News

Wedding commission

Finishing touches

This commission of Spaunton moor, has been the impetus Jim needed to work on a larger scale. He really enjoyed the challenge and was pleased with the final piece. A large number of people were behind this commission, which was a wedding gift for Paul and Emma. Family members and friends of the couple left gifts at The Zillah Bell Gallery to help purchase it. The finished painting can be seen on the archive page.

13th October

Sketching in Farndale

We managed to get out sketching once more before the chilly winds hit the moors……..this time on the far reaches of Farndale. Our party had grown to five, Sue joined us this time and Andrea Bailey was accompanied by Splosh, who sat quietly by her side. Andrew Cheetham raced ahead to find a great sheltered spot with amazing views. After our last painting excursion I decided to arm myself with a sketch pad bigger than Andrew's, but he was still better equipped than me…….. I’d forgotten the bulldog clips.

Jim, Andrea and Andrew will have an exhibition of their work in April 2009 at Zillah Bell, Thirsk, sketch books included.

A trip to St Abbs

1st-4th October

Managed to escape to St Abbs for a few days. I was so lucky with the weather , a massive swell hit the coast and, some sunshine to boot....spent most of my time sketching and taking pictures, it was perfect conditions for me, and I hope to produce some larger works from the reference I gathered there. The only down side was I postponed my surfing till the Saturday morning , when the forecast predicted a better surfing wave, unfortunately the swell totally disappeared and the rain was constant................ah well, you can't have it all................

Sketching on Rosedale Head

25th September 2008

Having talked about getting together for months, Jim, Andrea and Andrew finally met up for an afternoon of sketching, at one of Jim’s favourite places on the moors. It was a beautiful day, Andrea loved the greys in the clouds and the straggly dead branches of the heather, whilst Jim and Andrew drew inspiration from the intense colours on the moors at this time of year. All three, are artists who respond to what they see, rather than recalling images from memory.

Newcastle and Gateshead Art Fair

11th -14th September 2008

The second Newcastle and Gateshead Art Fair went extremely well for Michelle at Bianco Nero, a gallery we are exhibiting with in Stokesley. Last years first art fair was an exciting event showcasing a very high standard of work by artists from all over the country. The organisers Andy Balman (who set up and ran The Biscuit Factory) and Vincent Woods have been working to build on this success, to create an international art fair in the North East. Last year the event was staged in a huge marquee on the banks of the Tyne between the Baltic and the Sage. This year it was held in the beautiful arena of The Sage, and the attendance figures were good with a very busy Sunday for Michelle.

Commissions

We were talking to Andrea Bailey and Andrew Cheetham about commissions, something that fills Andrew and Jim with trepidation whilst Andrea is far too busy with felting, sculpting and generally enjoying her painting to worry about such things. The thought did occur, that the Queen may be the best person to do a commission for, as she has had so many portraits on her walls (and possibly in cupboards) that the commission is first and foremost about allowing the artist’s creativity to flow. I guess if you are an artist who can erase the thoughts of your prospective buyer’s expectations from your mind as you paint, then you can minimise their influence on the painting, but Jim seems to feel shackled from the moment they name their spot. However he now has not one, but two unrestrictive commissions, the first is to paint a beautiful area of the moors – Wheeldale - which, apart from the most aggravating midges, has been a joy to spend time in. The second is an encouraging but challenging loose moody interpretation of the moors, to be framed unglazed.

Something that caught the eye

September 2008

The fungi are absolutely amazing at the moment. Jim went back to photograph some, just a few days after he'd seen them on a bike ride, and although there weren't quite so many, he still found plenty to record examples of the variation in colour, shape and arrangement.

Focusing on the detail

Up on the moors, with a plentiful supply of rain this summer, the mosses are abundant and vibrant in colour. I love looking at the minute detail, whilst Jim’s first interest is the bigger picture.