Whitfield

  Simon Whitfield is a landscape artist born in Bristol. Self-taught, studying works by the romantic painters of the 19th century, such as William Turner. Simon’s life as an artist is one of constant adventure and renewal, an ongoing process of discovery. Influenced by British fell walker and author Alfred Wainwright, Simon aims to discover the many visual aspects of the Lake District, his subjects are inspired by the rocks, crags and high fell views across the Lake District National Park.

• Frances Winder

  "As an artist, the fleeting qualities of light and colour excite me. I am trying to grasp the internal qualities, the essential mood and spirit of place. Sometimes I use a straightforward, representational approach, but increasingly I am exploring the abstract. I love to experiment with texture and colour and follow themes and ideas of work, large and small"