Alison uses free flowing materials, guiding and manipulating them into shapes and blending and layering colours to create her abstract, textured artworks, working with alcohol inks, fluid acrylics and resin. She lives and works in Milton Keynes, and can be found in her garden studio. Alison describes her work as abstract and focusing on colour combination and texture.

Alison has created commission pieces for homes in the U.K. and abroad.

In my past career I worked in the Animation Industry and have received several Awards for the films I have been involved in. I was responsible for the script development of the English Christmas Classic, “The Snowman” on which I was an Animator and Storyboard Artist.
I boarded and Directed “The Bear” another Christmas Classic and also co-wrote and directed the sequel to “The Snowman”, “The Snowman and The Snowdog”.

My work has also been Nominated for an Oscar and three times for the English BAFTA awards.
I received the prestigious Peabody Award in New York for my film, “The Bear”

After retiring from Animation, I started sculpting, re-kindling a love made when at Art School, but which had to be set aside when the economic facts of life intervened!

When producing hand drawn animation, one is deceiving the eye, making a two-dimensional drawing appear to be three-dimensional. It is a natural progression from this to produce three-dimensional sculptures. I find that my experience of animation helps in my sculpting, as I have a good understanding of anatomy, movement and line.

I work in stoneware ceramic. All my pieces are hand-built using the traditional coil technique. They are all based on The Natural World, especially that of birds.
In some of my pieces I uses the technique of sgraffito – drawing directly into the slip before the first firing.

All the profits from the sales of my sculptures are given to conservation charities, notably The RSPB and WWF, a decision I made when I realised that many of the animals, I was sculpting were on the endangered species list.

I am member of both The Oxfordshire Craft Guild, and The Buckinghamshire Craft Guild.

Richard started his career at Bradford College of Art, studying interior design.

After retraining as a teacher in secondary schools he went on to become head of the Ceramics Department. He then started evening classes to keep one step ahead of his pupils. This started a lifetime love affair with ceramics.

Leaving full-time teaching and returning to university he completed a degree in glass and ceramics at High Wycombe and is now a full time ceramic artist, lecturing at High Wycombe University and Thames Valley University.

His ceramics are as varied as the British climate - work being both sculptural and functional, life size to miniature, from Raku to high fired porcelain. Exhibiting all over this country and abroad he has become a well known artist, with his work becoming highly collectable.

Being not only a pyromaniac but also a bit of a magpie, his work incorporates found objects in the sculpture - from ash from Mount St Helens in a glaze, to stones washed on the beach as plinths - telling everyone its own story.

I have always enjoyed the expressive potential of using colour, shape and textural aspects in my work. I hope the viewer also shares in a celebration of these elements. My practice has evolved into layering techniques using acrylic paint, sometimes combined with collage and other media. I like to work on a series of subjects, with varying degrees of abstraction. The small constructions I make, using driftwood and found objects, are also popular.

Following my training at Falmouth School of Art, and a post-graduate year at Brighton, I became involved in education. I taught Art and Design in schools and further education, and also for many years at M.K. College.

I have exhibited widely, showing locally, as well as at Suffolk Coast Galleries, Canary Wharf, and in Northern Germany. Some of my work is also in collections in Michigan and New York, USA.

I love glass and specialise in kiln formed glass. I am interested in the different textures and effects that I am able to create depending on inclusions, glass colour, temperature and duration in the kiln.
My inspiration comes from the natural world, especially the seaside and landscapes, particularly creating pieces that remind me of my favourite places, bringing back fond memories.
I am based in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire & am a member of Buckinghamshire Craft Guild.

I have always loved the art of storytelling, whether in the form of film, a book, a piece of music or a painting. My paintings have a story to tell, sometimes quite simple, a couple walking down the street, sometimes more complex, leaving the viewer to participate and question what is going on. "Who is the girl waiting for?" "What are they looking at?" to mention a couple questions about some of my paintings.

As a keen people watcher and observer of life my inspiration for a painting starts with a figure, perhaps the clothing worn, a red hat, a scarf worn in a certain way, something they are doing or the interaction between a couple or group of people. I am interested in portraying people in everyday situations and the relationship within their surroundings.

When I start a new painting I draw and plan the painting working from my own photos and always start with the figure, allowing the background and foreground to develop around the central figure or figures. The idea of working around the figure continues with the painting, where I like to use a limited palette. I am fascinated by colour mixing and still find magical when two colours are mixed together to create another colour. I usually use palette knives and love the way colours can bounce off each other to make, I hope, bold and striking paintings.

am a mixed media collage artist and ceramicist. My inspiration comes from the built environment, from places I have visited both at home and abroad. I then create paintings and ceramics which capture a sense of place, the colour, texture, atmosphere and light. The layering process has always been important in my paintings and also follows through into my ceramics. My current buildings vessels are handbuilt utilising slabs, pinch pots and flattened coils in stoneware clays. I use various techniques including sgraffito, inlay and printing to apply slips and underglazes to create depth and texture.

Originally from Scotland, I studied Textile Design at The Scottish College of Textiles in Galashiels before following a career in Printed Textile Design. I am a member of the Buckinghamshire Craft Guild.

Alan was born in Northamptonshire but now lives in Milton Keynes not far from the concrete cows. Alan is a self-taught artist with a background in modular fabrication design and building services.

Alan first started drawing back in the late eighties and early nineties with a big interval until he took early retirement and then picked up his pens again venturing into the world of watercolour.

He still remembers his first tentative steps in adding watercolour to a pen drawing and was hooked!

Landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes are his particular inspiration with a penchant for boats.

As well as basic watercolours and pen & wash, the use of watercolour with mixed media elements such as textured paper and paste is something he is enjoyed immensely and the recent use of acrylics is now another part of his painting portfolio.

Abby began drawing wild flowers as a child, sketching with her dad in the fields, woods and meadows around her home in Buckinghamshire. Today, she has developed a unique and joyous style, inspired by the beauty and dynamism of the natural world.

Abby adopts a free-flowing approach with a variety of media including acrylic inks, watercolours and pastels built up with complex layering and completed with embellishments including glitter and diamond dust.

Her finished works burst with colour, resulting from a channelling of energy until florals and landscapes seem to come alive, enveloping viewers and bringing them into her world. Abby says "What gives me the greatest joy is sharing my art with others. I love that my paintings occupy a special place in someone's home and I hope it brings them as much pleasure as it did me in painting it."

Abby also makes coasters and covers for the iPhone I7 mobile phone, each using her own paintings as decoration.

My name is James Dupont and I’m a local stonemason currently working on the restoration and conservation of Woburn Abbey.
I’ve been working as a stonemason for 15 years now and in that time I’ve worked carving stone for many estates, churches and private residences.
I carry out all aspects of stonemasonry from banker work carving architectural stonework such as tracery windows, ornate cornice and stone capitals to traditional hand cut lettering for memorials and ceremonial plaques.
Of all the places I’ve been blessed to work at I’ve spent the most time working for Blenheim Palace and was fortunate to have my letter carving chosen to carry out work on the “Churchill Memorial Path” which was constructed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s death.
I’ve worked other more obscure commissions in the past also including a stone water trough complete with stone plug which doubled as a memorial for some ex publicans and I have carved a limestone clock in the design of the Dharma logo which would be familiar to fans of the tv show Lost. The Dharma is represented by a series of distinct eight-sided logos, based on the traditional Taoist Bagua or pa kua (“eight trigrams”) in Chinese.
I carve bespoke pieces including bookends, sundials and much more using traditional techniques for carving.
I am happy to meet clients to discuss materials and designs to be tailored to suit personal requirements.

Irene always wanted to paint, but didn't start until her children had grown up. Not having much confidence, she joined an art group who were exhibiting when she was giving blood!

Painting soon changed her life and outlook. She loves every minute, from just drawing to adding colour, the first exhibition, the first sale, even the disasters.

Having tried almost every medium - watercolour for sketching and painting smaller pictures - she has settled on oils to give vibrancy of colour and mood. Influenced by Turner and his skies and elements she also enjoys the impressionists and Klimt.

Being a member of local art groups (MKSA and BAFA) has help her developed as a more rounded artist. She has exhibited not only locally but also at Windsor and Reading. In 2018 she had her first solo exhibition in Suffolk.

She cannot imagine life without art and all that it brings, especially the people.

Anne is a self-taught painter who uses mostly watercolours, but also work with mixed media. Based in Northamptonshire, Anne produces exquisite paintings of hares, foxes, badgers, wolves, birds and dogs, each one capturing beautifully the individual character of her subject.

Her passion for animals and wildlife has inspired Anne to create a real sense of movement and expression in her paintings, with many of her pictures featuring animals she has seen locally.

Anne produces mostly original paintings for sale, but such has been the interest in her work recently that she has now produced a series of limited edition giclee prints.

I am a ceramic artist with a studio based in West Sussex. I make a wide range of ceramics for home and garden, both decorative and practical, including items made to order.

My work is mainly recognised for the distinctive quirky clock designs, some of which appeared on the BBC programme, ‘The Great Pottery Throwdown’. Over the years, my clocks have developed and changed in terms of the designs and decorations, from animals and floral to more contemporary patterns.

I also incorporate stamps, engraving and carving into my work to give the pieces dimension. I make most of the stamps from old glass buttons and lace fabric. Once fired, the bisqueware is modestly decorated with oxide and colourful glazes to emphasise the natural colour and texture of the clay.

As well as slab-building pieces, I love throwing on the pottery wheel, which adds to the variation of my work. For both techniques, I use earthenware, or stoneware clay, depending on what the pieces intended for.

I am always happy to discuss bespoke commissions.

Becky was born and raised in Buckinghamshire, which serves as a constant source of inspiration. Following a love of art and design from childhood, Becky went on to study photography and textile design followed by an 8 year career as a freelance photographer.

She has since developed her specialist charcoal techniques, but her primary focus remains quirky, large scale, high contrast charcoal animal portraiture on a stark white background showing the influence of professional studio photography. This is also what truly sets her apart from other talented animal artists.

The combination of high quality, insightful photography and highly realistic drawing techniques produces stunning images full of character and fun.

She is also a regular tutor at The Courtyard Art Studio on Claydon Estate.

She is an active supporter of Medical Detection Dogs and has also been involved with leading art workshops with Child Bereavement UK.

I live and work from my home in Buckinghamshire. I use a wide range of media including clay, wire, cement, resin and bronze. I also enjoy incorporating found and recycled objects into my pieces. Clay remains my favourite medium - I love its malleability and the close relationship that I have in modelling the sculpture so that literally hundreds of my finger prints become part of the finished work.

My themes are mostly human figures and my interest lies in the life and emotions of my subjects. The stillness of the sculpture combines with a suggestion of body language and movement which I hope conveys to the audience. I like storytelling in my pieces and there is often a narrative element to the work. The viewer sees a snapshot of a situation and is left to imagine the rest. I am interested always in the human condition which I
explore through my sculptures of faces and figures.

I also love the natural world which leads me to the depiction of animals and birds. With my models of wildlife I am able to capture the essence of the subject caught in a moment of time, which is often the way that we glimpse them when we see them in their natural habitat.

I am a member of Oxford Sculptors, Bicester Sculpture Group and the Bucks Art Society with whom I exhibit.

The inspiration for my work stems from a trip to Jerusalem many years ago. I visited the Wailing Wall and was intrigued by the thousands of wishes and prayers written on paper and crammed between the stones in the wall. I love this idea of leaving something of yourself, perhaps something very personal yet in a public place. I was inspired by the collective focus for so many peoples' hopes and wishes at this ancient site and their interaction with it, much like the Love Letters Wall in Verona and the Love Locks Bridge in Paris. I have also recently incorporated some hand written scripts into my work which are taken from old family letters such as those exchanged by my grandparents during the war in 1944. I overlay and essentially redesign the script so that you can't read the whole letter but can recognise words or parts of sentences which keeps it private yet the final piece will sit in a public place such as a gallery or another's home.

My work features many paper-like scrolls, sometimes single scrolls as a bud vase and other times pushed together to form a sculptural focus on a larger vase. I enjoy using a combination of techniques - slip casting and hand building. The main body of my larger vases is slip cast, then I hand roll scrolls in different sizes and apply them individually.

I use a variety of scroll sizes for visual interest as well as allowing different stem sizes to be accommodated. I have aimed to strike a balance between a sculptural aesthetic and a practical function.

Tim studied sculpture, painting and printmaking at Torquay, Winchester and St Albans Schools of Art, and subsequently working in the caring professions as an Art Psychotherapist until his retirement from the NHS in 2012.

Nowadays he is predominantly a landscape oil painter. His work has been influenced by British pastoral painters, Impressionism and more recently by contemporary abstract landscape painters.

He has held several solo exhibitions and has paintings in private collections both in the UK and abroad.

Nowadays he lives in Shillington, Bedfordshire. He is a performing musician, keen gardener and cat lover.

Only 4 years ago Chris was doing his day job. The first time Chris picked up a chisel, was when he enrolled a two year wood working course, he said that it just felt right.

Chris' parents, who used to paint scenes on lace bobbins were both artists. He still exhibits with his father.

Chris thinks that being able to draw has helped. He loves the naturalness of wood and is not interested in changing its character. He uses English hard wood, usually Ash, Beech Walnut and Elm.

The results are here to be admired. Always being fascinated by wood has led him to where he is now. His unusual take by adding resin makes these pieces special and very unique.

I have been a professional photographer all my life working to a brief, a budget, and deadline. Nowadays, I follow my own path, inspired by the world of visual creativity in every medium, focusing mainly on landscape.

Recently I’ve taken a strong interest in digital drawings, sometimes using a circle as a basis, occasionally going back to my earlier photographs as a source, and playing with perspective and the unexpected. Essentially, the same aspect applies as with original photography, and my aim is to create a striking image.

Landscape photography has its limitations; it really struggles to portray into two dimensions all that we perceive in three. I avoid the conventional structures, preferring a more expressive feel, with a nod to the abstract. I’m happiest in a two-dimensional world; there are few vanishing points for me.

All my images on display and in the browser are available in any size, and can be either mounted on dibond, as these on show have been, framed more conventionally, or remain unframed. Do please enquire in the Gallery.

Roy was educated at Barnet College Hertfordshire, where his love of painting led him to explore all media giving his art a distinctive character.

His work is in many private collections: Britain, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, China and Japan. He has also lectured students in America.

Roy works out of Towcester Town Hall showing his work in various media.

He is highly regarded and with over 45 years experience is extremely accomplished in watercolour, pastels, acrylics, oils, mixed media and collage.

He favours dramatic rural landscapes that can be found in remote parts of Wales, Scotland and the Lake District. His work is highly sought after.

Judith Jerams was born in Sheffield and trained as a Primary School Teacher before working for two years in Japan, there making her first foray into watercolour in the Japanese style of Sumie.

On returning to her home in Yorkshire, Judith first saw the work of Lake District artist John Blockley, which inspired her to begin studying more traditional English watercolour techniques.

40 years later, Judith is still exploring this fascinating medium, working in both traditional and contemporary techniques.

She exhibits regularly in Europe and has paintings in private collections in the UK, Europe and the USA.

She has been teaching watercolour for about 15 years and is still discovering new ideas and following a recently developed passion for Urban Sketching, creating sketchbooks of cities all around the world.

We are delighted to present Judith’s work, which clearly enriches the variety of paintings in Woburn Art Gallery.

Gary was originally trained as a graphic designer, back when computers were still a thing of science fiction and technical hand skills were the available and accepted tools of the trade.

However, following a degree in Education, he has spent some 35 years in the class- room. He suggests, teaching afforded him fantastic opportunities along with a real sense of purpose in supporting young people to achieve their goals.

After being totally absorbed and giving everything to the profession he decided to take some time for himself and go back to developing his own creative skills. This has required a radical shift in attitude, structure and thought. It is a journey with its highs and lows but one which had to be explored.

As an artist he is rather a magpie in relation to styles, techniques and materials. He suggests he has now become the student, influenced by an ever increasing range of artists and very much enjoys analysing the processes and techniques used in a wide range of media.

He is continually battling against his tight technical background and strives to explore with a more expressive approach.

The infectious journey has become part of his daily being and as Picasso is reported to have said, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

I found clay during my foundation year in Swindon where I learned to throw, and subsequently began a Fine Arts Ceramics degree at Cardiff. Plans changed; I left college and have since enjoyed a career in retail and distribution. 
Although I would not touch clay for more than 40 years, my interest in, and love of ceramic as an expressive medium stayed with me, and so I enrolled on a six -week beginners course, and rediscovered my joy of making.
Now with a membership at a Northamptonshire community studio, I make individual hand -thrown forms, working in stoneware and porcelain and indirectly drawing on observations and experiences of nature; I enjoy the tactile nature of clay during the making process, and through form and texture, aim to reflect the simple honesty of the materials in the finished pieces. I take inspiration from the 20th century craftsmen potters such as Leach, Cardew and Batterham.
Living in Northampton with my wife and two cats, I continue to enjoy my other lifelong passion as an active player with local Brass Bands.

I work in stoneware and porcelain, using an electric kiln. The work is mostly wheel thrown with some slab work elements. I like the flexibility of working in clay – it allows me to experiment with the development of form and surface, and results in a durable and usable artefact.

I use slips, stains and oxides to achieve more vivid colour surfaces and decorations than are normally found on stoneware pottery. While I am interested in the form and how it can be achieved in the material, I like my work to have some connection with the function.

All my work is something of a voyage of discovery for me. Once I have explored an idea, I tend to move on to something new.

I have worked with paper as a medium for many years and have been commissioned to produce paper sculptures for various promotions. I now focus on using the medium to express my own creative ideas, and like the clear crisp graphic effect that can be achieved with paper.

For my turned art I use a variety of recycled materials including paper, acrylics and Corian, bonded together and turned on the lathe into decorative bowls and pots. I find it satisfying to create something beautiful from discarded materials.

Ann was born in Leicestershire in 1963 and following her passion for art, studied for her B.A.(hons) degree in Textile Design at Loughborough.

Ann has had a successful career that has always revolved around art in some way. A significant part of which has been as Head of Art, teaching Art and Design at secondary level.

While successfully selling work through exhibitions and galleries in the UK, Ann also has work in Australia and the USA. Her art work has always maintained an interest in continuing to develop technical skills with a variety of media from pencil drawing to encaustic wax pieces. Now, painting from a purpose built Art Studio at her home, she mainly paints in oils, cold and encaustic wax with a quality that is truly encapsulating.

Ann says that she is delighted with the response from the public and galleries of her work, and always looks forward to the next new piece of work.

Barrington was born in Liverpool in 1960, where he spent most of his childhood, with the rest of his friends, dreaming of escaping somewhere exotic on one of the many ships that used to be along the dockside. Reflecting on these early days, Barrington recalls 'the day dreaming is what leads me to continuously paint and draw'.

After leaving University, with a degree in 3 dimensional design, Barrington started work as a furniture designer in Tring, Hertfordshire, moving on to becoming an interior designer, before starting his own company designing and making office furniture. 'I was fortunate enough to acquire a patent on one of my product designs which then led me in lots of directions visiting many countries around the world.'

As exciting as all that was, it was painting that always brought Barrington back down to earth and, whenever possible, he would steal time away to keep the passion going.

Over the past 30 years, Barrington has painted a wide range of subjects from landscapes to African wildlife, selling his work through exhibitions and individual commissions.

'Although I have sold many paintings since my early teens, my art work was always second to the need to work for a living... but now I have taken the decision to push it to the front and see where this ship takes me'.

Roger was a prominent academic at the Open University, joining almost from the outset and remaining there until he took early retirement.

Always a practical man, he took up stained glass work and practised this for a number of years - and still does!

For his 80th birthday he was bought a kiln and he has been busy making dishes and coasters ever since.

After a 36 year career in Local Government it was time to try something new. I love to be creative and wanted to do something that would combine my creativity with my geeky technical side. I’ve always loved glass, particularly the reflections you get from the sun shining through garden art and after attending a couple of basic glass fusing courses I bought my first kiln in 2019. There are so many things to make, different techniques to learn, firing schedules to understand and develop the possibilities for experimentation are endless.

I work mainly with fused glass but also dabble a bit with glass mosaics. I often wake up in the middle of the night with my head buzzing with ideas and no chance of getting back to sleep – sometimes my night time ideas translate into lovely pieces and sometimes they don’t! The great thing about fusible glass is that failed experiments can be recycled into new things so there is no waste.

Jan is a member of the prestigious Pastel Society who exhibit at the Mall Galleries London, and has won many awards over the last two years.

She also writes for the Pastel Journal in USA.

Her paintings are made with watercolour, acrylic, pastels and sometimes a mixture of media. She is primarily a landscape painter using both local and other UK places for inspiration. More recently she has been developing still life paintings in pastel. She loves to buy a piece of pottery wherever she visits and it inspires a still life.

She aims to represent a place or thing but also to convey to the viewer her inspiration and feelings about what she is painting. She wants to look beyond the reality.

Composition and design are key elements in her paintings so that there is a feeling of balance. There will always be a sense of light and space. She works hard to master the media that she uses so that the painting seems to flow beyond technique and to be made with a playful curiosity and seemingly without struggle.

Clare’s work are created and composed from a combination of painting medium, plants and other organic objet trouvé:

“As an artist, I find inspiration in the harmonious interplay between my musical abilities and my deep connection to nature, fuelled by the exploration of fossil hunting and mudlarking. My portfolio reflects a journey of creative expression, where each piece embodies the fusion of these passions alongside my latest venture into experimental art using alcohol Inks. “

Cat spent most of her professional life as a garden designer, both interior and exterior. In addition she worked in further education for Buckinghamshire Council running courses in horticulture.

She started her art education via a foundation course at Epsom School of Art, moving to Kingston University and gaining a BA (Hons) in Furniture and Related Product Design.

Throughout her professional career she has always maintained an interest in ceramic sculpture, and in particular an interest in portraiture both human and animal. Cat recently moved and in exploring the local area was delighted to discover a local farm and its wonderful inhabitants; "During lockdown I reconnected with nature, clay and a dear friend who happened to have a kiln or two! The result of this reconnection is a series of ceramic raku-fired animals, mostly pigs at the moment with quirky anatomy. I hope to make people smile as much as I do when making them!”

Laura has always enjoyed being creative and experimenting with various media. Over the years in her sculptures she has attempted to capture nature in motion; creatures in flight, floating, running or poised ready to scuttle off.

Wire is a wonderful medium for suggesting movement and casting interesting shadows. Each piece is started by "drawing" a basic 3D outline. This gradually takes shape by bending and twisting lengths of wire together and then attaching finer detail. Since taking up wire sculpture Laura has become a tool geek and has moved in on her husband's territory (the garage) which enables her to find successful and imaginative ways to mount her work.

She has always loved being outdoors surrounded by the beauty of creation. Explaining that sculpting has brought a weird new dimension to her interaction with the natural world so that when she comes across something she haven't seen before she finds herself asking, "How could I make that out of wire?"

Carol worked as a nurse while completing an Access to Art and Design Course and then Adult education classes in sculpture and ceramics. She gave up nursing in April 2016 to focus on ceramics. She has been working in collaboration with her partner, Richard Ballantyne, for around 8-9 years.

“Between us we also make thrown studio ceramics and stoneware fired sculptures for home and garden."

Raku Firing is a pyromaniacs delight and very unpredictable. However the results really suit the subject matter and the hares and polar bears (and all the rest of the menagerie) come alive with the white crackle glaze.

“The fun is creating the character of the animal and hopefully adding a bit of humour along the way.”

Cathy Read re-imagines iconic architecture using explosive, colourful drops and trails of paint, held together with a structure of white lines. Inspired by looming, dramatic urban and industrial architecture, she draws on influences from various cities in the UK. In a previous life she worked as an Occupational Therapist, using large art projects to help develop fine motor skills in children.

She exhibits with the Society of Women Artists in London and was awarded the Barbara Tate Memorial Award in 2015. Her work is in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and corporate collections. She appeared on Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year in 2016 and 2017.

Originally from Manchester she now lives in a chapel near Buckingham, which she converted with her husband. She lives close enough to London to get her Urban Architecture fix when needed.

Cathy draws inspiration for these paintings from time spent in London and other major cities, such as Manchester and Oxford.

I am from a small village outside of Milton Keynes called Castlethorpe. From an early age I had a gift for drawing; this was my obsession growing up and my dream was to be as skilled as Leonardo Da Vinci. I'm proud to say I'm a self-taught artist; I learned from copying old master drawings and drawing from life. In 2021, when my daughter was born, I had a strong desire to be someone she could look up to. She gave me the courage to teach myself to paint. I did this the same way I learned to draw - by copying old master techniques, which is evident in my work. I use strong chiaroscuro and natural colours. My goal as a painter is to capture a sense of realism with a painterly touch. 

Vikki started working with glass in 2011 and, after learning how to blow, lampwork, cast and fuse glass, decided that casting and fusing were the techniques she wanted to find out more about.

After various courses, workshops and experiments her quirky style began to emerge. She finds inspiration in colour and light and her love of architecture influences some of her fusing. Vikki makes larger sculptures using polystyrene, clay or wax to make a model; this is then covered with a plaster mix of plaster, silica and fibreglass to make a mould, which is filled with glass of various sizes. Finally this mould is fired in a kiln, cooled down and the resulting glass piece is hand polished or processed to finish it.

The fused pieces are made by cutting and arranging coloured opal or transparent pieces of glass and then fusing and slumping the pieces as required. Sometimes the result is not as anticipated, due to colour changes or glass shifting and this can mean “happy accidents’ which lead to different developments, making all her pieces original.

Based in the small village of Weedon, in Buckinghamshire, and working from a workshop in my garden, I love being creative with a range of shaping tools, a selection of clear and coloured pieces of glass and a large kiln for company.

I have set up ‘Through the Arch – Fused Glass’ as my company name and I am a Glass-Fuser, carefully cutting, shaping and melting glass sheets together with coloured glass powders and frit (chippings), creating bespoke pieces of art as gifts and for the home.
After retiring from teaching as a deputy headteacher, I went on to complete two years studying glass fusing at the University of Hertfordshire. I have always been artistic, having studied art and biology at university for my teacher training, and I thoroughly enjoy using my artistic skills in my retirement to create beautiful pieces of wall art, bowls, windows, tiles and many other gifts and artefacts for the home. I love combining colour and texture in creating anything from landscapes or abstract pieces to melting glass bottles. Between commissions, I am currently making a window, tiles for my bathroom and a splashback for my kitchen.
I love creating glass pieces as commissions, working closely with the client to create the perfect addition for their home, a tile, a window or a bowl,
or a piece designed as a special gift for someone.

Working in predominantly in oils and watercolours, carefully observed still life and atmospheric seascapes provide endless fascination for Clare, a Buckinghamshire artist and teacher.

Clare exhibited this year with the Royal Watercolour society at the Bankside Gallery, at the Green and Stone Gallery, Chelsea and was shortlisted for the Royal Institute of Watercolour exhibition at the Mall Galleries.

Clare loves the creative process and is constantly inspired by the world around her. She says that when she starts a painting it is a feeling of that moment that she is trying to capture on canvas, whether that be in the case of a still life – a fixed moment in time, the intention behind the scene, or for landscapes - the weather, light conditions and mood. She enjoys the challenge of recreating a special moment, hoping her paintings begin to tell their own story.

Hannah is a local artist born in Milton Keynes in 1967. She has lived, worked and studied here ever since. Informed by her various studies including; art and design, life drawing, sculpture, artist’s books, printmaking, astrology and psychology, her approach to art is a therapeutic one.

She works spontaneously with a tendency towards experimentation and consequently she repeats the same subject over and again in a variety of mediums exploring shape and form, marks, texture, atmosphere and meaning.

Using mainly a limited palette, she enjoys the speed and coverage of dry media such as charcoal, pastel and pencil. But she is equally happy exploring the journey of a line using biro or ink pens. Often Hannah will progress through to a painting but this is never the final goal, just another part of the journey.

Anchored in the discipline of Life Drawing and the ability to work with immediacy she takes her inspiration from the environment around her. Inspired by those ‘ordinary’ moments, Hannah’s work focuses mainly upon the natural world and in particular birds.

Quite often appearing in Hannah’s work is also a recurring theme of circles: A never ending line symbolically representing a presence of time, journey, memory and essentially, ‘life’.
Hannah’s intention is to explore, to experiment and to forever repeat this process.

“For everything is in motion and where one image stops another begins. Like a circle there is no end.”

After retiring in 2019 from a professional career in Corporate Risk Management Louise is now a professional multimedia artist, practicing from a private studio in Milton Keynes. Her paintings have been regularly exhibited both nationally and in Europe (France, Spain, Ireland). She has been an annual participant in Bucks Art Weeks and South Northants Art Trail exhibiting and undertaking live demonstrations. She is a member of Milton Keynes Society of Artists and Bafa (Buckingham Art For All). Louise paints mainly in oils, using watercolours to sketch ideas and explore subjects before committing to oil. She also uses acrylic and soft pastel from time to time. Her favourite subjects are seascapes and landscapes, but also likes to venture into other pastures. Whilst most paintings are on canvas she is equally happy to explore other surfaces including maps
and similar grounds.

Louise’s mountain paintings are based mainly on personal exploration of the French Alps. She aims to express the powerful dominance of mountains on the landscape by incorporating textures in the paint through use of mediums mixed with traditional oil paint, creating shadow and light definition through paint relief, enhancing the portrayal of mountain ruggedness and rock formations.
Louise also favours moving water as a subject and her lakes and seascapes seek to capture the dynamic movement of waves and depth of water despite the transient nature of the subject, light and reflection. It is a particularly satisfying subject when a painting works!

Recent works include demonstration and teaching paintings of Sagres and Baleal Seascapes (Portugal), Swiss lakes, rolling waves, Coi carp and French cocktails for a bit of fun!



Thien is a Vietnamese lacquer artist, now living in Cambridgeshire having studied Architecture at the University of Nottingham.
Growing in an artistic family, she has always been fascinated by the mysterious quality of Vietnamese lacquer art, Son Mai, known for its complex layers under seemingly smooth and even surfaces, using urushi resin. Once integrated with materials like eggshell, seashell, gold and silver leaves it creates a unique piece of rich and layered art. Traditionally, prepared black boards are used as canvases, however, Thien experiments with natural timbers to create a more rustic aesthetic. Shapes are first routed into the wood, followed by eggshells -crushed and carefully inlaid- to define form. Colours are then mixed with resin and applied in many layers with sanding between each to maintain evenness whilst adding depth. 
Thien finds this slow cumulative process allows for greater possibilities to explore and express her observations from nature.

Jill's passion has been painting for many years. She has experimented with most media and enjoys working in oils, acrylics, mixed media and pastel which remains a firm favourite for the local woodland scenes she loves to paint. The coastal scenes of Italy often feature in her work, a fond reminder of family holidays. Jill tries to capture an essence of the place, finding the vibrant colours just irresistible.

Figurative work is a recent challenge and one that she is really enjoying, particularly trying to capture those childhood memories on canvas.

A love of painting has given Jill the opportunity to demonstrate and teach in and around the Buckinghamshire area. Knowing that she is helping others discover the pleasure that painting can bring is greatly rewarding. Jill regularly exhibits in the Three Counties and has had work selected by the SWA, the Society for Women Artists, and exhibited in the Mall Galleries.

Her involvement with Woburn Art Gallery and exhibiting her work is an exciting venture.

My remote wild nature encounters inspire my hand-created glass art.
I love being in extreme wildernesses - sailing or diving, oceans and ocean life, mountains and ice.

These big expanses give a sense of adventure and exhilaration. Being there is a real privilege. Vast, rugged landscapes make me feel very small but connected with this world. I’m concerned about their fragile future and want to raise awareness so others care and protect them too.

Recreating my wilderness experiences in glass combines two of my passions. Glassblowing is the hardest thing I have ever done! It’s challenging, expensive, addictive and satisfying and I use unexpected techniques. My making process is dramatic and adds to my enjoyment.

“The craft of woodturning has developed into my passion, and the natural beauty that is revealed as you work on a piece never ceases to amaze me…”

Mike lives with his wife in a small village in Bedfordshire and started woodturning in 2011, after watching a YouTube video on turning a bowl. He very soon became hooked and turned his double garage into a workshop.
He has developed a successful YouTube channel and regularly uploads videos and also does live demonstrations. His woodturning is juggled between a full-time job as a bus driver in his local town of Bedford and maintaining the cottage and garden."

David Wells is an international award winning artist who paints mainly in watercolour. His paintings have been published in both The Leisure Painter and The Artist magazines. He paints most subjects but particularly likes to paint people, animals and buildings.

Many of his paintings feature race horses and musicians. All of his paintings are of scenes he has photographed himself.

His paintings are held in commercial and private collections world wide.

Born in South Africa, he has lived for many years in Milton Keynes.

Paul has always had an interest in artistic expression, from schoolbook doodling at an early age, drawing cartoons or copying record sleeve art through to simply experimenting with various forms of art medium in both landscape and figurativesubjects.
Over the years Paul has moved into landscape and seascape painting with oil as the preferred medium developing a loose yet bold feel to his works often utilising the palette knife.
Today much of Paul’s inspiration comes from the former ship building rivers, the rugged coastline and fishing towns of Northern England and Scotland where cliffs, fishing boats and the lure of the sea often create dramatic and foreboding landscapes.
Paul has steadily gained popularity with many works going into both commercial and private collections.

Terry Wood was born in Tottenham, North London, and grew up in Potters Bar. He has now lived in Stotfold, Hertfordshire.

Terry studied at St. Albans School of Art, and completed a BAHons degree in 2D Design.

His background is in Commercial Art, but his passion was in traditional painting. Finding himself on his own after tragically losing his wife, he knew he had to do something else with his life and applied for a class in fine art, graduating with a degree in the subject.

Terry gains inspiration from many sources. Having travelled extensively, his sketchbook is usually a digital camera, which he finds useful especially when time is short.