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‘Quiet Birds in Circled Flight’ Autumn Exhibition & h.Art

As the evenings start to draw in, our thoughts turn to home and a good fire in the hearth. To set the scene we mark the beauty of the changes of the season, and introduce our special Autumn Exhibition combined with h.Art entitled ‘Quiet Birds in Circled Flight’ which opens on Saturday September 6 at Old Chapel Gallery, Pembridge, promoting the work of talented British artists and makers from around the county and beyond.  

Heading the line up is artist Lynda Jones. Her mysterious canvases and drawings are mostly depictions of the Monmouth landscape, and its rolling hills, that surrounds her – the final image often bears little relation to the original subject but all have a common starting point – the memory of a place she knows well. Even when working on a larger scale, a tiny detail, such as a soaring kite, will intrigue and draw the viewer in.

Sought after artist Ann McCay is showing here for the second time. Her paintings convey a sense of space and have a strong narrative element. Settings are theatrical, often portraying man-made structures within natural vegetation. The eye is led along paths, through windows and into doorways. The familiar is made strange through the use of intense colour and light. The juxtaposition of images and archetypal nature of the figures inspires the viewer to create their own story.

‘Woodland Companions’
‘Woodland Companions’

Rachel Wright, who is back by popular demand, is inspired by many subjects, including landscapes, seascapes, wildlife, harbour towns, boats, lighthouses and windmills. These themes are then translated into machine embroidered fabric collages, using vibrant threads, worked onto carefully cut pieces of fabric. This enables Rachel to draw and paint through fabric and stitch, providing a rich source of colour, texture and pattern which forms her ‘palette’ and the threads are used like a fine paintbrush to fill in the details. Rachel’s trademark is her use of striking, rich colour, which captivates and draws the viewer in. Her aim is simply to delight the eye.

Stained glass artist Jane Littlefield is inspired by the nature, history and folklore of her home in the Peak District and deeply influenced by medieval stained glass. Using age old techniques, she has developed her own contemporary style in which traditional glass paints create multi-layered and textured images on small panels that are then fired in the kiln.

Rachel Sumner is a mixed media artist working mainly with found objects such as driftwood and metal. She collects the materials for her pieces during the winter when there are storms and not so many people about, and assembles them during the summer in her shed, hand painting the details and finishing the assemblages with beeswax.

Kathryn O’Kell has been making woodcarvings for over 30 years. In a methodical, almost meditative process, she transforms her chosen medium, specifically English lime, into carefully sanded and painted pieces. She has only to look out of her shed window and her inspiration – the birds that have always fascinated her – can be found flying past, circling overhead or resting on the woodshed.

Rachel Bailey’s jewellery explores her love of wild creatures, our native animals and birds and magical realms. The semi precious stones she uses are an integral part of her inspiration as they suggest landscapes that the creatures may inhabit. Each piece is individually made and therefore unique, in sterling silver and hallmarked in Sheffield.

 

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’Snapdragon Solstice’  Summer Exhibition opens on Saturday July 5th 2025

’Snapdragon Solstice’ 

Summer Exhibition opens on Saturday July 5th 2025

Returning by popular demand Lynda Jones’ mysterious canvases and drawings are mostly depictions of the Monmouthshire landscape, and its rolling wooded hills, that surrounds her. The final image often bears little relation to the original subject but all have a common starting point – the memory of a place she knows well.

‘On the Way to the Mountains’
‘On the Way to the Mountains’

Sue Hayden‘s paintings are based on the relationship between texture, shape and light. Starting with observational drawings from life she uses bright acrylics and pastels on layered surfaces to add randomness and energy to her work. Particularly drawn to natural objects and landscapes her work emphasises a love of colour, texture and movement in what can be touched and what can be seen in the distance.

'Straggled Gorse' Acrylic and Collage
‘Straggled Gorse’ Acrylic and Collage

New to the gallery is artist Stuart Roper who was born in England and brought up in Scotland. Having spent many years as a commercial illustrator he is now based in the Welsh Marches, working in a variety of media, including watercolour, gouache, acrylics and oils. A colourist at heart, he says: “I enjoy painting from the natural landscape; my fascination with trees is prompted by the way the light changes their colours – purple trunks with dashes of pink, turquoise leaves against burgundy-coloured bark. As a painter, I am increasingly drawn to the astonishingly vivid colour in nature around me.” He builds his compositions through gestural marks, his impressionistic style depicting a dapple of light as it dances on the canvas. For him, the natural world proves an endless source of inspiration and delight.

'Hergest Croft Gardens'
‘Hergest Croft Gardens’

Much loved ceramicist Hilke MacIntyre was born in Germany near the Danish border. She studied architecture at the College for Art & Design in Kiel and worked for various architects until she moved to Scotland in1995. Since then she has focused on printmaking, ceramics and painting, combining a simplified figurative style with bold shapes, strong colours and abstract patterns. Her work is widely exhibited in galleries throughout Britain and her linocuts and woodcuts have been used for numerous illustrations.

'Coffee in the Summer House'

Distinguished stained glass artist Frans Wesselman grew up and trained in the Netherlands. He meticulously shapes glass panels that capture the essence of the human experience. These panels, thoughtfully combined into small installations, some on a plinth, serve as intimate reflections of the artist’s vision. People are central to his work, which is also based on the close observation of the natural world. Drawing inspiration largely from literary references and tales of travel, Fran’s natural eye for storytelling captures the warmth and character of relationships.

'Hen Keeper's Handbook' 
‘Hen Keeper’s Handbook’

Jeweller Tracey Birchwood graduated in 3-Dimensional Design at university where she majored in ceramics. Each delicate porcelain petal within her Petal collection is hand formed and then edged, spotted or striped in intricate patterns painted with a special ceramic ‘lustre’ glaze (the gold contains real gold and the silver coloured lustre contains real platinum). Once the lustres have been fired onto the petals, they are carefully linked together with sterling silver fittings to form earrings and necklaces. Tiny freshwater pearls are used to embellish the pieces.

Since retiring from teaching, James Gilchrist is painting full time, inspired by the countryside he lives in and his journeys around the world. His work includes evocative, atmospheric landscapes in soft and oil pastels, watercolours, and oil paintings, along with charcoal and pencil figurative drawings.

‘St Michael's Mount, Cornwall’
‘St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall’

 

To compliment our Summer exhibition we have a new collection of gorgeous linen jackets, dresses and tunics by Terry Macey.

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Hay Festival Exhibition @OCG 2025 and ‘Shadows on the Grass’ Garden Sculpture Show opens on Saturday May 17

A special Festival Exhibition at Old Chapel Gallery, Pembridge to run during the Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts 2025, opens on Saturday May 17, continuing to the end of June, featuring the work of talented British artists and makers from far and near. This year we are combining this exhibition with our Garden Sculpture show ‘Shadows on the Grass’ which will run throughout the year, featuring the work of several sculptors new to the gallery.

Artist Mary Griffin, with her vibrant pastels of gardens and intriguing interiors, uses gouache or watercolours to provide interesting surface contrasts and atmospheric effects. Many of her paintings are a glimpse of a moment in time. Her chief concern is to make a statement about life which most people will relate to from their own experience, but narratives are left to be interpreted by the viewer.

Jemima Jameson works mainly in acrylics, preferring to paint onto wooden panels, bowls and furniture. Her desire to paint and draw has been part of her whole life and is quite simply a celebration of the natural world that she is compelled to describe. Her wooden boxes and cabinets often serve as treasure chests for cherished keepsakes.

New to the gallery is potter Karen Williams, offering her modern versions of traditional slipware. Each piece is individually made, drawings are incised into the creamy liquid clay revealing the red clay body, lending definition and precision to her painterly designs of birds and foliage. Karen makes pieces to be used daily to eat and drink from, taking inspiration directly from nature and the stunning wild landscape and coast of Pembrokeshire where she has made her home for the past 20 years. 

We welcome Joey Richardson, an internationally acclaimed woodturner and sculptor from Lincolnshire combining fine art with traditional craftsmanship and innovative techniques. Through piercing, carving, colouring and layering, she transforms turned forms into translucent vessels. Each piece tells a story, its fragility and strength inviting the viewer to look beyond the surface and consider what it is to be marked by experience, yet still be capable of beauty, renewal, and transformation.

Karin Celestine, fibre artist, writer and illustrator from Monmouthshire, crafts delightful collections of needle felted creatures from hares to badgers and mice, each one with its own charm, character and mischief, who populate the world of kindness and creativity portrayed in her books. She can happily turn her hand to making all creatures great and small, mythical and real.

Rachel Ricketts spent years conserving antiquities and works of art, and restoring wall paintings, predominantly in ecclesiastical buildings and stately homes. A newly acquired English Toy Terrier inspired her to sculpt, becoming her first, very wriggly, subject. Entirely self-taught, her experience with materials and techniques, including patination processes, has proved invaluable.

Having spent 12 years in London working as a prop-maker and model engineer for the film industry, Archie Kennedy had the opportunity to go to New Zealand to work on the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy for two years. He was sent to the blacksmith’s shop on the first day and never looked back. He now produces one-off sculptures, based in a converted Shropshire barn. We look forward to hosting a selection of his sleek and pensive penguins, reflecting on the sad state of the environment.

Long established sculptor Helen Sinclair makes limited edition and unique contemporary semi-figurative pieces of slender elegance. Using a life model regularly, she occasionally finds poses that inspire a whole series. Relishing the energy of modelling in plaster, clay, wax or resin, she make her own moulds and casts her work into bronze, resin or concrete.

Angela Palmer prefers to work with a model directly from life, hoping to capture some of the human qualities expressed by the body. Her sculpture is a direct response to the beauty of the human form, first modelled in clay, then cast into bronze resin, its surface given a patina by a process which accelerates the natural weathering of the bronze and produces some subtly beautiful colours.

Firm favourites Ian Gill and Neil Lossock will be amongst other artist blacksmiths and sculptors gracing Old Chapel Gallery’s garden this year. All designed to give hours of pleasure to enhance time spent in the open air.

The gallery is open from Wednesday to Saturday 11 – 4.30pm and Sunday 12 – 4pm. Other times by appointment. Closed on Tuesdays. 

For more information or to join the mailing list visit www.oldchapelgallery.co.uk or contact Yasmin on 01544 388842. All available online at oldchapelgallery.co.uk

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‘First Stirrings’ the Spring Exhibition 2025

‘First Stirrings’ the Spring Exhibition 2025 at Old Chapel Gallery opens on Saturday March 15th and continues to the end of April.

Each piece inspired by nature, encompassing a unique collection of hand picked, desirable contemporary British fine art and craft including paintings, sculpture, ceramics, stained glass, jewellery, textiles and pewter, we hope this latest exhibition strikes a heartening mood of optimism. 

Artist Joanna Griffiths uses a variety of media including pastel, acrylic ink and more recently oil on canvas. Her new oils focus on her locality in the Welsh Marches, showing her fascination for details which make up a landscape: tall grasses bent and battered by winter, tiny yellow flowers opening on resilient gorse, and farmland bursting into life with lush new grass and thriving lambs. She says: “Spring comes late in upland areas but gradually the bright, sharp sunlight breaks through the remaining snow and driving rain to reveal a glistening world brimming with life”.

Lynda Jones’ mysterious canvases and drawings are mostly depictions of the Monmouthshire landscape, and its rolling wooded hills, that surrounds her. The final image often bears little relation to the original subject but all have a common starting point – the memory of a place she knows well. Even when working on a larger scale, a tiny detail, such as a soaring kite, will intrigue and draw the viewer in.

Ceramicist Simon Rich had such a strong interest in pottery that at an early age he started to teach the craft to his fellow pupils at school. For the last 25 years Simon has been refining and perfecting his craft, creating beautiful ceramics with a crystalline glaze applied to porcelain. During a lengthy firing, zinc oxide forms crystals, the patterns resembling the intricate and utterly original growth of frost. His latest pieces are enhanced by a subtle iridescence. 

Justine Allison’s fine porcelain vessels are eloquent and uplifting. Effectively so because of their unassuming presence – light is attracted to them, held, and radiates from them. There is a quietude to Justine’s work that reflects the meditative process of its making and the grace of the finished forms. They are not perfect, they are precise, with strong lines and soft colours, fixed forms that convey movement and make us hold our breath.

Stained glass artist Tamsin Abbott is influenced by the natural world and its associated myths and legends, she tries to imbue her work with a sense of these magical qualities which connect humankind to the landscape while doing justice to the alchemical qualities of the glass itself, her designs making skilful use of the glowing colours flowing through it.

Barbara Shaw creates art in textiles and ‘paints’ with fabric, constructing images by hand-stitching small pieces of material together in layers, reflecting her interest in Impressionist painting. She hopes to interpret subjects in a fresh way which encourages viewers to take a second look. She is a self-taught artist, having started experimenting with fabrics after sewing patchwork quilts.

New to the gallery is Trish Woods who creates individual handcrafted statement jewellery pieces and giftware in pewter, striving to bring a new, contemporary aesthetic to this traditional metal. Originally trained in silversmithing, she has worked in pewter for over 15 years. Researching new methods of patination, she has developed a unique process for colouring pewter which is now a signature of her work.

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‘Winter Curiosities’ Festive Exhibition 2024

The Winter Exhibition 2024 at Old Chapel Gallery, Pembridge entitled ‘Winter Curiosities’ opens on Saturday November 2nd with a dazzling collection of hand picked, hand made delights! Give the High Street a miss this Christmas and shop for unique British made presents in the calm and tranquil atmosphere of the gallery.

Our festive line up features stained glass panels by Tamsin Abbott. Influenced by the natural world and its associated myths and legends, she tries to imbue her work with a sense of these magical qualities which connect humankind to the landscape while doing justice to the alchemical qualities of the glass itself.

'At the Thinning of the Veil'
‘At the Thinning of the Veil’

Artist Hilke MacIntyre grew up in North Germany where she studied at the College of Art & Architecture in Kiel. In 1996 she moved to Scotland where she divides her time between painting, printmaking and producing ceramic reliefs. Hilke’s work uses a simplified figurative style with strong abstract pattern. Influences include ‘primitive’ art, early 20th Century European art and contemporary design. You may have seen her linocut motifs adorning the packaging of Doves Farm flour.

‘Long Butterfly’
‘Long Butterfly’

Lynda Jones’ mysterious canvases and drawings are mostly depictions of the Monmouthshire landscape, and its rolling wooded hills, that surrounds her. The final image often bears little relation to the original subject but all have a common starting point – the memory of a place she knows well. Even when working on a larger scale, a tiny detail, such as a soaring kite, will intrigue and draw the viewer in.

Textile artist Rachel Wright will be showing three new machine embroidery pictures. Studies of the landscapes and seascapes that inspire her are painstakingly translated into carefully cut and pieced fabric collages, lively and swirling with movement, overlaid with vibrant threads used like a fine paintbrush to fill in the details, enabling Rachel to draw and paint through fabric and stitch.

'Frost Kissed Fields'
‘Frost Kissed Fields’

Back by popular demand is Helen Martino, who describes her own work as ‘serious, posh and frivolous’. Fascinated by body language, her ceramic sculptures embody a sense of narrative, where a still gesture captures a moment which suggests a past and a future story. She uses a hand building technique, manipulating soft and flexible sheets of clay. The surfaces are painted with slips, underglaze pigments and resists, often glinting with silver and gold lustres. 

‘Angel on a Windy Day’
‘Angel on a Windy Day’

John Exton’s works in pen and ink illustrate a private world of myth and legend. He sees the work as ‘A Bestiary For our Times’. He uses a plethora of stimuli to produce his illustrations, including the Medieval world, dreams, journeys into the subconscious and Magic, Mystery and Folklore. 

'Darwin's Dream'
‘Darwin’s Dream’

Elaine Peto, renowned for her ceramic animal sculptures, combines a rigorous anatomical approach with conveying the essence of the creature. These powerful pieces realistically recreate the muscularity, movement and bones of the animal whilst revelling in the textures and creative possibilities of the stoneware clay, into which she impresses pieces of fabric, shells, and netting.

Jemima Jameson works mainly in acrylics, preferring to paint onto wooden panels, bowls and furniture. Her desire to paint and draw has been part of her whole life and is quite simply a celebration of the natural world that she is compelled to describe. Her wooden boxes and cabinets often serve as treasure chests for cherished keepsakes.

'The Little Owl'
‘The Little Owl’

Ceramicist Lyn Harrison in creates lively, robust pieces, both narrative and domestic, in stoneware crank clay, a strong, gritty clay which has a grainy, rustic appearance. She uses hand building methods, mainly coiling and slab work and finishes the pieces with slips and glazes with a wood ash finish.

To keep out the winter chill there will be a ‘must have’ collection of scarves, wraps, collars and bags in luxurious wools and silks, all desirable accessories for any wardrobe! Our wide range of textiles includes jackets, hats, gloves, cushions and throws. We will have new collections of jewellery by Rachel Bailey, Elizabeth Terzza, Leoma Drew, Alison Varley, Nicola Lillie, Gail Klevan and Rozie Keogh who will also be showing a magnificent suspended angel in wire with sequins. Gift wrapping service available.

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‘When Soft was the Sun’ Autumn Exhibition and h.Art 2024

 

As the evenings start to draw in, our thoughts turn to home and a good fire in the hearth. To set the scene we mark the beauty of the changes of the season, and introduce our special Autumn Exhibition combined with h.Art entitled ‘When Soft was the Sun’  which opens on Saturday August 31st at Old Chapel Gallery, Pembridge, promoting the work of talented British artists and makers from around the county and beyond.  

Heading the line up is artist Lynda Jones. Her mysterious canvases and drawings are mostly depictions of the Monmouth landscape, and its rolling hills, that surrounds her – the final image often bears little relation to the original subject but all have a common starting point – the memory of a place she knows well. Even when working on a larger scale, a tiny detail, such as a soaring kite, will intrigue and draw the viewer in.

Sought-after Herefordshire stained glass maker Tamsin Abbott will be showing several pieces. Influenced by the natural world and its associated myths and legends, she tries to imbue her work with a sense of these magical qualities which connect humankind to the landscape while doing justice to the alchemical qualities of the glass itself.

New to the gallery is artist Shelagh Popham who studied at St. Martin’s School of Art and the West of England Academy. She lives in the Radnorshire Hills, looking across the Wye Valley to the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons. Shelagh works in oil, watercolour, pen, pencil, charcoal and pastel as well as wood engraving and etching. Small sketches, colour notes and detailed observations are reworked and combined in her studio. She says: “If living is a process of coming to terms with our surroundings, then I would see my paintings as an interpretation of this process by means of inquiry or celebration; a public reflection of private rejoicings and unexpected incidents”.

David England came to three-dimensional work in his late thirties when he tried his hand at stone and fell in love with the medium. He lives and works in Herefordshire and his themes reflect a rural life: green men, river maids, hares and deer, but with an ongoing passion for the human form and a smattering of angels thrown in for good measure. 

Joanna Griffiths studied at Hertfordshire College of Art and the London College of Printing and had a successful and long career as a graphic designer. She now depicts the hills, moors and farmland of the Welsh Marches in oils, pastels and acrylic inks, never tiring of the transformations brought by the seasons and the changing weather. Joanna often only has to walk a short distance to study the subjects she loves, describing her daily walks as her ‘absorption time’.

We’re delighted to re-introduce the work of woodcarver (and talented bass guitarist) Peter Meyrick, his selection of bird carvings capturing the character of his subjects, without losing the tactile quality of the wood or the beauty of the grain. Bright colours, animal imagery and humour have always been an integral part of his work. He has been inspired to take up his tools again after a period of illness, we look forward to seeing the results.

Open every day 11am – 5pm through h.Art week

Otherwise open Wednesday to Saturday 11am – 4.30pm, Sunday 12am – 4pm

This exhibition will run till the end of October 2024

For more information contact Yasmin on 01544 388842 or visit www.oldchapelgallery.co.uk. 

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‘Song of the Earth’ Spring Exhibition 2024

‘Song of the Earth’ the Spring Exhibition 2024 at Old Chapel Gallery opens on Saturday March 9th and continues to the end of April.

Each piece inspired by nature, encompassing a unique collection of hand picked, desirable contemporary British fine art and craft including paintings, sculpture, ceramics, stained glass, jewellery, mosaics and wood we hope this latest exhibition strikes a heartening mood of optimism. 

Artist Sue Hayden brings a glorious new collection of seascapes and landscapes to our Spring Exhibition, painted whilst on location in Pembrokeshire, Ireland and Shropshire. Sue is excited by the relationship between texture, shape, light and space and paints with acrylics and pastels on paper that have been layered up beforehand with paint and paper creating a collage effect. This adds energy, randomness and interest to the subject. Her work is created from sketches and notes based on her impressions of what she is looking at and feeling. She rarely refer to photographs.

New to the gallery is artist Ann McCay whose paintings convey a sense of space and have a strong narrative element. Settings are theatrical, often portraying man-made structures within natural vegetation. The eye is led along paths, through windows and into doorways. The familiar is made strange through the use of intense colour and light. The juxtaposition of images and archetypal nature of the figures inspires the viewer to create their own story.

Toff Milway has been a maker since childhood and has always tried to invent useful things, and creates salt-glaze pots that are not only beautifully elegant, but are also highly functional and useful. His own enjoyment of food makes him want his pots to inspire people to make good food, present it on or in interesting pots and to eat it in convivial company. In his own words, ‘Let’s live life with style and enthusiasm! I am a born enthusiast and want to encourage everyone. As a country potter I like to create pots that have an old fashioned country feel to them yet still retain their elegant lines.’ 

Saffron Guy hand builds pottery in a small studio in the Welsh Marches. Most of her sculptural ceramic vessels are hand built using slabbing, pinching and coiling methods and decorated with coloured slips, glazes and underglazes. She takes inspiration from both natural organic forms and also from the laboratory – vessels that she might have come across while working as a chemist and biochemist. She likes to work with symmetrical, even shapes, in some instances altering their surfaces with wax resist and erosion or carving before decoration.

John Mainwaring left school to become a carpenter. Private art tuition led to him selling cartoons to agencies for publication in magazines and newspapers. Having discovered woodturning in the early 1970s and finding wood carving more satisfying and rewarding he now produces carved and painted pieces of great character, charm and complexity. 

Rachel Bailey has been a jeweller for over 20 years. She studied at Portsmouth College of Art in the late ’80’s and then went on to West Surrey College of Art and Design in the early ’90’s taking a degree in three dimensional design – specialising in metals. Her work explores her love of wild creatures, our native animals and birds and magical realms. The semi precious stones she uses are an integral part of her inspiration as they suggest landscapes in which the creatures inhabit. Each piece is individually made and therefore unique, in sterling silver and Hallmarked in Sheffield.

Frans Wesselman, who grew up in the Netherlands, moved to England in 1979 where he has worked and exhibited widely. From the delicacy of his etchings and watercolours to the strength of line and clarity of colour characteristic of his wood/linocuts and glowing stained glass, his enigmatic images often tell an intriguing story.

Morag Archer’s urge to create magic from lost items led her into the world of mosaics. She found she could combine lovely old broken vintage china with clay to make little picture treasures. Birds are her main inspiration. Each element plays its part. Tiny up-cycled paper fragments lovingly added layer upon layer; accents of ink, paint and gold leaf are stirred into the eclectic mix.

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OWN ART

Own Art 

The Simple and Affordable Way to Buy Art & Craft

 

Own Art

 

Old Chapel Gallery has just signed up to become a member of Own Art.

Own Art loans allow you to borrow from as little as £150 up to £2,500 and pay it back over 10 months, completely interest-free. You can choose to finance all or just part of your purchase and multiple items can be bought with one loan.

That means you can choose more or less anything you want from paintings, prints, drawings, and sculpture to glassware, ceramics, jewellery, furniture, and textiles. Whatever you decide to buy, it must be made by a living artist as we want to support the artists of today by encouraging sales of their work to new buyers.

The best part is that you can take your masterpiece home with you straight away.

Applying for an Own Art loan is easy!

The first stage is the difficult bit – deciding what to buy. Once you’ve found the artwork that you want to buy, just let us know that you’d like to apply for an Own Art loan to finance your purchase. All you will need is proof of residence and signature – for example, a driving license. Own Art is available to all UK residents over the age of 18, subject to status. This means that you must be able to meet one of the criteria in order to be approved for a loan.

  • Working at least 16 hours a week (employed or self-employed)
  • A retired person in receipt of a pension
  • If you are not working but are married to or living
    with a partner who does meet the above criteria, then you may still apply, provided that your partner is happy for their employment details to be included on your application form.

It only takes 10 minutes!

We’ll take you through the loan application process, which normally takes
about 10 minutes. Once you have given us all the information we need, you’ll
get an instant decision. Once your application is approved you will need you to
sign the agreement and you can take your artwork away there and then.

Own Art is a Creative United initiative supported by Arts Council England, Creative Scotland and Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Helping  customers, supports artists & makers and sustaining galleries

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‘Winter Curiosities’

The Christmas Exhibition 2023 at Old Chapel Gallery, Pembridge 

entitled ‘Winter Curiosities’ opens on Saturday November 4 with a dazzling collection of hand picked, hand made delights! Give the High Street a miss this Christmas and shop for unique British made presents in the calm and tranquil atmosphere of the gallery. Enjoy a truly delightful shopping experience.

We will be featuring a cornucopia of wonderful Christmas present ideas from the best of British artists and makers, many from Herefordshire and its surrounds –  something for everyone! Including handmade cards, candles and soaps, Christmas tree decorations in copper, brass, glass and porcelain, jewellery in silver, acrylic, pearls and semi-precious stones, studio glass and stained glass, ceramics – functional and decorative, ironwork – including pokers, snuffers, candle holders, bronzes, and sculpture – both for indoors and to grace the garden, original paintings, prints, including limited edition etchings, a wide range of textiles to include jackets, hats, scarves, gloves, cushions and throws.

To adorn your walls we will be showing a new collection of textile embroidery pictures by Rachel Wright.  Rachel is inspired by many subjects, including landscapes, seascapes, wildlife, harbour towns, boats, lighthouses and windmills. These themes are then translated into machine embroidered fabric collages that are lively and swirling with movement, with vibrant threads used like a fine paintbrush to fill in the details, worked onto carefully cut pieces of fabric. This enables Rachel to draw and paint through fabric and stitch, providing a rich source of colour, texture and pattern which forms her ‘palette’.

Colin See-Paynton is a Fellow of the Royal Cambrian Academy, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers and a member of the Society of Wood Engravers.  He is widely regarded as the leading exponent of wood engraving in the United Kingdom and his work is represented in many private and public collections around the world. We welcome him once again to the gallery.

New to the gallery is stained glass artist Lilly Eris who finds her inspiration in the rich tapestry of human mythology and the boundless intricacies of the natural world. She works in the traditional storytelling medium of stained glass to create mythical scenes. With its luminous translucence and timeless beauty, stained glass offers the perfect medium for Lilly to express the narratives and aesthetics that have captivated her imagination for years.

Another newcomer to the gallery is stained glass artist Jane Littlefield. Inspired by the nature, history and folklore of her home in the Peak District and deeply influenced by medieval stained glass, using age old techniques, she has developed her own contemporary style in which traditional glass paints create multi-layered and textured images on small panels that are then fired in the kiln.

Duncan White creates intricate ceramic sculpture. He is an enthusiastic collector of antique ceramics and other collectable artefacts and his own creations appear at first glance to suggest tiny but valuable archaeological finds that could be found locked away in a museum’s display case. 

His constructions are witty and amusing but with serious undertones.

Justine Allison hand built ceramics are very much concerned with the simplicity and beauty of the clay and incorporating pattern and texture as well as glaze to create subtle, unique variations. Thinness and movement are very important in each piece.

By popular demand Jemima Jameson returns for ‘Winter Curiosities’ with a beautifully executed collection of painted boxes and cabinets. Hares, foxes, kingfishers are just some of nature’s beautiful creatures that Jemima captures in acrylic paints as she creates these heirloom pieces.

Morag Archer creates jewel-like mixed media mosaic pictures, using scraps of broken vintage china, paper, paint and gleaming gold leaf. Birds are her main inspiration.

Jo Verity shows a great love and respect for folk law and the cycle of life and death within the natural world in recreating the journey of our land’s repossession of animals that once lived among us. Sometimes a little on the dark side each piece tells its own unique story. 

Tamsin Abbott’s magical stained glass always attracts much attention, drawing on the natural world around our Herefordshire countryside and its hares, badgers, ravens, foxes and more. 

Potter Josie Walters makes tableware and cooking pots in earthenware clay, which are decorated with lively motifs in slips and coloured glazes. Most of the pots are thrown on a traditional momentum wheel, even though many of the finished shapes are oval or rectangular.

‘Winter Curiosities’ will also be showing a  new collections of jewellery by Rachel Bailey, Rebecca Lewis, Elizabeth Terzza, Leoma Drew, Chrissie Nash,  Gail Klevan and Rozie Keogh.

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‘Caught in Flight’ Autumn 2023

Autumn 2023 ‘Caught in Flight’

Open every day 11am – 5pm through h.Art week

As the evenings start to draw in, our thoughts turn to home and a good fire in the hearth. To set the scene we mark the beauty of the changes of the season, and introduce our special Autumn Exhibition combined with h.Art entitled ‘Caught in Flight’  which opens on Saturday September 2nd at Old Chapel Gallery, Pembridge, promoting the work of talented British artists and makers from around the county and beyond.  

Heading the line up is artist Lynda Jones. Her mysterious canvases and drawings are mostly depictions of the Monmouth landscape, and its rolling hills, that surrounds her – the final image often bears little relation to the original subject but all have a common starting point – the memory of a place she knows well. Even when working on a larger scale, a tiny detail, such as a soaring kite, will intrigue and draw the viewer in.

New to the gallery is stained glass artist Jane Littlefield. Inspired by the nature, history and folklore of her home in the Peak District and deeply influenced by medieval stained glass, using age old techniques, she has developed her own contemporary style in which traditional glass paints create multi-layered and textured images on small panels that are then fired in the kiln.

Sought-after Herefordshire stained glass maker Tamsin Abbott will be showing several pieces. Influenced by the natural world and its associated myths and legends, she tries to imbue her work with a sense of these magical qualities which connect humankind to the landscape while doing justice to the alchemical qualities of the glass itself.

Kathryn O’Kell has been making woodcarvings for over 30 years. In a methodical, almost meditative process, she transforms her chosen medium, specifically English lime, into carefully sanded and painted pieces. She has only to look out of her shed window and her inspiration, the birds that have always fascinated her, can be found flying past, circling overhead or resting on the woodshed.

Printmaker Flora McLachlan’s work grows out of the experience of observing the landscape and the process of translating this experience into print. As she works on her etchings, she wants to evoke a single charmed moment out of time, a magical vision that stills. The scene is our ancient and enchanted landscape, roamed by guardian spirit-like animals, shadowed by woods where the holly springs green amongst the bare oaks and beeches.

Helen Martino describes her pots as “serious, posh and frivolous’, using hand building techniques with soft and flexible sheets of clay, freely cut and manipulated. She plays with perspective by distorting the objects as in a stage set. By inclination she is also a painter, and views these flattened forms as three dimensional canvases, painted with slips, underglaze pigments, and resists with accents of silver and gold lustres. 

Rachel Wright is inspired by many subjects, including landscapes, seascapes, wildlife, harbour towns, boats, lighthouses and windmills. These themes are then translated into machine embroidered fabric collages that are lively and swirling with movement, with vibrant threads used like a fine paintbrush to fill in the details, worked onto carefully cut pieces of fabric. This enables Rachel to draw and paint through fabric and stitch, providing a rich source of colour, texture and pattern which forms her ‘palette’.