Malvern Theatre is a great venue for showing art. An ever increasing number of visitors go specially because they know that every six weeks the show changes and in many cases artists come some considerable distance for the chance to exhibit. 

The common element in the work of the three artists in this show, is the way that they have all chosen to use the natural world as their starting point. When gathered together however, it is the different directions each has taken that makes this show interesting.

At first sight Stuart Dalby's paintings of Sea and Sky might seem to be merely realist images. But, it is their heightened colour treatment which makes them far more interesting. This approach enhances the mood that each one evokes. Natural phenomenon are recorded but the volume is then turned up. Its like the difference between a string quartet and a full-blown concert orchestra. Collectors who own his works in this idiom, find that each time they look, the painting reveals something different. It is Stuart's second visit to Malvern. His paintings are even more assured this time and thus even more collectable. On this website Stuart has many more works in different genre.

Sam Fenner paints animal portraits, but like Stuart's work they are much more than mere realistic images. They have a painterly quality which is an absolute joy. Add to that, the feeling that these animals have almost human characters. And even more pleasure comes from then seeing how Sam's witty and hilarious titles fit the image so closely. As we were hanging this exhibition, visitors to the Theatre were chuckling as they admired the paintings and then read the titles. You will see, from other images on Sam's page, that many of these same works can be bought in the form limited edition prints. 

Claire Cooper-Walsh's mixed media works are different again. Generally, she uses a muted palette and her approach is semi-abstract. The muted colours and tones enhance the richness of the textures she produces. There is a calmness about her work which engulfs the viewer. These are paintings to relax with. They are on a domestic scale as are others of her works on the website which are framed. In a modern interior, canvases with painted edges look great. In a more traditional setting, framed works sometimes fit better.

The shows runs until 2 June. The theatre is open 7 days a week.

The two artists showing their work in this show both elicit strong reactions. Both artist's work has a warmth which engages the viewer. They both produce "feel-good" pieces.

Gillian Luff's paintings are all about the natural world and the atmospheric conditions which change the observer's experience of the landscape. In this respect, they have much in common with the later works of Turner. But, unlike Turner's works they are not connected to specific venues; they represent all mountains, all seascapes; nature at it's most violent or most serene. Gillian's images capture those moments of natural phenomenon that literally "take your breath away". Unsurprisingly, her love of nature extends to the choice of sustainable resourced wooden stretchers. Not only is this environmentally friendly. It makes them much less likely to warp. Her work is collected by fans from many countries. She recently gave up other employment to concentrate on her painting in an attempt to meet the ever increasing demand that works of this quality engender. The selection at the Knapp is but a small part of what is available at the on-line gallery.  

Emerald Dunne lived for some time in Japan, and it was here that her interest in things spiritual was awakened. The Buddhist belief in reincarnation, the colours of kimonos and the Japanese fascination with tradition and innovation, inspired her in new directions. Upon returning to the UK, she chose to incorporate Celtic elements into her work as well. The resulting canvases are vibrant concoctions; a mixture of all these influences. They are full of energy; colourful and joyous celebrations which lift the spirit. Emerald's initial training was in stained glass and many of her paintings remind one of the richness of colour as the sun streams through an example of this thousand year-old craft. Emerald has much more work on the site.

 For more information about these two artists or information about the Knapp Gallery, contact help@artgallery.co.uk  

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They say variety is the spice of life. If this true for you need look no further than Malvern Theatres. The three artists on show now could not be more different. Superb technique and heightened emotion is their only link.

Angela Ferreira

Angela Ferreira was born in Portugal. She grew up with a view of the famous castle of her home-town, from her bedroom window. She attributes her passion for fairytales to the influence of this experience.
She has always been passionate about drawing and painting and feeling different from the crowd, felt the need to travel and explore new horizons. At the age of only 16 she left home to spend a year as an exchange student in Texas where she won an Art Student Award; her ideas and concepts, marking her out as different. Angela also spent a month in Brazil on an international program of Youth & Ecology, raising awareness of global problems and finding local solutions.

She moved to Cardiff where she’s been living and painting ever since. Her extensive travels; a mind-broadening experience, has had a strong influence on her work.

Angela's paintings often seem to be relating a fairytale. She aims to bring cultures together, transmit good inner feelings, encourage positive energy and invite the observer to join her on a journey to a different imaginative world.

Her work has been exhibited in UK and Portugal, used as a book cover in her native country and also published in the National Geographic/ Hampton Brown School Books in the USA as learning material. Angela is a BA (Hons) Fine Art Graduate from Cardiff School of Art & Design and is currently studying a postgraduate course -- MA Arts in Health.

Mariam Kaukab

From the very first moments of her academic education, Mariam Kaukab’s passion has always been her art. She has been painting seriously since 1973. Now retired, she is able to indulge that passion more fully, thus making her work available to a wider public. artgallery.co.uk has provided an excellent way of displaying more and more of her artwork.

An artist's talent is a rare, almost indefinable quality. Mariam’s work, much admired, admirably exhibits those elusive elements. She draws inspiration from nature in all its forms. The majority of her work is focused on landscape. Mariam has sold around 100 artworks to date. She has sold very successfully, particularly in Portugal.

Michael Fargher

Michael Fargher was born in Huyton, Liverpool in 1963 and drawing and painting has always been a great passion, as far back as he can remember. After achieving top grades in both Art and Art History at A level, he went on to begin a Foundation Course at Carlisle College of Art but affairs of the heart put paid to any serious study and he left for Europe to become a travelling artist and busker.


After having met and married his wife Sarah, he felt the need to seek a more secure way to make a living. In 2009 he decided to make a leap of faith and became a full-time artist, although he had been selling artworks for over 30 years.

Although he has had several exhibitions, his association with www.artgallery.co.uk has allowed him the freedom that he relishes.

Michael’s inspiration comes from the world around him, but the majority of his paintings are drawn from his imagination.... “strands taken from trips around this country and abroad, walks around local fields, farmland and industrial sites. Beauty can be gleaned from a simple shaft of light on a distant horizon or a cloud formation”.


All Michael’s work is in acrylics. He finds it’s far more flexible and versatile than oils and paints onto Winsor and Newton cotton stretched canvas. Painted edges mean that works are ready-to-hang.

This the first time all three artists have exhibited at Malvern Theatres. The exhibition is open every day until 21 April.

Our Art to Give a Loved One exhibition runs every day until 10th March at the Malvern Theatres, Worcestershire.

Paul Pennell

Repousse work is the creation of 3 dimensional shapes out of a single piece of sheet metal by the use of traditional embossing and chasing techniques has been made in various forms for thousands of years from jewellery to tableware, decorating suits of armour to pictures. This skill has almost died out now usually only practiced by a few Silversmiths and Jewellers. Paul Pennell like his late Father is a life long traditional panelbeater who has made one off handmade bodies in steel and aluminium for some of the Worlds' finest Cars.

Paul has now adapted his technique to make large scale repousse pictures in aluminium and is unique in the Art world. All Paul's pictures are made entirely by hand using only basic hand tools and a leather sandbag; the stunning reflections and light on the 3 dimensional shapes really capture the essence of the subject and portray the shapes in a way that a normal painting cannot.

Since Paul started in 2009 he has exhibited at a number of major shows including the famous Goodwood Motoring Events where he has sold his pictures to some of the Worlds' top Car Collectors from all over the World including America and Switzerland and South Africa. He has also sold pictures to a number of major PLC's for display at their Headquarters and was recently invited by Mercedes Trucks to display his work on their stand at the annual Truckfest event at Peterborough. Paul’s most recent commission was of a new 6 door Jaguar for the Headquarters of the company that “stretches” them and a major showroom. Much as Paul is best known for his Car Pictures he has recently started creating a wide range of work from Horses to Bold Abstracts and these are already attracting considerable interest. Examples of all are included in this exhibition. The abstracts in particular would make wonderful Valentine presents. This is the second time Paul has shown in Malvern.

Gill Stokes

Gill was born and grew up in Warwickshire but now lives in Shropshire.
She has always been interested in painting and drawing, even from a very young age she would save her pocket money to buy pencils and brushes.
She studied fine art after leaving school, but then decided to train as a primary school teacher, still painting and drawing in what little spare time she could find.

She now paints full time, and has had several solo exhibitions as well as exhibiting with local art societies.

She paints mostly in Oils but sometimes in Acrylics. She is fascinated by the natural world and by the effects of changing light upon it. She prefers to draw and sketch outside whenever possible, but it is often more practical to make sketches and photographs and complete the painting in the studio.

A recent painting, "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl" was selected for exhibition at Kings Place Gallery, Kings Cross, London as part of The Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Exhibition. This painting also won an award at the Staffordshire Open Art Exhibition.

David Newton

David’s interest in drawing and painting probably began when his dad used to bring home rolls of paper from his job at a Bank's Stationery Department for him and his sister to draw on.

Art quickly became his favourite subject at school and he went on to study A-Level Art and Design. He gained a place at the prestigious Bournville College of Art, but preferred to study for a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration at the Birmingham Institute for Art and Design where my illustration tutor was a student of Quentin Blake's from the Royal College of Art.

Since then David has worked as a freelance illustrator and cartoonist, an in-house designer and a scenic artist for Walsall Illuminations; his largest complete painting being an enormous sixteen feet long and twelve feet high.

Latterly, finding some aspects of commercial art and design rather unrewarding, David made the decision to return to his artistic roots and concentrate on painting, with particular emphasis on the decorative influence of Art Nouveau and a hint of Fauvism, Impressionism and Cubism for good measure.

David also enjoys writing and illustrating children's stories, and has plans to pursue that area of interest in the future.

The show runs every day until 10th March

This exhibition typifies what theatre-goers and others interested in what's happening in contemporary art, have come to expect from shows at Malvern Theatres. Three artists with very different styles and subject matter; all sensibly priced, and as we approach the festive season ideal gifts for a loved one or just an indulgence for the individual.

Christina Bingles gained a degree in Fine Art in 1982 but she has been painting all her life. 

She paints still life, landscape and occasional portraits.

She is intrigued by light and colour, and the beautiful complexities achievable with oil paints.



Almost all the paintings in this exhibition are examples of Christina's still lifes. These intimate works depict commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made. With origins in the Middle Ages, Ancient Greek and Roman Art, still life paintings give the artist more leeway in the arrangement of design elements within the composition.



Still life happens in her studio, while her landscapes are painted out in the field.



Christina is a member of the prestigious Cheltenham Group of Artists, and has exhibited in group and solo exhibitions both locally to where she lives in Gloucestershire and around the country. She enjoys running practical oil painting classes and for many years was a Summer School tutor. 



Her work is held in private and public collections across the UK.


Charlotte McLaughlin's paintings often contain narratives, which capture intimate moments within everyday occurrences. 



Light and colour have a vital role in creating form and emotion within her work. Artificial lighting is often used to define the shape of the figure and to influence the colour pallet.



She has created a wonderful series on the subject of dance. This began with the painting 'Personae', a representation of herself. It represents the many masks or personae that she wears in her busy life; the many jobs and different roles at a particular time. 



She then moved this concept into classical dance and the characters dancers take on in order to represent that particular story. She chose classical dance in particular; due to the sculptural forms the dancers adopt. 



Charlotte has a particular interest in portraiture. She love watching people interact, and capturing these interactions within her paintings as well as their personalities and characteristics. She welcomes commissions which can be arranged through www.artgallery.co.uk.



Charlotte has successfully taken part in group and solo exhibitions across the country and in London.


Rachel Nacer is a British Artist/Designer based in Warwickshire.



She specialises in Art, Interior Design and Children's Projects. Her original paintings have a very contemporary edge. She works in an incredible range of media; oils, acrylics, inks, bronzing powders, semi-precious stones, crystals, glass beads, and gold foil - genuinely mixed media.



When you visit the Malvern show, see if you can spot some of the following in this selection of Rachel's work;



Copper, Silver, Gold, Agate, Amethyst, Aventurine, Carnelian, Citrine, Garnet, Lolite, Moonstone, Peridot, Selenite, Turquoise, Quartz, Rose, Quartz, Smokey Quartz and Hematite.



As Rachel herself says, "these paintings represent freedom without restraint. Using semi-precious stones and crystals allows me to explore their energy, healing and spiritual properties.

"

Her work has been exhibited at Design Interiors, Birmingham; Grand Designs, London; and The Untitled Art show, Chelsea.



The exhibition runs throughout December and until 20th January so if you're unsure which to buy for that loved one, a gift token from www.artgallery.co.uk will allow them to choose later.

The new exhibition at Malvern Theatres features the work of three artists who produce paintings which generally fall under the heading of "abstract art". 

All three choose to create compositions, with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. The degree of abstraction defines the styles they adopt.

Keith Athay is a Somerset based artist. He works in textured acrylics on large canvases. The work is inspired by the colours, textures and structures in nature.

Anatomy, science and chemistry all play a part in his creations. He is keen to harness and record his emotional reactions to nature within the works.

He has painted all his life but 10 years ago he turned professional. He now sells to collectors across the UK and further afield.

This is his first exhibition in Malvern. Previous exhibitions include:

Avalon Art show – Street - Somerset.
Black Swan Open Arts Competition
Frome Evolver Magazine Prize 2006
Runner up Ale and Porter Arts 2006
Decorex international 2006
Chelsea 2007
Lop Lop Gallery - Poole Dorset - April 2007
The Mill Restaurant – Rode - Somerset
Gallery 8 - Glastonbury
Somerset Art Mansion - Midsomer Norton
Somerset Mood Art Gallery
The Art Bay Gallery - Stoke on Trent
Art at 5 Brighton

Born in the UK, Liz McDonough lived in Manchester until moving to Mauritius in 2002, returning to the UK relatively recently.

She became a self-taught artist after leaving College at the age of 17. When not painting she creates a range of jewellery, is involved with photography and practices Reiki.

Liz uses her many life changing & profound moments to draw upon creatively and to share inspiringly through her art.

Her paintings begin with feelings derived from statements, poetry and alternative perspectives bordering on the spiritual. Her intention is to create pieces of art which can have an emotional and enlightening impact on the viewer. She aims to enable individual relationships with each onlooker. Liz takes pleasure in the contrast between the smoothness of airbrush and / or paintbrush and rough undulating surfaces; discovering new ways to create textures, luminosity and depth.

She also enjoys uncovering the contrasts connecting and opposing colours and exposing the relationships concealing them. 

Let her take you on a journey of the cosmos and enjoy the discovery of art being a spiritual experience.

For Haylea Archer, painting has always been a passion. She originally went to college to study Art and Design but changed direction when the opportunity to work abroad presented itself. That experience has broadened her horizons and given her the impetus to share her artistic efforts with a wider public.

As a result she has re-discovered the joy of painting in her spare time.

Most of her creations develop as a result of how she is feeling at the time; it defines how they take shape. The resulting works are in the abstract expressionist style.

Her paintings are bursting with colour and life and each one is unique, enigmatic and personal to the artist. Her collectors enjoy the chance to share her love of life.

This is the first time Haylea has shown work in Malvern.
 

This five week show is all about two artist's reaction to the world about them.

Diana Aungier-Rose, although UK born, lived in South Africa for most of her teenage years before returning to London in 1979. She now paints and runs art classes in her home studio in the Cotswolds, visiting France as often as she can. Di's years in South Africa had a profound effect on her work; the sumptuous colours of the landscapes, the skies and the people of the country are reflected in the opulence and vibrancy of her paintings. As she explains: "I find everyday life so crowded with irresistible images and impressions".

Early influences were the Expressionists Dufy, Matisse and Sisley as well as The Fauvists Gillian Ayers and Kandinsky. Nowadays Diana has a fresh, colourful and joyful style all of her own. Many of her paintings are semi-abstract celebrations of light, texture and colour. 

Diana has exhibited widely throughout UK and her work is held in collections across Europe.

Gillian Mowbray is back in the theatre by popular demand, having had a very successful show earlier in the year. She lives and paints in beautiful, rural Mid-Wales. Inspiration is all around her; from the heights of the Cambrian Mountains to the still waters of the Elan Valley. 

Her landscapes are partly from life and partly from imagination. 

Since joining the online gallery she has developed a faithful following of buyers keen to enjoy her graphic, expressionist style, consisting of many layers of colour and texture, gradually built up. The freshness of these paintings evoke the very best of the UK countryside. Her use of colour is both creative and often quite unexpected.

The show runs every day until 28th October.

Adele McMachon is a self taught painter based on the Wirral, near Liverpool. She became interested in the artistic possibilities of painting after spending a number of years working as a cinema projectionist. She found herself intrigued by the content of broken frames cut from the reels of film.

She says, "Each frame of film, although on screen for only 1/24th of a second, was so rich in narrative structure I decided to recreate them on canvas. I chose frames which were unfamiliar to me, quite deliberately" 

She currently teaches photography at a local Community College and uses her interest in film and her background in photography to help construct her own narratives. She is particularly drawn to create paintings that leave the viewer asking questions about what has happened or is about to happen.

Adele has exhibited in a number of group and solo shows and has works in both private and public collections across the UK.

Amanda Dagg is a Welsh artist who has been selling her work for over 7 years. She paints daily in her studio in Neath, Wales. She specialises in the sculptured effect she gives to her paintings.

A family artist friend tutored her from an early age. He planted poppy flowers in her garden under the orchard trees; creating in her, a passion with these beautiful flowers.

Amanda says, "You will see some of my poppy flower paintings are surrounded by grass protecting them. Like a child's view, peeking through long grasses, they encase the poppies like the warm blanket of my childhood memories". 

She is inspired by nature and is passionately driven to develop uplifting paintings that are enriched with a positive and energetic vibe. Painting became her life after ill health in her twenties, giving her a determination to realise her dream of being an artist. To date she has sold over 2000 paintings online and through art galleries to collectors in the UK, USA, Canada, Cyprus, Rome, Greece, Malaysia, Spain and Ireland. These hang in private homes, nightclubs, churches and restaurants. Many of her clients return again and again.

Amanda is returning to Malvern after a highly successful show last year. She is happy to accept commissions, which can be arranged through www.artgallery.co.uk.

Dona Saggu's paintings celebrate life with an eclectic and heady cocktail of vibrant colour, optimism, sanguinity and a cheerfulness intended to uplift the spirits in these difficult times.

She was born into a family where art was an integral part of everyday life; both the parents being art enthusiasts. 

Her first exhibition, in 2007, was held while she was studying for her Masters Degree in Fine Art. She was the first student to have a solo show of 32 works. Each subsequent year saw another large solo exhibition as well as other group shows. 

Dona is inspired by the richness of life and celebrates it in her paintings which are full of colour, vivacity, and exuberance. She embraces colour symbolism, suggesting different moods, and uses an invigorating range of different and ever increasing techniques; dripped paint, palette knife application, water colour, pen drawing, acrylic and so on. 

She has exhibited and sold successfully in India, Australia and latterly in the UK, selling over 100 works in a variety of media. This is her first exhibition in Malvern.

Mark Bennett is a young artist who grew up in the Cotswolds and started painting from a early age but didn't start exhibiting until his early twenties. 

Since then, each exhibition has been more and more successful and his paintings can now been seen in collections across the country. 

His paintings are filled with emotion, desire and movement - most focusing on dancers or scenes from bars, restaurants and cafes. The strong contrast between light and dark emphasizes the theatricality of his subjects. He is currently working on a ballet series. 

He is a rising star in the art world. His paintings have been compared to the work of Fabian Perez and Jack Vettriano. He is becoming more and more collectable. His is among the top 3 artists, from a field of over three thousand on the artgallery website, chosen by the public in a competition to select "Artist of the Year". 

Mark now lives in the Cotswolds with his wife Emily and their young daughter.

This is Mark's first exhibition in Malvern. He produces mounted prints of many of his paintings which can also be bought through the website