Oak or ash?

I was rifling through old boxes in the barn at the weekend when something dawned on me. There were no swallows. It was the layer of 'guano' from previous habitation that jogged my memory. Last year they arrived on St George's day and the year before on the 18th of April. Spring should be well on its way by now, so where are they? I know "One swallow doesn't make a summer" and all that, but is it significant?

Nature provides us with many signs about forthcoming weather. For many people much of the folklore and old wive's tales are more reliable than our weather forecasters. Michael Fish?...need I say more!

Trees can tell us a lot. An old Devon countryman told me that you will always find water under a holly tree and, of course, trees are a good weather indicator. How much more rain will fall may depend on a fascinating competition between the oak and ash to see which one will open their leaves first, as weatherlore says "Oak before ash we'll have a splash, Ash before oak we're in for a soak". The race is currently running neck-and-neck – oaks are more sensitive to temperature and got off to a flying start in the warm weather of March, but slowed down in the cool weather this April and the ashes are now catching up.

Whatever the weather may hold, trees have a reverence and beauty that has captured artists' imagination for generations. North Devon artist Sarah Woolfenden produces large scale pen drawings of local trees and woods that have been described as wonderfully detailed and exquisitely executed. She is a member of the South West Academy and was chosen as the lead artist in The Artists Garden Exhibition at RHS Rosemoor in 2010. If I had to go out on a limb (sorry, couldn't resist it!), I would say they are some of the best contemporary renditions of trees currently available.

Beech Tree by Sarah Woolfenden. Framed original ink drawing £795

This example of Sarah's work is a local beech tree, a common site in North Devon with most of the hedgerows in this area being of that variety. It is estimated that there are 33,000 miles of hedges in Devon, more than any other county in the UK. 

One of Sarah's large ink drawings (framed size is almost a metre high) can take over a month to complete and a large framed original costs in the region of £795 from West Gallery. Prints of her work cost from around £50, dependent on size, and greetings cards are also available.

You can see more of Sarah's work in our gallery or visit her page on our website.

So, is it oak or ash this year? Do you have swallows yet? Let us know. Meanwhile, I'm off to scrape 'guano' off my lawnmower!

Everybody loves art, don't they?

Having been a designer and artist from an early age I have always been comfortable with art at all levels, it's been part of my life. It struck me some time ago that not everyone perceives it in the same way. With pictures going for millions at Sothebys it is hardly surprising that some people see art as inaccessible. But art has many levels and I believe there is something for everybody, it's just getting them to appreciate what is around them.


A good example was a man passing by the gallery, covered from head to toe in tattoos, who was overheard to say "Don't do art, me". He failed to see the irony of his comment. The 'artwork' on his body must have cost him in the region of £1,000 but he didn't assimilate the two, but he did do art, didn't he!


At West Gallery our art covers a broad spectrum. Yes, we have fantastic oil paintings for about £5,000 but you could also find quality ceramic pieces or hand made jewellery for just a few pounds.


Some new work just in is a range of hand made silver jewellery by Jenna Perryman starting from just £18.

Silver pendant with necklace £25

Also new in, and I think this is great, a hand-stitched leather beer bottle/can holster, at £32 an ideal birthday gift for the man that can't hold his beer! It can also be personalised with your initials. I want one!

The leather work is produced by Kerry Edwards a designer and maker of leather jewellery, accessories and products. An experienced competitor in dressage, showjumping and one-day eventing, Kerry has worked with some of the top harness makers and won a Society of Master Saddlers National Saddlery Competition. Kerry's professional career has taken her to many parts of the World including the USA. Her skills were used in the production of Harley Davidson pannier bags before starting her own business riding and training race horses and polo ponies and fulfilling custom saddlery orders. Kerry is now based in Sutcombe, North Devon where her custom equestrian items are still very much in demand. 

So, as you can see, art can take many different forms, it doesn't have to be a picture on a wall it can be whatever you want it to be if it brings a bit of pleasure to your life. George Bernard Shaw said, "Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable."

We sell happiness, contentment and relaxation, priceless in today's frenetic world. Art is alcohol without the hangover. Pop in to the gallery for a fix, there might just be something for you.

Let us know what gives you a buzz, floats your boat or presses your buttons. Check out our website and tell us what you like, we'd love to hear from you.

What to do on a rainy day

Aah, the drought continues! Basking in Mediterranean temperatures, fields like dust bowls and scorched grassland... wait a minute? Is this the South West we are talking about? Apparently so. According to the Environment Agency, Devon and Cornwall are in a drought! Only in England can we have two days without rain and we fly in to a panic. Ah well, while you look out of your window as the rain bounces off the tarmac you can rest assured that's why England is such a green and pleasant land with rolling green fields and and prolific wildlife.


In North Devon, we are privileged to have some of the best scenery and diverse wildlife in the country including the still rare otter made famous by Henry Williamson's book Tarka the Otter. 


Otters are not rodents, as some people think, they are mustelids, part of the weasel family, which is just as well as they would make a hell of a mess of your skirting boards!


Many local people regularly see otters playing on the river banks and some have made it their passion. Tudor Humphries is a an eminent children's book illustrator, landscape painter, wildlife artist, photographer, sculptor, and teacher. He moved 30 years ago to the rural backwater of North Devon and spends as much time as possible out in the landscape, looking for wildlife, drawing deep inspiration from the natural, atmospheric world around him.

Canal Bridge, Great Torrington by Tudor Humphries. Framed limited edition print £115

Herons Surprised at Dusk by Tudor Humphries. Framed limited edition print £115

Tudor has painted many local scenes, predominantly in watercolour, especially around the Torrington and Shebbear area where he regularly sees and paints otters. Inspired by these playful creatures Tudor has written and illustrated the beautiful children's book Otter Moon, a delightful story of the adventures of Flibbertigibbet.

Otter Moon book by Tudor Humphries £11.99

So if you have nothing better to do on a rainy day, sit quietly on a river bank somewhere in North Devon and, if you are lucky, you may just see on otter! Alternatively, come and see some of Tudor's stunning pictures in our gallery in West Putford near Bradworthy. Must go, I think the sun is coming out!

When the Saints go marching in!

Today, of course, as everyone will know, is St George's Day. A day to celebrate everything that makes England great. England has a great tradition of inspirational people from engineers like Brunel to writers like Shakespeare (happy birthday Will) and Chaucer, inventors and scientists like Newton and Berners-Lee to great artists like Constable and Turner.


England still leads the way with great artists today. The likes of Hockney and Hirst, like them or not they get worldwide attention. Of course the South West has a great tradition for art and there are many talented local artists who are recognised as being at the top of their field.


One of them is Tony Williams SWAc, a prize winning artist who lives and works in rural Devon. He is an Academician, by invitation, of the South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts, and in 2005 won their major prize. He has many paintings now held in private collections across the UK and Europe and is exhibited widely across the south and south west as well as being featured in The Great British Landscape Exhibition at RHS Rosemoor, in the London Affordable Art Fair. Tony's paintings represented the United Kingdom in the March 2008 edition of the International Artist magazine in a ten page feature and there was a comprehensive and updated feature on oil painting techniques by Tony in The Artist magazine in December 2009. Tony's work can be seen at West Gallery, including the one illustrated below, Stooks in North Devon. A painting that evokes memories of a typical English country scene in the tradition of many English landscape painters. St George would be proud!

Stooks in North Devon, Tony Williams

While we are on the subject of saints, I have to mention, being from Northampton, about the Saints victory over Exeter Chiefs yesterday. The proverbial 'six-pointer' (well, er, eight pointer, not including bonus points, etc... whatever, you know what I mean) which meant the winner would virtually be in the play-offs subject to any shocks in the last game. It potentially sets up a play-off final with old rivals Tigers and hopefully another case of the good English Saints slaying the vicious beasts from up the Welford Road.

Ben Foden for Saints against Chiefs yesterday

Major works ahead - delays possible

For those of you that have ventured onto our website you will have noticed that change is afoot. We are currently updating and revamping the whole site, so things may look a little odd for the time being. Much like the M1 motorway, it appears that there are cones everywhere and speed restrictions but nobody working on it! Well, be assured we are busy working behind the scenes adding major new work from Devon and Cornwall's finest artists and makers and giving it a whole new look.
You will know if you are reading this that we are now blogging and we are also on Twitter and Facebook. We are still learning, so until the L-plates come off don't get too frustrated.
While works are being carried out you may find some links may not work or things might be missing, please bear with us.
So, take a break, have a coffee and check out what we are doing. Remember, tiredness can kill!

The Bigger Picture

Thought it was time to tell you a little bit about us and the background to West Gallery.


I’m Rob Walker and I set the gallery up in 2010 with my wife Belinda. I grew up on a farm in rural Northamptonshire and have been a graphic designer and illustrator for over 25 years. I studied fine art and graphic design at Northampton College of Art and after working for several design agencies I started my own design business in 1987 with a small team of six, including Belinda. 


As award winning designers we produced a variety of work for companies from Avon Cosmetics to Barclaycard and Mercedes to Travis Perkins and many more household names and government departments. A big sports fan and someone that has played football, rugby and cricket at various levels I also had the privilege to design work for many professional sports teams, great fun and not really like work!


We moved to North Devon a few years ago as a lifestyle change and bought an old dairy farm which we have been converting into a house and the gallery next door with the aim to renew my passion for art and to get hands-on with a paintbrush and paint... rather than designing on a computer! Having said that, finding time to paint has been the hardest thing, what with building work, managing websites and administering and running the gallery seven days a week, not to mention dealing with other artists!


When I do get time to paint, I like to paint people and animals, especially local farming characters which takes me back to my days as a child wandering round the local cattle market on a Saturday morning. I prefer to paint either in oils or watercolours, although I will occasionally venture into other media, and I have recently produced a series of watercolour sketches from Woolsery Show. 

Many of the other artists in the gallery get their inspiration from the beautiful Devon and Cornwall landscape, from coastal scenes to Dartmoor landscapes, such as Saul Cathcart, David W Young and Tony Williams. Generally, these artists like to paint big and there seems to be a trend at the moment for bigger pictures, statement pieces that make an impact, and I for one am an advocate of the bigger picture.


This is borne out by the recent exhibition at the Royal Academy by David Hockney RA entitled “A Bigger Picture” which not only refers to the scale of the works but how people observe artwork. Worth a look.


Whatever your preferred style, big or small, contemporary or traditional, abstract or realist it’s worth opening your mind to ‘the bigger picture’. Art is for everyone, it brings a little bit of pleasure in a non-stop hectic world. Worth every penny!

Welcome to our new Blog! Our aim is to inform you of current events, introduce you to new artists and new work, offer thoughts and opinions, provide observations of the daily life of our gallery in North Devon and hopefully entertain and amuse you along the way.


We will be looking at current trends - what’s hot and what’s not - offering you feedback from visitors, providing inspiration for buyers and artists alike.


We want this to be an interactive process so we welcome your comments and observations. We are also on Twitter and Facebook. How the blog evolves will be determined by daily events, visitor feedback, the economy, the ‘Jubilympics’, Damien Hirst’s bank balance, Peter Andre’s love life (er, maybe not!) ... who knows?


We try and promote quality artwork from artists, ceramicists, jewellery makers, glassmakers, leather makers and furniture makers as well as many other hand made and hand crafted items from the local talent in Devon and Cornwall. 


We think art should be accessible to everyone and we would like to introduce more people to the world of art and demonstrate that there is something affordable to suit everybody’s taste and budget. Our quality hand made work ranges from 50 pence to about £5,000 and everything in between. In these hard economic times everyone deserves a little luxury in their life, whether it be a little indulgence for yourself or a gift for family or loved one.


Anyway, I hope my ramblings brighten your day and if you are in the neighbourhood pop into the gallery and check it out. Oh... and let us know what you think.

Blog coming soon!

Hi
We are just setting up the West Gallery blog, so bear with us and watch this space!