Ian Briggs gets 2011 Ropery Hall programme off to a musical start

The Landscapes of South Riding
The Bare Level Plain is an exhibition of original artworks with the 1936 novel South Riding by Winifred Holtby, and in particular those areas of the East Riding described in the novel, as the exhibition’s focus and theme. This is an exploration through art of the places about which this extremely popular novelist wrote. 

. . . The wide Dutch landscape, haunted by larks and seabirds, roofed by immense pavilions of windy cloud; the miles of brownish-purple shining mud, pocked and hummocked by water and fringed by heath-like herbs; the indented banks where the high tides sucked and gurgled; the great ships gliding up to Kingsport, seen from low lying windows as though they moved across the fields; the brave infrequent flowers, the reluctant springs, the loneliness, the silence, the slow inevitable rhythm of the tides . . .

Winifred Holtby South Riding

Happy New Year!

Don’t let those January Blues get you down.  This month in the Box Gallery we are celebrating all things blue with a display designed to brighten up your day. With a mixture of ceramics and textiles this exhibition will have you re-evaluate your mood and add splashes of blue to your home and winter wardrobe.

Artist that can be found within this exhibition are:  Simon Shaw, Vivienne Ross, Rebecca Harvey, Sharon Walker, Janie Withers and Diane Jones and Joanne Eddon.

‘Avenue of Dreams’ is a collection of paintings and prints by Sheffield based/Irish born artist Alex McArthur. Inspired by the natural world her practice is influenced by long established landscape traditions.

As a starting point for her work Alex uses photographs taken on her travels to stir memories and emotions that inform the processes she uses. Paint is often poured on canvas In layers to represent a passing sky and the monotype printing technique used throws up surprises in colour, form and texture. The use of photography results in a spontaneous and intuitive process.

The annual exhibition by The Ropewalk Studio artists. Featuring work by:

David Alcock
Sally Beaumont
Emily Connor
Debbie Grice
Richard Hatfield
Gill Hobson
Judith Land
Darren Langton
Tim Needham
Julie Oxenforth
Michael Scrimshaw
Shirley Trumble
Keith Woodcock

The Ropewalk’s popular Christmas Art Market will showcase the work of more than 40 makers and artists.

Taking  place over the weekend of Saturday December 7 and Sunday December 8 those makers and artists selected to take  part will be selling original handmade gifts, cards and artwork   (more…)

Helen Martino would describe her work as being ‘sometimes serious and sometimes playful’. For many years Helen worked as a functional potter, making batches of domestic pots on a wheel. Now she sees herself as more of a maker in clay, hand building each piece individually by using soft and flexible sheets of clay. These sheets of clay are freely cut, curved and sometimes twisted, this is how Helen is able to create different perspectives and distortion within her work. The surface is painted with slip, underglaze pigment and resists. Depending on the piece silver and gold lustre may also be incorporated.

Helen is fascinated by body language and how this can be communicated. She observes Mogul and Persian miniatures and admires how they are able to tell a story within one image. These artworks often show a significant event within the life span of a person or family. Helen’s sculptures are also intimate like the miniature and show a single event that can be applied to the past, future and present, allowing the viewer to determine the story of each artwork.

Working in Cambridge, Helen exhibits widely across the UK and is the founder member of Cambridge Open Studios. She will be exhibiting in the Box Gallery in November.