North Yorkshire Open Studios

NYOS Update!

I hope you managed to get over to Masham this weekend to check out the Open Studios (more info below). If not, do not fear! Open Studios is open again next weekend for two days. But after that, it’s gone for another year, so cancel any plans you have for next friday and saturday, grab your NYOS guide and plan a route. And most importantly, don’t forget to visit Masham. Up at ArtisOn this weekend, locally-based artists Ian Scott-Massie, Josie Beszant and Charlotte Morrison have been chatting to visitors, displaying their work and demonstrating their artistic skills. To tempt you into visiting next weekend, here are a few snaps of the work on show…

Get down there before its too late. North Yorkshire Open Studios continues on the 18th and 19th of June, 10.30am – 5.30pm.

Please note: the rest of this blog entry was written before NYOS began, so some of it may sound a little out of date!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the bank holiday weekend and are currently enjoying the beautiful weather! Thinking of visiting Masham in the next few weeks? Want to know what’s going on in the area? Allow me to suggest something…

 North Yorkshire Open Studios is about to take place over the 2nd and 3rd weekends in June. Artists from all over the county open their doors and allow curious visitors to see them at work, and maybe even invest in an original work straight from it’s creator. Here in Masham we have 4 artists involved in the event, 3 of which have chosen to display their work, and give demonstrations, at our local creative arts venue, ArtisOn.

Here are the artists you can see during Open Studios…

Ian Scott Massie

Ian’s vibrant landscapes are on display in galleries around the country, but his principal outlet is The Gallery. His work often focuses on specific towns, cities and individual buildings around The Dales and the North. Previous themed exhibitions have included the buildings of York, Fountains Abbey, and the Lake District.

Josie Beszant

Josie uses old photographs as a starting point in much of  her work. Focusing on the anonymous people in these pictures, Josie uses collage techniques and a range of two and three-dimensional objects to suggest a hidden story, and create an identity.

Josie has exhibited her work in galleries and arts venues around Yorkshire and The North. She also owns and manages The Gallery.

Charlotte Morrison

Charlotte hand-builds her quirky decorative and functional objects from porcelain, and often embellishes them with unusual textures or hand painted designs. Historical events, and Victorian style is the main inspiration behind her work, and many of the textures found in her teacups, buttons and tealight-holders are created by pressing vintage objects such as keys and wall-paper into the soft clay.

Charlotte has been commissioned by NYOS to design a limited edition teacup specially for the open studios event. The commission was open to any artists in the area, and is based on the theme ‘Time for Tea’. Charlotte’s Custard Tart-inspired cup and saucer was the winning entry, and the cup is one sale at carious venues throughout the two week period, including The Gallery.

Charlotte, Ian and Josie are all displaying their work at ArtisOn during the open studios event.

Hester Cox

Hester has been involved with the open studios for the last few years, and invites visitors to her home in Masham, where her front room serves as a permanent studio. Hester designs limited edition collagraph and solarplate prints that are inspired by the natural landscape. The process involved in creating each print is lengthy and complex, and during the open studios event visitors will be able to see the tools involved and the various stages the print goes through before completion.

North Yorkshire Open Studios opens on Friday June 10th, and runs over the weekend. The studios are then open again for the following weekend (commencing June the 18th). On the evening of Friday the 10th, an evening preview will be held at ArtisOn, if you fancy popping along for a glass of wine. During this evening event ArtisOn will also be launching their second 2011 course schedule, and a 10% discount will be available to visitors who book a course on the night!

In fact, Masham is awash with arty events that evening, as Border House Teas on Masham market place is holding a book signing for local based renowned water-colourist Simon Palmer, who has released a retrospective book of paintings. Books will be available on the evening, and subsequently at The Gallery. So if you’re thinking of visiting Masham and The Dales in the next few weeks, you know when to come for a weekend of culture!

Hi everyone!

I don’t know about you, but it seems like an eternity since new year! Thankfully, March is nearly here, and here at The Gallery we have a few things to get excited about….

After a well-deserved post-Christmas break, our local creative hub ArtisOn opened it’s doors again on February 12th for a rather unusual workshop…Knicker Printing! This year the course programme is incredibly varied, and although some courses are full, there are still plenty of spaces left on a wide range of creative and exciting workshops. Check out the course programme here.

So what else is going on in March? Well, we are ecstatic to have finalised our exhibition schedule for 2011! This year for the first time we are holding two open exhibitions, so that we get the chance to see some exciting new work from artists who may not have worked with The Gallery before. have you can read more about this below.And we certainly have some things to look forward to  - one being the British Craft Trade Fair, one of the most important dates in any craft maker or craft gallery owner’s calendar.

It also allows new and emerging craft makers an oppurtunity to promote themselves to a huge number of potential suppliers. Every year a little team of us from The Gallery head over to theBCTF for a day to find exciting new suppliers and catch up with our existing ones.

Heres some of The Gallery’s suppliers that we originally discovered at the BCTF….

Becky Crow

Becky’s nature-inspired jewellery has been incredibly popular since we first ordered from her at the BCTF a few years ago. We love her animal designs in particular, including these pheasant cufflinks.

Virginia Graham

Virginia’s floral ceramics have been some of my absolute favourites for some years, and I’ve always looked forward to visiting her stand at the BCTF. Last year The Gallery started stocking a selection of this stunning and quirky kitchenware, and I never tire of looking at it!

Melanie Tomlinson

Melanie’s stand at the BCTF is particularly eye-catching, as she displays a dressmaker’s dummy completely covered with her tin insect and bird brooches! Our visitors and delighted and a little squeamish about these highly detailed and unique pieces of jewellery.

Tea and Sympathy – 27/5/11 – 27/6/11

For the last few months I’ve been mentioning The Gallery’s 2011 exhibition schedule, without giving much away. Well, I am pleased to our blog readers the first of four shows this year, Tea and Sympathy. This year’s North Yorkshire Open Studio‘s is following the theme of tea, so we thought we’d align our first show’s theme with theirs, especially since NYOS will be during our exhibition. Tea and sympathy is the first of 2 open exhibitions The Gallery is running this year, and we are currently accepting submissions to exhibit.

Call for artists – how to apply

If you are interested in applying, please send 4 images plus an artist’s statement and an idea of the type and size of work you would like to exhibit. We are looking for work that linked to the title, is presented to a high standard and is perhaps slightly quirky. All pieces must be for sale and retail for under £1000. Deadline for submissions is March 31st.

Please contact Josie or Rosie for more information;

Email:- enquiry@mashamgallery.co.uk

We look forward to your entries – please mention our blog when you apply, it will make us smile!

Website of the Month

Katgotthecream- The blog of Kathryn Sharman

This month I have chosen a blog, which belongs to an attendee of my recent recycled jewellery workshop at ArtisOn. Kathryn Sharman is a creative enthusiast who writes about anything crafty and interesting. Take a look through this blog and you’ll find lots of inspiring ideas and finds. Enjoy!

That’s all from me for now – enjoy March, lets hope that’s the last of the snow!

Rosie

Something for a rainy day …

I don’t think you can beat a bank holiday weekend, whether you have sunshine or rain, it’s a free day for most people. Here at The Gallery we are mid-way through our current exhibition, Roofs and Branches by Janis Goodman. The show has been going brilliantly so far and has been well received by so many visitors (just take a look at our exhibition book when you pop in!). Roofs and Branches runs until June 21st, so you still have plenty of time to pop in and see it. If you can’t drop by but would like to see the show, why not visit our website by clicking on the image below – we have all the pictures from the exhibition online for you to peruse at your leisure – we just think of everything!

As well as our first online exhibition, The Gallery has now published our first book. Roofs and Branches accompanies Janis Goodman’s exhibition, and as well as featuring the complete collection of work from the show, Janis explains the inspiration behind the much of the work and describes the techniques and care that is involved in producing her intricately detailed etchings.

The exhibition book is £15 and can be viewed at and ordered from The Gallery. I must say it’s an excellent read! The idea of creating a book for the exhibition came from one of our regular exhibitors Ian Scott Massie, who has produced accompanying books for many of his recent shows. His current exhibition, From William’s Words, inspired by the work of William Wordsworth and on display at Rydal Mount (Wordsworth’s final home), also has an accompanying book. Josie (The Gallery’s creator) has also produced a book for her solo show, Lost and Found, which is currently on display at Farfield Mill, Sedburgh. We will be producing books for our other solo exhibitions this year, and all the aformentioned books are available to order from us. Theres enough to fill your bookshelves! Click on the images below for more info.

At least with all this reading material we’ll all have something to occupy us on these rainy days! Have a lovely June!

Tired of Chocolate? Have some Art!

The long Easter weekend has just passed and The Gallery has been very busy indeed! Despite the ever-changing weather Masham has still been a great place to spend the Bank Holiday.

Now we are back to normality we have begun preparations for our spring/summer exhibition.

Printmaker Janis Goodman has exhibited in many group shows at The Gallery and has been a regular supplier of ours for some years. This year we finally have the opportunity to showcase a solo exhibition of Janis’ work. Roofs and Branches will feature existing and brand new etchings, as well as some rare coloured pencil drawings. We are very pleased to unveil this piece – titled ‘Still snow, Masham’, Janis’s first ever etching of Masham!

Roofs and Branches opens May 14^th until June 21^st – watch this space for more details nearer the time!

As for now, our first exhibition of the year, Far From The Madding Crowd is still on display for a few weeks, so if you haven’t seen it yet don’t forget to drop by. The exhibition features work by gallery regulars Rosie Scott Massie, Josie Beszant, Pamela Knight, John Degnan, Mary Farnell and Rachel McEwan as well as emerging ceramic artist Charlotte Morrison. See last month’s blog for more info about Charlotte’s work.

We have a few new lovely things in The Gallery this month – Kusan, the makers of our popular felt handbags have created some new designs which are now in stock – we particularly love these flower bags! We also have fresh supplies of felt flowers, pens and brooches.

Enjoy the remainder of your Easter chocolate!

Happy Easter from Masham Gallery

Easter is fast approaching and we have got in a few lovely new things to celebrate it! Our newest ceramicist Amanda Mercer has sent us these sweet Easter ceramic gift tags, which could give a little Easter basket a pretty and creative touch. Amanda has also made some gorgeous new nests – this time filled with ceramic ‘Mini’ eggs! Just in case you are sick of all the chocolate….

And for real eggs we have really cool cosies! Black Rabbit, the makers behind our Lavender bods have created some lovely knitted Egg Cosies in quirky animal designs.

Our spring exhibition Far From The Madding Crowd opened on Saturday and looks great, see for yourself…

The exhibitions features new work from Pamela Knight, Rosie Scott Massie, John Degnan, Mary Farnell, Josie Beszant and Charlotte Morrison, a local ceramic artist who recently graduated with a degree in Applied Arts from The University of Cumbria. Charlotte works with Paper Clay, an extremely thin and delicate material made from watered down clay (‘Slip’) and synthetic fibre or pulped paper. Her latest work explores the history of the Leeds Pals – a battalion of soldiers from Yorkshire who trained near Masham. The paper clay structures are imprinted with photographs and information about the men who served in the Leeds Pals and their shape is inspired by used shell casings found at the training ground. Charlotte has only just started to exhibit her work so we are really pleased to have her beautiful pieces in the gallery!

Far from the Madding Crowd runs until April 16^th, so make sure you pop in and see us before then. Also, don’t forget to check out our Make-At-Home blog, which features a look into the work of English street – artist Slinkachu this month.

One more thing…The Gallery is having a little make over this month Josie finally decided to retire our wooden shelving (some of which has been with us since the start!) and replace it with sleek new metal display shelves, which I think you’ll agree look fantastic!

We also are pleased to announce that The Gallery is once again offering a bespoke framing service – come in and check out our mouldings!

Have a great Easter!

October-Fest!

Autumn is definitely here – we had gale force winds here yesterday and Masham is littered with piles of leaves and the odd broken tree branch.  As always the Gallery is an ocean of calm – particularly in one of our windows where we have a beautiful display of delicate and intricately patterned lampshades by Lush designs. The shades are made from hand-printed paper designed by Maria Livings and are available in a range of sizes, colours and designs.

To accompany the lampshades we have these lovely hanging wooden birds (also by Lush designs). These come flat packed and are easy as pie to put together – they look great in windows or hung from your Lush lampshade!

We’re tapping into the vintage trend this season with some new jewellery. Lost and Found necklaces are made mostly from recycled jewellery and other intriguing objects (look closely and you may find some hand-cast resin with tiny treasures encased inside). Each piece is hand-made and completely unique – prices start at around £20.

Forget the ocean of calm, now that I think about it there’s loads going on! Don’t forget the two most exciting events this October – the start of our next exhibition, ‘Still’, is just around the corner. For more information visit our site or check out September’s blog.

If that wasn’t good enough, this month sees the long-awaited arrival of the Masham Arts Festival 2009. From the 23^rd to the 31^st of this month Masham will be overrun with fun, frolics, music and lots of creativity. There are simply far too many amazing events packed into the week so check out the Festival’s website and don’t forget to book for the events you like – tickets are selling fast!

That’s all from me, have a great October and a happy Halloween.

For Masham Arts Festival info:

www.mashamarts.com

For us!

www.mashamgallery.co.uk

Make – At – Home Project 1: Funky Flower Brooch

Welcome to The Gallery’s new Make-At-Home section where we will be igniting your creativity with a series of exciting craft activities. Follow the simple steps and you’re your very own unique craft items.

This quirky and eye-catching brooch is incredibly simple to make, and is a great way of using up any old bits of fabric, ribbons, buttons, beads or sequins you have lying around (as we all have these lying around I’m sure). You have free reign to decide the size, shape and colour of your creation   – to demonstrate I’m using blue and yellow felt (pansy – inspired) with matching buttons.

You will need:

At least 3 pieces of fabric (you may need more if the fabric you’re using is particularly thin) for the main part of your brooch (and a tiny amount for the backing).

Buttons, beads or sequins of your choice for the added decoration.

A brooch back (easy to come by in craft shops, on ebay or off your old brooches)

Or, if no brooch back is to be found, a medium sized safety pin is a decent substitute.

A needle and thread, or for the super speedy approach, super glue.

STEP ONE:

Your three pieces of fabric will be layered on top of one another – decide which you would like on the bottom/middle/top. Cut each piece of fabric into a simple flower shape. The bottom piece needs to be the largest, the top piece needs to be the smallest, and the middle needs to be…well, somewhere in the middle.

STEP TWO:

Arrange your fabric pieces on top of one another like so:

STEP THREE:

Grab a handful of your buttons/beads and arrange them on your fabric flower. To attach, sew the buttons through all the pieces of fabric so that they become attached together. *

*If you are using super glue only you will need to attach each layer of fabric together with a blob of glue in the centre of each piece.

STEP FOUR:

Turn your flower over – there will be a tangle of crossed threads on the back. To cover this unsightly mess, cut a circular piece of fabric and attach with super glue.

If you have a brooch back, attach to your brooch with super glue. If, like me, you are using a safety pin, cut a small rectangle of fabric, thread through your safety pin and super glue to your brooch. Make sure the opening side of the safety pin is facing up!

And VOILA! Your very own unique flower brooch! Attach to anything you like (we’ve used one of The Gallery’s lovely bags to demonstrate).

Remember to check out the website regularly for more Make – At – Home ideas.

For fun art and craft workshops check out Masham Arts Festival 23^rd – 31^st October 2009.

www.mashamarts.com

Summer at The Gallery

Summer has finally arrived here in Masham and suddenly everyone is too hot, but we’re doing our best to enjoy the weather and are trying not to distract ourselves too much with Wimbledon on the gallery computer! Take to the Skies, which opened last month, has received some great feedback and is putting everyone in the summer mood. If you haven’t managed to catch it yet, the flight-inspired show featuring new work by Hester Cox, Janis Goodman, Rosie Scott Massie, Elizabeth Price and Josie Beszant  – it continues until August 4th.

This month we have a few new additions to The Gallery, in the form of Stitched Ceramics and Stitch & Silver jewellery. Despite the similarity in name, these two makers create very different work, all of which I’m sure you’ll love.

Laura Bradshaw-Heap is the designer/maker behind Stitch and Silver jewellery. Laura collects broken jewellery and uses the buttons, beads, charms and fabric from it to create tiny installations, which are then set in resin and encased in sterling silver. Each piece is unique and the designs come in a range of colours.

Stitched Ceramics are the creations of Catherine Ball, who combines porcelain with buttons, thread and lace to create beautifully delicate functional pieces. Our favourites are her tea light holders, which reflect their imprinted lace pattern onto nearby surfaces when lit. These handmade beauties are £10 each and are perfect for summer evenings in the garden.

Shop Local this Easter at The Gallery

This month we launch our first exhibition of the year, Four seasons in one day. You know, the one we’ve been harping on about for ages! Well, if we’re excited its because its going to be beautiful, as you can see by this little taster by Ian Scott Massie. The exhibition opens on the 17^th, and if you re on the Gallery mailing list you should be getting your invite to the preview through the post any day now. If you would like to join our mailing list, and get exclusive news and offers, as well as invites to future exhibition previews, simply go to the ‘Contact Us’ section of our website.

Another exciting addition at The Gallery this month is Shop Local North Yorkshire. This ingenious scheme supports local businesses in the area while rewarding their loyal customers. Pop into The Gallery or any other participating shop and you can sign up for a shop local loyalty card costing £2.50. This handy little item helps you support your local businesses and will save you money, as shops adopting this scheme run cardholder-only offers and discounts. For example, a Shop Local card holder can enjoy 10% off all toys at The Gallery this month. Check out the website www.shoplocalny.co.uk for more information on where you can buy/use your loyalty card.

April is always an exciting month in The Gallery, as it marks the welcome return of the British Craft Trade Fair in Harrogate. This fantastic fair showcases some of the best artists, jewellers and craft makers working in the UK today, and is a highlight in any craft gallery’s calendar. We’ll be putting on our most comfortable shoes and heading over for a day of seeking out unique and covetable creations for the gallery. Pop in and see us later in the month and you may find some new work on display.

Happy Easter everyone!

Happy New Year from The Gallery

We had a great Christmas here at The Gallery, particularly in our ever-growing toy department. We have been expanding our educational toy selection, particularly focusing on younger children, and now have a much larger range of beautiful wooden jigsaws and puzzles. Also available now are some gorgeous accessories for little ones, including funky fair-trade rucksacks and pencil cases, and colourful felt necklaces. The toy room looked fairly cleared out by Christmas eve, but is being re-filled as I write!

January is of course a quiet time, and our opening hours over this period are reduced to the following:

Monday and Thursday: Closed

Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 11am – 4pm

Saturday: 10am – 5pm

Sunday: 1pm – 5pm

This doesn’t mean we are taking any time off! We are planning a great exhibition schedule for this year, featuring a number of artists never seen before at The Gallery. Details will soon be available on the Gallery site. We are also working extensively on the website to bring you new exciting features and information on all our latest stockists, so keep checking up on us to see what’s new!

Our featured artist section will include lots of the artists involved in our exhibitions this year, so if you see something you like in the shop you can learn more about them online.

As usual we have a great range of paintings and prints on display all year round. We currently have some beautiful abstracts by new artist Katie Street, as well as new works by popular local artist Rachel Stainsby.

We hope you have a great January and look forward to seeing you soon!

#mce_temp_u