Woburn Art Gallery

Artists

AlisonAbrams
Alison Abrams resin painting

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.

Richard Ballantyne
Richard Ballantyne raku / ceramic

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.


TajinderBhui
Tajinder Bhui painting

For me, the act of painting is an enriching and soulful process. It is a non-verbal, visual means of communicating with the unconscious/subconscious, which allows me to be totally absorbed with the inner being, where I can withdraw from the world and connect with my inner- self. Over time, my work has been a therapeutic journey for the mind, the body and the soul.

My artistic impetus has been influenced by the Northern Romantic painters, Caspar David Friedrich’s soulful sublime images and J.W.M Turner’s Thespian. I’m drawn to the dramatically contrasting darks against luminous tones that imbue emotions, swaying between the sublime, serenity and
awe-inspiring magnificence. Similarly, I adore Mark Rothko’s ethereal canvases that evoke spirituality, through mysterious, broken blocks of colour and luminous layers of light, that weaves in and out of the gaps, offering the viewer an experience of transcendence.

Whilst it’s always interesting to explore others work, my Indian heritage and my Africa birthplace have influenced my painting, from a deeper space within.

For the last twenty-five years, I have used painting as a creative and therapeutic tool for self-analysis and higher awareness. Each of my canvases aims to offer the viewer the pleasure of the imagination, where the viewer sees more than just a recognisable form and is able to personally connect with my art from a deeper space within, connecting with their hidden/inner dialogue, for the pleasure of the imagination.

I have exhibited and sold work at the Mall Galleries, Queen Mary University London and The Eagle Gallery. Moreover, my paintings were bought privately, for the publication in ‘The Cultural Psychiatry Textbook’ and ‘The Handbook of Psychiatry in Asia’.


AndrewBrown
Andrew Brown mixed media painting

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.

SamBurke
Sam Burke glass

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.

LisaCampbell
Lisa Campbell oil painting

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.

JeniChanner
Jeni Channer fibre / textile art

I have been an Art and Textile teacher for the last 30 years. Alongside this I have always developed my own artistic practice, exploring a variety of media and techniques creating items such as; wedding dresses, vases, lights and stitched canvas pieces.

I am particularly drawn to natural forms and landscapes but have also produced work based on animals and buildings. I love the effect of dappled light and enjoy playing with colour. Recent commissions have included reflecting special places, objects and animals of clients. I love the colours of the ocean, crashing waves, waterfalls and forest scenes and aim to capture the inspiring nature of these places in my work.

My most recent work is based on a technique that I have developed and believe to be unique to me. I make my own fabric paper from cotton, silk, and angelinafibres, including fragments of recycled fabrics, lace and yarns. I then stitch, paint and sometimes bead into the surface. The piece is then applied to a canvas, bowl, or vase as desired, or if there are more relief elements the work is presented in a box frame. The natural textural quality to my work is part of its charm, which is why I personally prefer it not behind glass, but it is equally effective this way. The Angelina fibres add a lustre to the work that sparkle in places and which are not completely evident in the photos of my work.

My work is richly textured by the materials I use and the free machine embroidery which give the work a different effect close up to far away which people have found intriguing. I have exhibited in a few selected art galleries and open studio events. I have also produced work for a variety of private commissions.

AlanChown
Alan Chown watercolour / acrylic

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.

JenniferClark
Jennifer Clark painting

Jennifer studied Art and Sculpture in Yorkshire to A level but had no mind to go to art school or pursue a career in art.

Years later she joined a local Art Group and dabbled in watercolour and oils. She then rediscovered her love of painting when she joined Rugby & District Art Society enjoying and learning from demos. Following a painting holiday in Devon she met Mike Bernard RI discovering the pure joy of mixed media collage. Employing the boldness of colour and form achievable has enabled her to develop her own strong style.

A member of four art groups around Northamptonshire, she has received several awards from Art Societies, the most recent being Best in Show at Network Arts Northamptonshire 'A New Era' exhibition at the Charles Rennie MacIntosh House, Northampton ( 2020).

Jennifer continues to experiment and discover new techniques with acrylic ink acrylics and collage and loves to incororate 'accidents' into her work. She also specialises in memory paintings which commemorate and celebrate special events e.g. wedding day. finding inspiration in the lives and background stories of people and their special places.

AbbyCork
Abby Cork painting

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.

RobCotton
Rob Cotton pencil, watercolour and oil painting

Rob is Bedfordian born and bred, and has always enjoyed drawing, painting and making things.

He started his working life as a draftsman with Bedford Borough Council in 1987, and is a keen scuba diver and traveller. All of these interests meant that he didn't find much time to sit down and paint. During his time at Bedford Council, and looking for new challenges, he joined the local Army Reserves Unit . This resulted in him being mobilised to Iraq in 2003 and 2008.  After his second tour, he left the Army and rediscovered the joy of painting and creating, as a way to relax and challenge him.

Rob is self taught and has experimented with watercolour, pastels, oil paint, sculpture and silversmithing. Most of his work is now oil paintings and silversmithing, with the majority of this work reflecting his love of wildlife and his interest in the military.

CarolineCousin
Caroline Cousin glass

Caroline is a chemist by training who took up painting on retirement.

She now makes fused glass pieces that are both ornamental and functional with a love of colour that is reflected in the pieces she makes.

She enjoys experimentation and principally uses float glass exploring the effects of colour mixing, of mixing frit sizes and of different inclusions. As well as making pieces by fusing powdered glass between two sheets of glass she also makes pieces by building designs onto of a pre-fused base piece using stringers and cut coloured glass, both of which she can make myself. Hand cut metallic and dichroic decals sometimes provide the finishing touches.

She takes inspiration mainly from the natural world, with flowers, trees and fish all featuring in her work. She exhibits regularly locally and has won several awards for her work, including the national magazine 'Leisure Painter' award at Patchings in 2010. She held a successful solo show in Hythe as well as taking part in Bucks Art Weeks each year since 2011 selling her work both in the UK and abroad.

Her work is happy and affordable.

PaulDarvill
Paul Darvill lamps

Paul first discovered a love of woodworking in his grandfather’s shed. His grandad came from a long line of furniture makers, stretching back to the 1600’s and was himself a furniture maker, making G-Plan furniture in one of the last factories in High Wycombe before the industry ceased.

Paul did a degree in Industrial Design and became a designer making everything from climbing equipment to sleeping bags and tents. After a spell as a Product Design teacher he decided to return to his first passion and now works full time as a carpenter and occasional artist. He makes lamps and furniture but particularly loves anything that tells a story or has a literary theme.

HaydnDickenson
Haydn Dickenson painting

Haydn Dickenson was born in Hertfordshire, where he has continued to live and work. He is inspired by the natural world, humanity, psychology, mysticism and spirituality. Russian artist Dasha Balashova wrote this about Haydn’s artworks: “the art of Haydn Dickenson is like a true Symphony who is depth in all its diverse movements, in a nerve expressive energy, live creative impulse, artistic passion and constant search take us be in reality into spheres of the infinite. These are works that resonate with a heartbeat of life

Haydn specialises in large, subtly exuberant, free abstract pieces. He also produces rapid new sketches in graphite ink and watercolour. His unique work on canvas and board, colours, acrylics, oils and other media collaborates together in a suggestive dance of colour, texture and Form – at times urgent and vital, at others calm, meditative and spiritual. As a musician, Haydn has frequently remarked that when he paints he painting music, and when playing the piano, he moulds sound like a painter; the essential pliability of sound and its powers to seduce the listener finds echoes in his work on canvas and paper; his work is lyrical, expressive and musical – demonstrating, perhaps, that all artistic expression flows from the same wellspring of creativity.

Haydn’s work features in private collections in the UK, Europe, Asia and widely in the United Arab Emirates. He has exhibited extensively in the south of England and in France, eliciting universal praise and fascination.

SueDix
Sue Dix painting

After attending High Wycombe Art School, I graduated with a degree in Graphic Design and then pursued a career in television for over thirty years.
Painting and drawing have always been a passion from childhood.
I’m interested in the ephemeral nature of things, particularly flora. 


I started painting in watercolour over twenty years ago because of its vibrancy and experimental possibilities
which excited me.

I delight in catching the fragility and strength in the subject of the painting. I decided to take up oils over the past two years and am continuing this process, which is very exciting and challenging. I’d loosely describe myself as a colourist.

IreneFoster
Irene Foster watercolour and oil painting

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.

EdFoulds
Ed Foulds drawings

I am a Cambridgeshire based artist from Haddenham. I was stuck in the rat race for 18 years before I decided to follow my dream of pursuing my art and photography full time. I was told I couldn't study art in college or university as it wasn't "career friendly". After school I didn't draw for many years, and when I picked up a pen again, I decided to draw from my imagination - rather than the usual imitations of the world around me that art classes tended to promote. I draw surreal cartoons, which are hectic, detailed and very colourful. In more recent pictures I started to draw various beasts and creatures that represented wordplay, rhymes, puns and turns of phrase. I felt this added a new depth to my work and added to the complexity. Each A2 piece takes over 100 hours to complete.

AnneGilbert
Anne Gilbert watercolour painting

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.

IvetaGoddard
Iveta Goddard ceramic clocks

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.

JillGoodyear
Jill Goodyear painting

A strong sense of colour and form are evidence of my initial training as a textile designer, and I now work mostly with paint, ink, collage and print to produce bright, fresh images on canvas and paper. Drawing is central to all my work.
My inspiration is drawn from my memory of the landscape, the sea and walking in the woods where I live. I like to create works both formal and abstract.
I am a member of the Visual Images Group and have taken part in Open Studios for a number of years in both Bucks and Beds.
I have exhibited and sold my work widely both home and abroad.

BeckyGouverneur
Becky Gouverneur charcoal and pencil animal portraits

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.

MicheleGreene
Michele Greene wire sculpture

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.

DianeGriffin
Diane Griffin ceramic

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.

TimHagan
Tim Hagan acrylic and oil painting

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.

ChrisHarvey
Chris Harvey wood turning

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.

AdrianHobbs
Adrian Hobbs photography and digital art

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.

RoyHolding
Roy Holding mixed media painting

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.

JudithJerams
Judith Jerams watercolour painting

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.

GaryJohn
Gary John acrylic painting

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."

TlwsJohnson
Tlws Johnson glass

Tlws makes large glass sculptures by the pate de verre method and slumps and fuses glass in a kiln. Her work is often colourful and sometimes has a narrative theme.

Tlws is a member of The Buckinghamshire Craft Guild, The Oxfordshire Craft Guild, The Buckinghamshire Art Society, The Buckinghamshire Visual Images Group, Just Glass and the Contemporary Glass Society. She regularly exhibits her work with these groups and in galleries around the country.

She uses lead crystal cullet melted into a mould to form large sculptures. These usually have a polished side to reveal the interior, where the colours swirl about and tiny air pockets that look like silver drops within the glass. The fused glass has colour trapped between two sheets of glass and range from small pedants, bowls, and larger wall pieces and windows. Most of these sculptures are individual originals but Tlws also makes a limited edition of certain items.

BobKing
Bob King ceramic

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.

  DominikaKobbina
Dominika Kobbina drawings

Dominika is a self-taught artist working predominantly with pencils and other materials. She naturally loves drawing, and in 2018 she decided to focus on her passion and started to hone her skills as a professional artist.

Inspiration for her work is drawn from the internal and external beauty of nature, animals and the human form. Every piece is unique in attempting to depict the spiritual connection and balance between her subject and its surroundings.

JulieLeaming
Julie Leaming sculpture

After years of experimenting in various art mediums, I studied Art at the University of Hertfordshire completing a Degree in Fine Art in 2015. It was during my time in the ceramics studio that I became drawn to this medium as a way of expression and creativity. After having the good fortune to work alongside other ceramic artists I continue to work on my individual projects, constantly refining my practice.

With a keen interest in drawing and inspiring others I run sculpture and ceramic classes for Schools, Colleges, and special interest groups. I exhibit my work with galleries and events across Hertfordshire.

The animal sculptures on display are crafted using a high firing earth stone clay that can be kept both inside and outside. They are finished with a reactive paint, rust, and copper effect.The colours do react to the moisture in the air, when dry you will see the varying colours within the paint. Over time these colours may change and become one flat colour.

My recent body of work has largely focused on birds, concentrating on form and movement of these majestic creatures. They have a continual presence in our rural and urban landscape yet give us just a fleeting moment of their time.

As with all ceramic and valuable items I would recommend bringing the items inside during cold spells and frost.

GrahamLester
Graham Lester acrylic, resin and wood turning

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.

AnnLoines
Ann Loines encaustic wax, drawings and oil painting

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.

BarringtonLoines
Barrington Loines oil painting

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'.

RogerLoxton
Roger Loxton glass

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.

MaryLupton
Mary Lupton acrylic abstract

By day I am a dental nurse within the NHS trust at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.  In the evenings and weekends I'm a self-taught abstract, non figurative artist.  
All of my work is one off, unique and original. You may have encountered the term Fluid Acrylic Pouring. No two pieces are the same, never replicated and are one of a kind.  I love the unexpected beauty that appears within my work, best observed when you free your imagination and let it wander.  
I use professional, artist grade, acrylic paints and finish my work with several layers of high gloss varnish. This allows the colours to pop and protects the work from UV damage.
My passion for art and culture coexists with an enthusiasm for travel…. I have a long –suffering husband who trudges along beside me!
I have produced several paid commissions and I would be delighted to be contacted to discuss commissions.

JenniferMcAllister
Jennifer McAllister painting

I work predominately in oils and enjoy the optical range that can be achieved with oils from translucency to opaque applications. Using sketches and initial colour studies help my ideas evolve. These are then developed into paintings. Flower paintings are currently my main source of inspiration particularly the abstract shapes observed in a water filled glass container. I also have an interest in townscapes.

I studied Textiles at Surrey Institute of Art and Design, graduating in 1996. My textiles degree influenced my work, increasing my interest in textures and pattern. My art studio is in Stony Stratford, a town where I can sometimes be found painting ‘en plein air’, working on a townscape.

SallyMcRae
Sally McRae glass

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.

JanMunro
Jan Munro pastel, acrylic and oil painting

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.

CatOakley
Cat Oakley raku

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!”

LauraPartington
Laura Partington wire sculpture

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?"

CarolRead
Carol Read ceramic

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.”

CathyRead
Cathy Read painting

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.

Vikki Stacey
Vikki Stacey glass

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.

PennyStevens
Penny Stevens glass

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.

HelenTaylor
Helen Taylor printing

Helen Taylor is primarily a printmaker working in woodcut and etching; watercolour painting is used in her recent prints to give a greater range of colour, detail and texture to better show her intention which is to explore and amplify the natural world of trees, plants and flowers. Showing the incredible variety of colour and shape, the sheer diversity of what can grow in our own back gardens and local places.
Taylor explores plants which are bred and live in 'captivity'. A possible future for many plant species, and for our experience of them, certainly those which may not be able to survive and adapt to long term changes to their environment and the threats brought by climate change. The titles of these pieces ‘Bred in captivity, ‘What do we have to lose’ are important in the telling of this story.
Her work is inspired by well known botanical and architectural ‘meeting’ places such as Kew and Oxford Botanic Gardens, she has also made many works inspired by her home city of Milton Keynes, from the shopping building to Great Linford manor park. She also often uses her own garden for inspiration, especially a series which takes snapshots in time showing how even a small area of plants can completely transform in structure and palette at different seasons.
Taylor has a first class degree in Fine Art, and a Masters degree in printmaking and works from her home studio in Milton Keynes.
She has had works accepted into exhibitions in London and overseas, including The Society of Graphic Fine Art (The Drawing Society); The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour; The Society of Botanical Artists; Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair and The Society of Women Artists.
She has work in private collections in the UK, Australia, China and the US.
She is a member of The Printmakers Council and an associate member of the Society Graphic Fine Art (The Drawing Society).
She has worked as a community artist, teacher, adult education tutor and workshop leader, and as Director of arts for health the charity based in MK Hospital. Helen now works mainly on her own arts practice.

ClareTebboth
Clare Tebboth watercolour and oil painting

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.

HannahThomas
Hannah Thomas painting and original print

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.”

JillVarone
Jill Varone pastel and oil painting

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.

AlisonVincent
Alison Vincent glass

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.

MikeWaldt
Mike Waldt wood turning

“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."

DavidWells
David Wells watercolour painting

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.

PaulWharton
Paul Wharton painting

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.

TerryWood
Terry Wood acrylic painting

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.