I’ve been busy in the studio over the last week selecting work to go out to different venues over the period running up to Christmas. Having spent time this summer making new work, there comes a point when one has to allow it out into the daylight!

Which pieces to send where? Will the clientele of the gallery down South prefer slightly different work to the North Eastern venues? And how to interpret the exhibition themes? Then there is the need to select the right balance of framed and unframed work, small and large and expensive and less costly! Eventually a decision has to be made! The work travelling to Salisbury will be entrusted with the ever-reliable Aardvark art couriers while local work will be delivered in person. Unusually,  one of the local galleries has asked me to hang the work myself  - so I can’t complain about my work not being hung correctly!

You will find my original prints (including some new work) at the following venues between now and February:

• For the Love of The North’s new Corbridge shop

  • November 4th to January 11th 2020

• ‘Spruce and Splendour’ Exhibition at the Fisherton Mill Gallery, Salisbury, Wiltshire

  • November 7th to January 2nd 2020

• ‘Inspired by Our Land’ Exhibition at The Sill Landscape Discovery Centre, beside Hadrian’s Wall, Bardon Mill, Northumberland

  • November 8th to February 29th 2020.

You can read a little about each of them below.

For The Love Of The North (FTLOTN), Corbridge, Northumberland

I first came into contact with Paul and Lucy, owners of For the Love of the North (FTLOTN) through one of my students,  Wendy Boomhower.  Wendy recommended their new shop in Whitley Bay as a possible outlet for some of my products back in 2017.  Together with his other half Lucy, they spotted a gap in the market for high quality North East themed gifts, prints and cards that were sourced directly from artists who live and work in the North East of England. 

I noticed on Instagram that another artist, whose work and commercial nouse I hugely respect, Corinne Lewis-Ward of Powder Butterfly had also started selling through them. This gave me the confidence to pop in one day while Chris and I were out on gallery deliveries to take a look. Having introduced ourselves it soon became apparent to us that here was a couple with whom we would love to work with!

Fast forward to 2019, Paul and Lucy, opened their third shop under the FTLOTN brand name on the Market Place in Corbridge. Between the opening of their first shop, followed by their pop-up shop at The Stack in Newcastle in 2018 and now Corbridge, they have been nominated for numerous awards - Northern Soul’s Top 50 Great Northerners; finalists in the Tourism Superstar Awards run by VisitBritain; this year they’ve been shortlisted as finalists for the Best Small Shop’s award sponsored by Indie Retail, Booost and Near St.

Paul and Lucy have rapidly made a name for themselves gaining national recognition for revelling in all things Northern. This Christmas I will be their featured artist on their Corbridge shop gallery wall. My selection will include original variable editions of some of the products they stock in the shop alongside some brand new original prints. Do call in!

‘SPRUCE AND SPLENDOUR’, THE FISHERTON MILL GALLERY, Salisbury, Wiltshire

We met Debbie, the owner of the Fisherton Mill Gallery, and Lauren, the gallery manager, when they visited my stand at The British Craft Trade Fair this spring. They were hugely enthusiastic about my work and keen to include it in their summer printmakers exhibition.  At the time all my work was fully committed to other galleries in different parts of the country. Lauren kindly extended an invitation to take part in their Christmas Exhibition entitled ‘Spruce and Splendour’ which I was delighted to accept!

Fisherton Mill Gallery is located in one of Salisbury’s most beautifully restored buildings. It claims to be the largest independent gallery in the South West. It includes a gallery, twelve artists studios, a gift shop and a multi-award winning cafe that is currently in the 2019 Good Food Guide. I’ve since discovered that a Northumberland-based artist friend, Mary Hayward, was herself a studio tenant at Fisherton Mill some years ago. Fisherton Mill - gallery, shop and cafe all have the Mary Hayward seal of approval!

If you live in Wiltshire, either in or near Salisbury, or you have friends or family, who live there, or indeed you may be planning to visit that part of the country yourself over the Christmas period, why not pop in? It is an opportunity to see a selection of my original prints ‘in the flesh’ so why not make a day of it and treat yourself to an original!

‘Inspired by Our Land’, THE SILL LANDSCAPE DISCOVERY CENTRE, NORTHUMBERLAND

I feel immensely privileged to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the UK, my adopted home of Northumberland. The wide skies, broad landscapes, rich bird life, abundant wild flowers and pre and post Roman archeology provide a constant source of inspiration for my printmaking.

The Sill Landscape Discovery Centre, which opened its doors in 2017, is dedicated to celebrating this landscape and therefore I was delighted to be invited for a second year to exhibit at the Sill’s Winter selling exhibition ‘Inspired by Our Land’ selling exhibition.  I will be joined by other regional artists all of us presenting our personal interpretation of the landscapes of the Northumberland National Park.  Combined with a walk on the Wall and lunch at the Sill Cafe or a nearby pub, a visit to Inspired by Our Land sounds like the perfect winter’s day out!