View Over Digley Reservoir Pastel Drawing

This is my latest piece of art work. It's a pastel drawing of a view across Digley Reservoir in the Holme Valley. Size= 294x420mm . Medium= Pastel on Cartridge Paper. As this piece would be sold unmounted and unframed it's a bargain at only £20! If you are interested in buying it please contact me via rebecca.greensides@hotmail.co.uk.

I took loads of pictures of Digley when I went walking there recently on a beautiful (and rare!) sunny Sunday afternoon, so I might do a series of pastel drawings of Digley like this.

So, not only would this be the first drawing in a series of 'Digley Views', it is also my first ever pastel drawing (in colour at least, I did a life drawing class when I was a teenager and drew in black pastel then!).

I was inspired to do a pastel drawing of Digley after seeing Judith Tucker's drawings at Malkin House Barn at the Holmfirth Arts Festival in June. I love the countryside surrounding Holmfirth and thought her drawings captured the area beautifully- inspired me to have a go myself.

NOAC

This came to my attention through a HOST tweet. I'm sure I've mentioned HOST on here before, its an open studios trail going on in Kirklees this September. For more details visit http://www.hoststudios.co.uk.

I'm excited about the NOAC- need to get a wiggle on and make my entry!

In addition to HOST, don't forget the Beyond Limits exhibit starts in Chatsworth House's Garden on September 7th and runs to October 30th 2012. For my info visit http://www.chatsworth.org and go to the events section.

And there's the September Art Walk in Wakefield on Wednesday September 26th. Lots to look forward to x

Wakefield Art Walk 2012

My friend Kevin tweeted about this event the other day and piqued my interest- now I can't wait to go!!!

The Wakefield Art Walk blurb says-

Welcome to the Artwalk

Take a walk on the wild side and experience Wakefield’s alternative night out! Every other month, venues across Wakefield come alive with a variety of visual arts and crafts, live music, and performances. All are welcome, so slip on some comfy shoes and come and enjoy the art on offer whilst you explore our city!

Artwalk Dates 2012

• Wednesday 25th January
• Wednesday 28th March
• Wednesday 30th May
• Wednesday 25th July
• Wednesday 26th September
• Wednesday 28th November

Kevin tweeted that he had been dropping off art work for the Art Walk so I assume he means he's exhibiting in the July art walk. Sadly, I won't be able to attend in July but I'm definitely going to the September one (already agreed the early finish at work!) and can't wait! It sounds like such a fab idea, and I intend to get there early enough to make a second visit to the wonderful Hepworth Gallery (more on that in a future post).

If I, in turn, have now piqued your interest in Wakefield Art Walk have a look at their website at http://artwalk.org.uk and/ or find them on Twitter (@Artwalk_Wake) and Facebook- http://en-gb.facebook.com/artwalk.wakefield.

Don't forget to check out/ like/ share my Facebook page to athttp://www.facebook.com/pages/BekhaG/366488380072426

Thank you!

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

I've extolled the virtues of YSP many times on this blog and frankly, I'm going to do it again now! Despite the fact the parking charge has rocketed from £5 to £7.50!!!

Chris and I visited the weekend before last and mercifully it only rained on us twice! YSP is always a wonderful afternoon out though, whatever the weather- there's usually something new to see every few months in addition to all the regular sculptures that live there full time.

This year and last YSP has also opened up walk ways all around the Lakes which used to be closed off to visitors, but now make an excellent addition to the park. I can not recommend YSP enough and below are some photos to illustrate my point, taken over various visits- I've got tons more but didn't want to upload them all!

This is the 'Bonnet' by Ursula Von Rydingsvard. It doesn't look like anything special but once you step inside the way the daylight illuminates the interior is really beautiful, and there's a rather cold and echoy feel to it.

These are the wonderful seated men by Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz. I think they're great- eerie and foreboding. Like a line of spectators just staring at you, silent and unresponsive- unnervingly.

Chris sitting in the newly accessible Greek temple, with stunning views over the lake. This is in part of the newly opened wooded walk ways that were previously closed off to visitors.

A view of the house from another part of the newly- opened- to- visitors area, with lots of evil Canadian geese on the foreground!

A magnificent sculpture by Anthony Caro. One of my faves.

Garbage tress by Dennis Oppenheim. I think these are fantastic!

Pictures of the marvellous 'Family of Man' by the wonderful Barbara Hepworth- one of my absolute favourites at YSP (more on the Barbara Hepworth Gallery, Wakefield, in a future post).

William Turnball in the informal garden.

I've got literally tons of pictures from YSP, so will stop there. My other favourites include all the Henry Moores, Sophie Ryder's giant Hares and Elisabeth Frink's men.

At the moment, in addition to the Miro residency and William Turnball sculptures in the formal garden, you can catch an exhibition of Anish Kapoor's work called 'Flashback', which is very good and well worth the walk up to the Longside Gallery.

For full information on YSP and everything YSP related visit their website at http://www.ysp.co.uk/home.

Portraits- not my strong point!

Regular readers may remember some posts ago my mentioning a special commission, which I would share with you once I could do so. Well, that time as come...

On July 7th my friend Nicole turned 30 and as part of her gift I painted portraits of her sons Isaac and Ethan.

Unfortunately, neither picture ended up looking like the subjects! But my friend was touched by the effort anyway!

It got me thinking about other portraits I've done (there haven't been many, truth be told). I did a great one of my ex Craig, which he kept when we separated, and I did a really good one of another ex Andrew- which I got back when we broke up! And other than that there's just the painting I did of the wonderful Frieda Khalo-

Two of my friends let slip once that this painting reminds them of one Phoebe in Friends did- of a woman coming out of the frame with a 3D arm, and all the 'friends' were passing this picture between themselves because none of them wanted the scary painting in their apartments. Charming eh? I don't think its too bad!

But all in all, I can admit that portrait painting isn't my strong suit, so maybe think twice about commissioning me to do a portrait!

I've been out and about today around Digley Reservoir taking pictures so I can attempt a pastel drawing of the area. I've had two sets of pastels since I was teen but so far have never actually used them. However, I feel so inspired by all the beautiful pastel drawings I saw at Holmfirth Art Week this year that I'm going to give them a bash. Watch this space for the results!

Grizedale Forest 2012

When Chris and I were in the Lakes last month for his 30th birthday we spent a day walking in the wonderful and beautiful Grizedale Forest.

There are various trails, all really really clearly marked (which makes a pleasant change in the Lake District!), throughout the Forest, varying in length and difficulty. We took a mix and match approach to our walk. Around the Forest are a multitude of sculptures, although they aren't always obviously placed and quite spaced apart, we did spot a few (below). If you're ever heading for the Lakes for a break I can highly recommend walking (or riding) in Grizedale Forest- it was a great day out.

Follow this link for more information if I've whetted your appetite- http://visitlakelandforests.co.uk

An exclusive picture post has gone on my BekhaG Artist Facebook page tonight, have a look at http://www.facebook.com/pages/BekhaG/366488380072426. Please also 'like' my page- I'd be very grateful!

In a couple of days I'll be doing a blog post about the pics I've uploaded on to facebook tonight, but for now they are exclusively on there xxx (Don't mock and laugh too much!)

Hi everyone, if you are a fellow artist and would be interested in having a stall at the Saltaire Festival's market this September, then follow this link for more details and the application form-

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=42e73cfa6975468a8789a4f14&id=ef78fa4471

If you enjoy my blog then you may like to check out the following websites and blogs by some cool artistic dudes, well worth a look-

http://threlfall.co.uk/
http://owenphillips.co.uk/
http://www.madeinholmfirth.co.uk/

 All these lovely chaps can also be found on Twitter.

Finally (for now) I'd like to bring you news of an exciting event going off in Kirklees this September-

Artists Open Studio Trail September 8th & 9th 2012

HOST Artists Open Studio Trail offers the general public a unique insight into the world of artists, the places they work and the opportunity to purchase directly from the artist learning the history and techniques behind their product.
For the artists involved it offers a superb marketing opportunity providing a platform to sell directly to the general public, make connections with galleries and other outlets, and also network with other like-minded people.

 For more info check out the website at http://hoststudios.co.uk, or http://hoststudios.blogspot.co.uk, or @hoststudios on Twitter or http://www.facebook.com/pages/HOST-Artist-Open-Studios/102598567087.

I'll certainly be having a look around the Trail, although probably on the 9th, was want to catch Saltaire Festival on the 8th!

I'll be back soon with a new post on my last artistic piece.

Holmfirth Art Week Part 3

In my last instalment I'll be giving my thoughts on the main exhibit, the Sculpture Lounge (Fringe Venue 26), Back Lane Artspace (Fringe Venue 23) and Lupton Square Gallery in Honley (Fringe Venue 3), all of which I visited today, despite the beyond- ridiculous amounts of rain, grrr. In fact, I believe the below two pictures, taken en route to Back Lane Artspace, pretty much sum up our 'summer' this year!!

But first, a correction is needed. I said in my Part 2 post that Robert Norbury was exhibiting a photograph of a Pointer in Sid's Cafe, when in actual fact it's a Lurcher!!!! My sincerest apologies for this mistake and any confusion caused as a result.

Now, on to the Sculpture Lounge. I used to love visiting the Sculpture Lounge when it was in the centre of Holmfirth (it used to be near Ashley Jackson's shop) and having a panini in the cellar cafe. I love Brendan Hesmondhalgh's sculptures and always wondered what happened to the Sculpture Lounge after it vacated the lovely shop it used to inhabit- well now I know, it decamped to Bottoms Mill!

I enjoyed looking around and thought the space and light at the venue were very good. Brendan's stuff remains brilliant, but I also enjoyed the works of Martin Norman, particularly the Indian ducks.

There was also an artist called Jamie Frost on display- I just couldn't figure out if I liked his/ her stuff or not....

What do you think?

The pieces in the picture above were braving the elements in the doorway- I love the large painting of a man's face. Stunning.

I then headed for the lovely Back Lane Artspace (I virtually had to swim to get there!). The children's pieces on display in the doorway were an utter delight, but it was the work of Craig Milburn and Chloe Williams that really took my breath away- some fantastic pieces on display by these two. I particularly enjoyed and felt inspired by the moody pastel drawings. Back Lane Artspace do a range of courses for adults and children- for more information about these see my contacts list at the end of the post, and if you are visiting Holmfirth Art Week tomorrow, make sure you take the time to visit this lovely Fringe Venue.

Lupton Square Gallery- I'd not been there for years until today, but its still as delightful as ever. There was lots of lovely Jeff Beaumont paintings to see, Sue Jenkins' delightful sculptures were in abundance, and I liked the paintings by Elizabeth Clarkson very much as well. I'm sure its not hard to imagine why when you look at these pictures I took of some of her work on display at the Lupton Square Gallery- I love all the colours and glitter.

Finally- on to the main exhibit. It was quite a mixed bag on the ground floor this year, and a few too many paintings of flowers for my liking (sorry, but.... boring!!!), but there was also lots of fabulous art work to see on both the first and second floors, and the standard of photography on display this year was outstanding. I won't bore you by discussing each of the artists I liked, but I'll list them- and then if you do visit the main exhibit tomorrow you can keep your eye out for them and let me know what your thoughts are. Below are some pictures of my favourites from the main exhibit (although not too many, I was trying not to get caught taking photos and possibly told off/ thrown out- tee hee).

Helen Field, Amy Cooper, Neville Fleetwood (just brilliant), Alan Dalgetty, Keith Hanselman, Anthony Ward, E M Flynn (I'm obsessed with sheep so liking this artists work was a no- brainer), Chloe White, Alison Dunn, David Robinson, Fred Pepper, Phillip Hill (particularly his painting of Striding Edge, which had sold), Keith Mountain, John Wood and Kevin Threlfall.

 Chloe White

Helen Field

 The amazing Kevin Threlfall

 Fred Pepper

Brendan Hesmondhalgh

I did also make it back to the shop in the main hall and picked up lots more swag- don't miss your chance to do the same tomorrow.

Then, on the top floor, in the Trevor Stubley Gallery (god rest his soul) is this year's featured artist Rosalind Annis. Her pastels are such a delight and always have been, and I was thrilled to see that loads of her drawings exhibited on the top floor had already sold. Her recent pastels of trees are particularly good- they look like they must take ages and buckets of concentration. I think her pastel paintings look so effortless- the colours are always so vivid and bright. The pastel drawings displayed in this exhibit are also beautifully framed. Well done to Rosalind!

Oh, and I found another Deb Price in the main exhibit- wippee!

And so, another Holmfirth Art Week will draw to a close tomorrow at 5pm. I hope my posts will inspire you to go while there's still time.

More information of tonight's artists can be found at the following places-

www.hesmondhalghsculpture.co.uk
email Martin Norman at martin-norman.talktalk.net
www.jamiefrost.com
www.backlaneartspace.co.uk and find them on facebook
http://www.artinthedark.co.nz/gallery/elizabeth-clarkson
http://threlfall.co.uk/
www.rosalindannis.co.uk

Holmfirth Art Week Part 2

In my second post about the fabulous Holmfirth Art Week I'll be big- ing up Sid's Cafe, Willow Tree Gallery, Emma's Tea Palour, Andy Leader's open house and the Methodist Church.

Sid's Cafe (Fringe Venue 20) featured the photographic work of local man Robert Norbury. It was good stuff- I particularly liked the one of the Pointer on a hilltop with a fantastic view sweeping away behind it. I also liked all the details that accompanied each photograph- how it was shot and processed etc. Very interesting. Definitely worth a look in.

Willow Tree Gallery was full of delights, particularly some of Ross Moore's paintings (instantly recognisable, he also has pieces in the main exhibition) and some fabulous work by one Deb Price. I LOVED Deb's little ornament- style pieces, they were just so fantastic! Deb's wonderful stuff was also on show in the main exhibit and some brooches and rings by her were for sale in the shop (may have to pick one up when I go back for a Sarah Morris Jones candle holder!!). Below is my favourite of her pieces on display in the Willow Tree Gallery. I want, I want! I just adored how child like and kitsch they were, so original and unique. She also had a couple of paintings on display to accompany the model/ ornament pieces.

Emma's Tea Palour (Fringe Venue 16) had a couple of artists work on display- paintings by Sarah Sheard, photos by Arlo Brophy and, to my utter delight, more Deb Price!! Heaven!

Sarah's paintings of various pennine skyscapes- below- were simply gorgeous. She'd put some blurb next to them explaining how she prefers to be outside (couldn't agree more) and how her skyscape paintings of the pennine skies resonate the light and dark of the human condition. Pennine dwellers eyes are drawn to the sky as the climate is so changeable, she says (again, totally agree!) I enjoyed this blurb- it made me look again at her paintings and think about what she meant and was trying to portray when painting them. I think they looked really authentic as well- they could easily have been photographs of the various skyscapes that we are so used to seeing in and around the Holme Valley area. Very good.

Arlo's photos were very nice, and below is another Deb Price as displayed in Emma's Tea Parlous- more of this please!

The Methodist Church (Fringe Venue 10) had a brilliant selection of art week on display, but my favourites were Darryl Villaret's photographs, Ann Hirst's acrylics of local Holme Valley scenes, Bunty Jenkins miniatures, Ali White's photography (wonderful stuff- I've seen his spliced- scene photographs all over the place and each one I've seen is amazing) and Helaina Sharpley's 3D Wire 'drawings'. I'd highly recommend checking out the fantastic work on display in this lovely fringe venue. There was also a whole wall of Sarah Bamforth's wonderful paintings!

The above are two of Helaina's 3D wire drawings- delightful.

A wall of Bamforth brilliance!

Andy Leader- photographer extraordinaire- exhibited his wonderful work in his own home, turning it into a open house gallery (Fringe Venue 9). Andy's photographs are so beautiful and classy, and like Ali White, his stuff gets every where for good reason. More than worth a small detour when visiting the main exhibit to catch this delightful collection of Andy's work in his own lovely home. He also has pieces in the main exhibit (as does Ali White for that matter!).

A mention must also go to The Tourist Office (Fringe Venue 15) for their lovely display of Mick Kirby- Geddes distinctive sculptures, new shop Lost and Found (Fringe Venue 13) for their 'Birds don't need maps' exhibit in and amongst their stock, and the Riverside Shopping Centre (Fringe Venue 12) were I caught some fantastic crochet and handweavings.Well worth a visit, all 3.

If you'd like more information about any of the artists featured in this post then the websites to head to are-

http://www.robertnorbury.com & http://www.bigbobsphotographyschool.blogspot.co.uk/
http://rossmooreart.co.uk
http://debpricewinnies.blogspot.co.uk
http://sarahsheardart.tumblr.com
http://www.brophyart.co.uk
http://uk.linkedin.com/in/darrylvillaret
http://www.aliwhite.com
http://www.helainasharpley-wirework-artist.co.uk
http://www.mkg.me.uk
http://www.judytadman.co.uk
http://www.walkandweave.co.uk & http://walkandweaveblogspot.com
http://www.madeinholmfirth.co.uk/

I'm off back to Art Week tomorrow to visit some more of the Fringe Venues. Watch out for my 3rd post about these and the main exhibit- on till 5pm Saturday!

Holmfirth Art Week 2012 Part 1

Because I have so much to say/ enthuse about Holmfirth Art Week I'm going to do a number of posts about my visit to the main exhibit and various Fringe venues over the course of this week.

In tonight's post I'll discuss Booth House Gallery (Fringe Venue 27) and Carniceria (Fringe Venue 18).

Booth House Gallery had a wonderful selection of pottery on display- I could have spent a small fortune in there. When you park up at their ample car park you are first greeted by this magnificent sculpture-

Once inside the beautiful and spacious interior there's so much to see and enjoy. My favourites were;

These beauties by Peter Clough were gorgeous. I thought a few of these together on a mantelpiece would make a great feature in any living room. Its not very clear from my picture but they each had little scenes on them. Lovely!

These delightful lamps, candle holders and spoons are the work of Sarah Jones Morris and were some of my favourites from the whole of this year's Art Week. I think they are stunningly beautiful. You can also view similar pieces at the main exhibit and buy some to 'take home now' from the shop at the back of the ground floor in the main exhibit. I also picked up a little clay heart on a ribbon and a small clay dove on wire by Sarah to hang in my bedroom- they're only small but so lovely and very inexpensive. Both are available from the shop at the main exhibit. I couldn't resist buying some of Sarah's work! I might have to go back and get a candle holder too- they really are so nice and very reasonable priced.


I saw this wonderful piece on the first floor of Booth House (or it may be two separate pieces just coincidentally placed together?!), although I couldn't spot who the artist was. If you know, please get in touch and let me know.

Finally, Booth House are still selling Fiona Clai Brown's blue horses. I LOVE these and have done for years- I want one soooooo bad (hmmm possible 30th bday present?)

Carnies featured the photographs of Owen Phillips and they were amazing. I loved them! And they looked so good displayed throughout Carnies (don't be shy- they are in the bar, restaurant and upstairs. Just wander through- I did!). I just thought that the pictures all looked so colourful, vibrant and young, and, of course, I adore the subject matter. They really are beautiful photographs and well worth a look. An example of them is below-

They really are gorgeous.

If you want any more information about the artists featured in this post, please follow the links below-

http://www.fionaclaibrown.co.uk
http://www.peterclough.net
http://www.facebook.com/SarahJonesMorrisCeramics
Booth House Gallery= http://www.jimrobison.co.uk
http://owenphillips.co.uk

And don't forget to head over to Holmfirth Art Week yourselves, if you haven't done so already, it's on till Saturday. For full details see www.holmfirthartweek.org.uk.