As the evenings start to draw in, our thoughts turn to home and a good fire in the hearth.
To set the scene a gallery near Kington marks the beauty of the changes of the season, and introduce its special Autumn Exhibition combined with h.Art entitled ‘Quiet Birds in Circled Flight’.
The exhibition at Old Chapel Gallery, Pembridge will run until the end of October, promoting the work of talented British artists and makers from around the county and beyond.
Heading the line-up is artist Lynda Jones.
Her mysterious canvases and drawings are mostly depictions of the Monmouth landscape, and its rolling hills, that surrounds her – the final image often bears little relation to the original subject but all have a common starting point – the memory of a place she knows well. Even when working on a larger scale, a tiny detail, such as a soaring kite, will intrigue and draw the viewer in.
Sought after artist Ann McCay is showing at the gallery for the second time.
Her paintings convey a sense of space and have a strong narrative element.
Settings are theatrical, often portraying man-made structures within natural vegetation.
The eye is led along paths, through windows and into doorways. The familiar is made strange through the use of intense colour and light. The juxtaposition of images and archetypal nature of the figures inspires the viewer to create their own story.
Rachel Wright, who is back by popular demand, is inspired by many subjects, including landscapes, seascapes, wildlife, harbour towns, boats, lighthouses and windmills. These themes are then translated into machine embroidered fabric collages, using vibrant threads, worked onto carefully cut pieces of fabric.
This enables Rachel to draw and paint through fabric and stitch, providing a rich source of colour, texture and pattern which forms her ‘palette’ and the threads are used like a fine paintbrush to fill in the details.
Rachel’s trademark is her use of striking, rich colour, which captivates and draws the viewer in. Her aim is simply to delight the eye.
Stained glass artist Jane Littlefield is inspired by the nature, history and folklore of her home in the Peak District and deeply influenced by medieval stained glass.
Using age old techniques, she has developed her own contemporary style in which traditional glass paints create multi-layered and textured images on small panels that are then fired in the kiln.
Rachel Sumner is a mixed media artist working mainly with found objects such as driftwood and metal. She collects the materials for her pieces during the winter when there are storms and not so many people about, and assembles them during the summer in her shed, hand painting the details and finishing the assemblages with beeswax.
Kathryn O’Kell has been making woodcarvings for over 30 years. In a methodical, almost meditative process, she transforms her chosen medium, specifically English lime, into carefully sanded and painted pieces.
She has only to look out of her shed window and her inspiration – the birds that have always fascinated her – can be found flying past, circling overhead or resting on the woodshed.
Rachel Bailey’s jewellery explores her love of wild creatures, our native animals and birds and magical realms.
The semi precious stones she uses are an integral part of her inspiration as they suggest landscapes that the creatures may inhabit. Each piece is individually made and therefore unique, in sterling silver and hallmarked in Sheffield.
The gallery is open every day from 11am until 5pm through h.Art week from September 6 to 14
Otherwise it is open from Wednesday to Saturday 11am – 4.30pm, and on a Sunday from 12am until 4pm
This exhibition will run till the end of October 2025
For more information contact Yasmin on 01544 388842 or visit www.oldchapelgallery.co.uk.