Young blood, new ideas, fresh and contemporary, clean and crisp, punchy and eye-catching, are a few words that you could use to describe what will be on the walls at stand C7 at Ascot Racecourse next month.
Check out our line-up below:
]]>As with any event with open invitations, one can never be sure how it will turn out, but this one exceeded all expectations. It was a night to celebrate art, with a primary focus on the finalists and the exceptional quality of work they produced and submitted for the competition.
The Queens Hotel not only provided a stunning setting, but also generously served drinks and mouth-watering canapés, allowing guests to mingle and get to know one another. As the evening progressed past the halfway mark, the award presentation commenced in earnest, with me having the honour of introducing PJ Crook (MBE), an internationally renowned artist who thankfully lives in our neck of the woods.
PJ regaled us with delightful stories of her experiences as an artist, and shared her wisdom on what it takes to forge a successful career in this field. Her words resonated deeply with many, inspiring them to pursue their creative passions with renewed vigour.
PJ also had the enviable task of announcing the winners and runner-ups, and presenting them with certificates. Chenai emerged victorious in the schools category, followed closely by Costanza in second place. The announcement of Chenai's win was met with whoops of joy from her family, who were there to support her.
In the open category, Lousie Saward was declared the runner-up with her piece 'Disengaged', while first place was awarded to Jonathan Luxon for his mesmerising creation titled 'The Meeting Place'. Jonathan walked away with the main prize of £1000 and representation at Park Gallery. The winning and runner-up artworks from both categories are now on display at the gallery.
Overall, the awards night was a triumph of art, talent, and camaraderie, leaving everyone in attendance with a sense of joy and inspiration that will stay with them for a long time to come.
On April 20th an awards evening, to be held at The Queens Hotel in Cheltenham, will be the climax to an exciting art competition created by Park Gallery, an independently owned business located in Montpellier, Cheltenham. This art competition with the theme ‘New Life’ includes both an Open and Schools category and is thought to be the first of its kind for Cheltenham and Gloucester.
“I’ve never heard of a commercial art gallery running an art competition….as well as prize money offering to represent them in the art gallery!” – Nikki Seville, Project Leader, Cheltenham Christian Arts
With nearly 400 submissions, our judge PJ Crook MBE, an international artist based in Gloucestershire, has had her work cut out to whittle the entries down to eight finalists for the open category and four for the schools category. It’s no surprise that there have been so many entries when the first prize of £1k and representation at the gallery is up for grabs! And it’s not just budding local artists that have entered, the gallery has received submissions from as far and wide as Inverness to India!
This competition is a wonderful example of collaboration and support amongst Cheltenham based businesses and organisations, with Park Gallery partnering with The Christian Arts Festival, The Queens Hotel and the Cheltenham Education Partnership. It shows what can be achieved on a local scale between the commercial and charity sectors, and in this instance, to celebrate, support and give opportunity to budding artists and it’s happening right in the cultural heart of Cheltenham.
With representatives attending the awards evening from Park Gallery’s patrons and established artists, competition partners, friends, family and not least the finalists themselves, the evening will prove to be an exciting evening for everyone and an appropriate finale to the competition, and perhaps the start of something new for the winners!
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Park Gallery not only sells art but we want to encourage it too. The owner Darren, will be take you through relaxed, instructive and interactive lessons, aimed at anyone interested in drawing, regardless of your ability. Our aim is to equip you with the tools and confidence to enjoy portrait drawing.
So whether you've given it a go and given up, or you've never picked up a pencil before, you are more than welcome to join our merry band of aspiring artists!
]]>Martin has been a professional artist since 2003 and lives on the south coast of Dorset. He paints in the medium of oils on canvas in a diverse selection of subjects but his passion is figurative & portraiture studies.
Martin loves the challenge of translating the sensuality of the female form and the ever fleeting moment of mood and atmosphere, transposing the emotions and femininity to canvas. His paintings are evocative and thought provoking enabling the beauty and sensuality of women to be shown rather than their sexuality.
Martin touches on the poignancy of personal moments and the inter-relationships that occur when using live models. Skin tones are challenging and his work is realistic yet not photographic.
]]>Linda's inspiration comes from dramatic scenes and landscapes. She often revisits the places that inspire her at different times of day, in different light and weather conditions and in different seasons in order to capture the variations of light and textural qualities of a landscape and to bring new dimensions of scale and depth to her paintings.
Linda works in oils with a wide variety of brushes, knives and other implements and enjoys the freedom to create a rich and evocative world of colour, movement and texture.
]]>Daisy is a young, largely self taught contemporary artist from Oxfordshire. Before pursuing her art professionally in 2019, she graduated from Queen Mary University London with a Masters Degree in psychology. Using her background in psychology, Daisy built upon her previous skills as a painter by focusing her interest on how a painting can make someone feel and the emotive impact it may have.
Daisy paints with acrylics to depict a balance of calming tones and contrasting colours. Generally interpreting significant places, she uses texture and gold leaf to create depth, capturing the viewer by evoking memories, emotions and unique interpretation. Her work is inspired by places that she visits, memories and certain textures that she sees. Daisy's paintings feature on the Artistic Impressions page of Conde Nast's design and decoration magazine The World of Interiors September and October 2020 issues.
]]>Gill produces distinctive, intriguing and colourful interpretations of flowers that inspire her. No two paintings are ever the same; each is a unique piece of vibrant art. Gill’s personal style includes wispy floral details and stunning gold highlights to achieve original and captivating images.
]]>Original acrylic paintings on deep boxed canvas dipped in resin. Simply stunning.
]]>Beautifully framed watercolour and ink originals perfectly presented behind museum glass. They won't be with us for long...
]]>Twelve new paintings have just arrived at the Gallery and are with our framers right now. The new collection will be available in mid April. If you are a fan of Richard's work then you will know how quickly his works sells out so buy on line now to secure your favourite.
]]>Jan Nelson is a mainly self-taught artist, apart from 3 years study with the Open College of the Arts and has been painting for over 25 years.
Jan works full time from her studio in the lovely East Neuk of Fife and with the sea nearby her painting can be combined with her other great love of sailing. She makes regular trips around the coast of Britain and particularly to the West Coast of Scotland both for sailing and to observe the changing scenery and find new ideas for her work.
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Martin has been a professional artist since 2003 and lives on the south coast of Dorset. He paints in the medium of oils on canvas in a diverse selection of subjects but his passion is figurative & portraiture studies.
Martin loves the challenge of translating the sensuality of the female form and the ever fleeting moment of mood and atmosphere, transposing the emotions and femininity to canvas. His paintings are evocative and thought provoking enabling the beauty and sensuality of women to be shown rather than their sexuality. Martin touches on the poignancy of personal moments and the inter-relationships that occur when using live models. Skin tones are challenging and his work is realistic yet not photographic.
Natural light is an important factor in Martin's work and as he lives on the south coast there are many opportunities to study light changes throughout the day as nature provides an abundance of images for the artist’s eye to perceive.
Martin has sold his work worldwide and we are delighted to announce the arrival of his brand new collection of paintings.
]]>“I am motivated by the figure but not in a way of trying to simply imitate but to go beyond the appearance and capture what is sensed but not seen, an atmosphere a mood the energy that surrounds the figure. I try to represent these sensual characteristics by the abstract way l apply the paint and yet leave elements of the figure for the viewer to find.”
]]>Available on line to Click and Collect or for posting anywhere in the world.
]]>Now that we have re-opened seven days a week between 11am and 4pm right up until Christmas Eve they won't be with us for long...
]]>Oliver Pyle is a painter and photographer from Sussex. He has established himself as a highly successful and sought after landscape artists, predominantly focusing on UK scenes which he considers to be a rich source of inspiration.
"The British landscape is unique. There is so much diversity that can be found on such a relatively small island; be it the windswept spaces of Ashdown Forest in Sussex or the dramatic jagged coastline of the West Country. I understand the frustrations that the British weather confers but as an artist it creates endless opportunities, with the changing light always adding a fresh perspective to each scene"
]]>Katharine Dove works from her studio in Montpellier in the heart of Cheltenham. Inspired by the seasonal changes of her surroundings – the Regency buildings, colourful parks and trees of Cheltenham Katharine is drawn to the natural world existing alongside the built environment.
By employing a variety of techniques and experimenting with different media, vibrant colours and textiles Katharine creates interesting effects leaving the subject recognisable but with space for the imagination.
“Colour and texture are key to my work. Painting gives me such pleasure and I hope that my work will give pleasure to others.”
]]>Nicky Chubb originally trained as a designer (BA hons Fashion, Central St Martins 1993) and the influence of her love of textiles can be seen in her use of colour, texture and pattern.
Nicky's work is essentially optimistic and the emotions she aims to evoke are hope and happiness. The trees and big skies of the countryside around her home, and the sense of time and belonging that watching them through the seasons brings, are a huge inspiration to her as she tries to capture a sense of air and movement as she paints.
Nicky's paintings are in mixed media, either quick, gestural drawings or multi-layered combinations of ink, paint, collage and resin.
]]>David Cope is inspired by the desire to paint different breeds of cattle and sheep predominantly, in contemporary colourful ways from his base in Herefordshire.
"I love texture and breaking down the images I photograph into many layers of paint to achieve a unique style and blend of colours to represent my woolly beasts."
David is a self taught artist and took up painting just over seven years ago after an illness. Art became his therapy, his friend and indeed his future.
David works largely in acrylics but does use oils on occasions. Fingers, brushes and palette knives are used to create his overall effect.
"I aim to inspire the viewer with a different approach, hoping they feel the energy I have put into creating each painting. The pleasure I have gained in creating my images will hopefully ripple through to be felt and enjoyed."
]]>Richard Briggs is both an illustrator and fine artist. Having lived in Egypt and Gambia and travelled extensively a variety of cultures and architectural styles influence his work. His particular love of town and cityscapes is realised in fine pen and ink with a watercolour wash giving both a warmth and vibrancy to both his urban and rural scenes.
Richard currently lives in the South West of England but still travels widely, his style has remained popular and in demand in both galleries and for commissioned work.
]]>Christmas is coming and we have put together a fabulous collection of gifts from many of our favourite makers.
We have selected over 100 gifts, all of which are under £100 for you to choose from. So, grab your Christmas list, get comfy and browse to your hearts content.
And, to make things even better for you we will package and post everything for you free of charge. Just use the code FREE when you are checking out.
]]>Daisy paints with acrylics to depict a balance of calming tones and contrasting colours. Generally interpreting significant places, she uses texture and gold leaf to create depth, capturing the viewer by evoking memories, emotions and unique interpretation. Her work is inspired by places that she visits, memories and certain textures that she sees. Daisy's paintings feature on the Artistic Impressions page of Conde Nast's design and decoration magazine The World of Interiors September and October 2020 issues.
]]>Katy Barnfield is a Cheltenham based artist who started working with her unique medium of carbon fibre and resin at the age of 13.
Annoying her Dad in the shed until he let her polish moulds and help with small projects, Katy gained the skills & experience to work on various kit car repairs, moulds & displays.
Katy has studied Art & Design, Graphic Design, 3D Design and Creative Digital Media at many levels including degree level. During her studies Katy developed huge respect for designers, urban artists and a passion for all things pop art.
Katy worked on combining the structure and laminating skills that her Dad had given her with the creative and experimental qualities developed while studying and created a unique process that allows her to produce artwork with carbon fibre & resin. There is nothing else like it, super high gloss finish, 3D like quality and completely original.
Katy explains... “Everything is signed K8TB because without the years of experience passed on from Dad (Terry Barnfield) I wouldn’t be doing what I love.”
Katy’s work is heavily influenced by motor sport & has attracted the attention of McLaren's F1 driver Lando Norris, Lamborghini Edinburgh & social media influencer Lenny Urban of Urban Automotive who have all commissioned artwork
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