We are delighted to announce the launch of our artist of the year competition - the winner will receive a cash prize of one thousand pounds, be invited to exhibit in the main gallery room here at the ART GALLERY, Tetbury, and will feature on the website as our Artist of the Year.
There will also be two highly commended artists who will be invited to exhibit at our exhibition venues in 2013 and will also be specially featured on the website.

So, if you have a favourite artist why not ‘Like’ their work – you’ll find a link to this on every piece of art on the site. Keep an eye out over the coming months as you’ll be able to see who the competition leaders are and help your favourite reach top spot.

Hester Coetzee
Hester is a self-taught artist. She has an attitude of gratitude and she paints with passion. Her vibrant colours and bold brush strokes, reflects her outgoing personality. Her inspiration is creation itself, with a specific admiration for trees. She has been very successful since she has joined Art Gallery and is currently one of the 10 best sellers. She, and her husband, Arie, recently had a very successful exhibition at the Malvern Theatre. After 40 years of teaching, she has retired to be a full time artist. Her paintings bring much joy to other people’s lives. For Hester life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

;Arie Coetzee
“When I dip my brush into paint, I dip it into my soul.” (Amos Langdown – a world renowned South African artist). Born in 1962, Arie grew up in a small town in South Africa, in a family where art was always visible. His inspiration is the exuberant colour of yellow wheat fields, blue rolling mountains, the emptiness of the countryside, the wide open skies filled with thunderous summer clouds and the friendly people of South Africa. All this is visible in his work. After winning his first art prize in a local art competition at the age of 11, it became a lifelong dream to be an artist. Throughout his education and later as a teacher, he worked in various painting styles, printing and sculpting to discover the genre in which he would be most comfortable. After several small exhibitions and displays in local restaurants and shops, he developed a more expressive and impressionistic style. His work, employing emotionally charged thick brushwork, takes inspiration from the simplicity and naivety of Van Gogh, and from Rembrandt’s exquisite use of light and shadow; bright colours streak energetically across the canvas. Some works adopt a calmer, subtler use of colour but the richness of pure pigment and heavy application is often uncontrollable. Arie has exhibited his marquetry successfully at Francis Illes Gallery in Rochester and sells steadily on the internet.

Peter Mason
Peter R. Mason is the Post Pop Art Man. Trained as a painter and illustrator he has developed his work through Pop Art and Graphics. He creates portraits and images by recycling postage stamps into pixellated images and portraits. Each stamp represents a pixel. Scale is paramount in viewing and understanding the work as the largest images are 365 cm by 213cm (12ft x 7ft), although he does undertake smaller works. By choosing the everyday objects of postage stamps and placing them so that their usual significance becomes obscure enables the audience to see 'Art' with new eyes. In this case he takes ordinary things and combines them in extraordinary ways.
Pete was born in the West Midlands and during his formative years studied at the College of Art in Stafford. There in 1962 he was awarded the National Diploma in Design in Painting and Lithography. It was at this time that he was influenced by the resurgent Pop Art movement in painting. He particularly admired the works of Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol.
The works are created from thousands of used postage stamps; the largest pieces typically use as many as 20,000 recycled postage stamps. Using either canvas or huge pieces of paper he draws the image he will produce. He divides the surface on which he is working into stamp sized squares, but often uses more than one stamp per grid section. Stamps are sorted by colour, design and postmark pattern. He then begins the process of finding appropriate stamps before cutting and shaping them and finally gluing them to the paper or canvas surface.

View full gallery here.

Mariusz Kaldowski
In 1987 Mariusz graduated with MA in Fine Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. He is a painter, a print maker and a graphic designer. Since coming to the UK in 1996 he has been busy creating, exhibiting and successfully selling his work. In addition he takes portrait commissions and for instance has been a family portrait painter for a number of years for Fred Olsen (of Fred Olsen Cruise Liners).
Since 2002 he has been an Artist in Residence in Regent's Park. Since 2009 he started working with the National Trust as their resident artist for the South East region. In his landscapes and gardens Kaldowski wants to share with us a unique atmosphere of a moment when he saw a particular view. This was recognised, for instance, by an Award that he received in 2000 for 'Expressing the Essential Spirit of Holland Park'. He had also received other numerous awards, e.g. 2006 - Main Prize Winner - editor's choice 'The Artist Magazine', and in the same year Nina Hosali 1st Price - Free Painters & Sculptors Society. Other prizes include: Winsor & Newton, Pro Arte, Caran D'Arche and Royal Talens awards during yearly Patchings Art Festivals.
In addition to the above, for a number of years, he has been creating paintings that are illustrations to the classical music. In 2000 he completed an enormous (22 metre by 1.5 m) frieze inspired by Vivaldi's music, entitled - "Four Seasons Four Stages of Life", which is shown life as part of the classical performances of Polish National Radio Orchestra and has been featured on Polish National TV. Following this he has recently completed four annexes to this frieze to accompany the Piazzolla's version of the Four Seasons, and was commissioned to prepare a separate triptych to commemorate Year of Chopin in 2010, shown on stage during recitals by prominent pianists, including Piotr Paleczny, Kevin Kenner and Rafal Blechacz. He is currently working on a "National Trust 2012" projects.

View full gallery here.

Irina Rumyantseva

As an artist her heart and soul goes into every piece that she creates. When she paints she pours emotions out onto the canvas and conveys the beauty that she sees in everyday life in a way that others can see it to.
When she finishes a piece she is filled with a sense of accomplishment and integrity. Her hope is that others will see this in her work and feel a connection with the art as if the piece is speaking specifically to them. Irina’s process has a certain flow that is smooth and seamless when she works within her own visions and ideas. She begins a piece by staring at the blank canvas until the image forms itself and becomes so clear to her it's as if she has already painted it. She enjoys using heavy body acrylics so that she can add lots of texture and depth to the work giving it an almost 3d effect and feel to it. Irina is influenced by everything she sees, feels and experiences in nature and in everyday life. She enjoys taking inspirations and turning them into more surreal or fantasy like scenes, letting her work tell the story. Irina has always enjoyed painting more moody dark scenes but more recently has really enjoyed introducing more bright and vibrant colours into her art. Irina’s hope is that each piece will speak to the viewer and there is no wrong or right, just as long as it speaks to them, then she feels accomplished.

View full gallery here.

Anne Blankson-Hemans

Anne grew up in the West African country of Ghana and studied at the College of Art – Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, under some of the finest contemporary Ghanaian painters. She was mentored and tutored by Ato Delaquis, the renowned Ghanaian artist.

Anne moved to the UK and took a full time job working in IT. But, early in 2000 she returned to her real passion after setting up her own business making fine-art prints for artists and photographers. She has exhibited in the UK, the US and in Africa and her works are held in a number of collections in these countries.

Although she is highly qualified and the member of several professional artist societies, she feels that having come “full-circle”, the learning has only just began. In her figurative work, each subject captivates her. She wants to get into the minds of those she portrays. She uses vibrant colours, drawing on her African heritage. She enjoys the exquisite patterns of printed fabrics from which clothes are made, seeing rich patterns and colours and integrating them in her backgrounds.

 Anne is currently working on a series of historical still-life paintings of which 'Goodbye News of the World' is the first.

In addition, this show includes several landscape works; responses Anne makes to where she lives and places she has visited. Visit Anne’s full online gallery here.

Mike Bagshaw

When Mike was at school he was taken under the wing of the great Salford painter Harold Riley, a dedicated portrait painter, who has painted many prominent people from the Kennedys, various Popes, Royalty and Nelson Mandela. Mike went on to study art in Leicester and London before a change of direction; graduating in psychology. He began work as a prison psychologist, before moving into commerce and becoming a business psychologist.

Since 2000 he’s been pursuing his interest in art again. His focus on portraits links with his work as a psychologist; good portraits allow a window into the personality. This is Mike’s second showing at Malvern Theatre. He is included amongst ArtGallery’s elite “Premier Artists Gallery”.

He is a strong advocate of life drawing, practicing this aspect of his art as a member of a group which meets weekly. He now lectures at Worcester University and also tries to spend more time painting.

His interest in the sitter and his or her character informs Mike’s approach to his work. The viewer thus has the opportunity to connect with the personality of the sitter.

Mike is happy to be commissioned for portraiture -- contact the website on
0844 879 7438. Visit Mike’s full online gallery here.

Yola Quinn

Yola was born in Natal, South Africa in 1972, where she lived surrounded by the dramatic beauty of the African countryside. Her father was a professional landscape and floral artist and therefore she was surrounded by artistic inspiration thought her childhood.

She studied Fine Art at the Naval University of Technology where she and developed as an artist, acquiring proficiency in both painting and ceramics. After graduating from the university she worked as a tutor and established her own private studio. During these five years her work was featured in many exhibitions.

In 2008 she relocated to the UK to live with her husband, a sculptor, Graeme. They now live and work in Stroud. Since her arrival in this country she has had work in both solo and group exhibitions and winning prizes in the process. Her works are treasured by their fortunate owners.

She draws her inspiration from the beauty of African nature, her native land. Her professional technique; meticulous and undivided attention to each, even the smallest, detail -- makes it possible for her to develop and create rich masterpieces that are full to the brim with emotion -- sophisticated, intangible and vivid at the same time. Every piece is a celebration of beauty.

This is the first time Yola’s work has been seen in Malvern. Visit Yola’s full online gallery here.

Our latest exhibition has opened at The Malvern Theatres, Worcestershire featuring three fantastic artists.

Mark Holmes

Mark graduated from Cheltenham College of Art and Design.

As the result of a recent career change, he has found the opportunity to exploit his artistic skills and show his work to a wider audience.  His early paintings focused on still-life, a discipline which allows the artist complete control over the subject, the composition and technique.

More recent work has taken its reference from the local landscape. The choice of which elements to include and the manner in which the modelling of depth and space is handled; the use of colour in creating these 'spaces' is what makes Mark’s work uniquely personal.

Working in rural Worcestershire sometimes lends a pastoral quality to later works, but this derives more from an accident in geography than a true nostalgia for the landscape. Mark recognises the importance of, and his relationship to, the local landscape, but each painting takes reference from the previous, and the actual process of painting. This evolving journey has encouraged Mark to experiment with a more abstracted view of nature taking as his source, tree forms 'dissolved' against brighter backgrounds and pieces where the actual landscapes become sublimated under larger and larger skies.

The works in this exhibition record part of that journey.

Mark’s full gallery can be seen here.

Paul Pennell

Like his late Father, Paul is a life-long traditional panel-beater who has made one-off handmade bodies in steel and aluminium for some of the Worlds' finest Cars. He has now adapted his technique to make large scale repousse pictures in aluminium; unique in the Art World.

All Paul's pictures are made entirely by hand using only basic hand tools and a leather sandbag and much as it is not possible to get as much finite detail in as in a painting due to the gauge of the metal, the stunning reflections and light on the 3 dimensional shapes, superbly capture the essence of the subject and portray the image 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 sold his work to some of the Worlds' Top Car Collectors including from America, Switzerland and South Africa. His work can also be seen in the headquarters of several UK PLCs and he was recently invited by Mercedes Trucks to display his work on their stand at the annual Truckfest event at Peterborough.

Much as Paul is best known for his Car Pictures, he has recently successfully created a wide range of other works; Animal Pictures and Bold Abstracts.

Paul’s full gallery can be seen here.

Gill Thompson

Gill was born in London in 1949 and studied A-level Art at school.

She has worked as an artist, alongside her career as a teacher, since leaving college. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and then did an MA in Stage Design at the University of North Carolina, USA. She now lives in rural Herefordshire.

Gill is essentially self-taught although she has worked with South African artist Cecily Sash for many years and has experimented with a range of media and techniques through attending classes and working in her studio in Herefordshire.

Gill uses a variety of different media - oils, acrylics, watercolour, charcoal, pastel and collage and her work celebrates colour texture and form. She seeks her inspiration in everyday objects, landscapes and nature. Her work has a delightful freshness.

Now partly retired, she is able to devote more time to painting and has recently begun to exhibit her work more widely. This increased exposure has been rewarded by burgeoning sales. Her work is owned by collectors across the UK.

Gill’s full gallery can be seen here.

All three artists are exhibiting at Malvern Theatre for the first time.

We were delighted to welcome Strictly Come Dancing's Flavia Cacace and partner Jimi Mistry along to our Midnight Tango exhibition opening at The Knapp Gallery, Regents Park today.

This was the first time Flavia had seen herself and dance partner Vincent Simone on canvas since artist Charles Willmott was granted special access to the stars in order to paint dance sequences from their sell-out Midnight Tango stage show.

Flavia took time out of her busy schedule to come along today during our private view event and see the works for herself along with a specially invited audience.

The full gallery of Charles Willmott’s work can be seen here.

Flavia and Vincent’s Midnight Tango is currently at the Aldwych Theatre in London’s West End.

The magic of Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace's Midnight Tango appears on canvas!

Renowned figurative painter Charles Willmott was granted special access to two of the stars of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in order to paint dance sequences from their sell-out Midnight Tango stage show, which is currently at the Aldwych Theatre in London’s West End.  

Set in a late night bar in downtown Buenos Aires, Vincent and Flavia take the audience on a journey into the heart of this intoxicating city, as danger and excitement, joy and jealousy, pain and passion combine into a spectacular and explosive live stage show.

Charles Willmott is a renowned artist whose portraits of dancers have been keenly collected for decades. Charles describes himself as a ‘figurative realist’ and as such his paintings are faithful reproductions of his subjects. In the case of Vincent and Flavia, however, he took special care to capture the dancers’ facial features, making them instantly recognisable as the stars of Strictly Come Dancing. Several stages of Charles’ creative process are captured in the show. The resulting exhibition ranges from soft sketches to bold oil paintings that capture all the drama and atmosphere of the Midnight Tango show.

“I’ve enjoyed the great privilege of working with these talented World Argentine Tango Champions, and I thank Vincent and Flavia for re-enacting some of their stunning routines for me,” says Charles.

Born in Stratford-Upon Avon, he is the only son of artist and metal craftsman Hague Willmott and originally studied at the Birmingham College of Art. As a contemporary figurative realist he prepares graphite & charcoal studies before painting in oils.

Charles has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, The Royal Ballet and dancers Miyako Yoshida and Darcey Bussell. In 2000 and 2003, this dedication to the stage and performance earned him a finalist place in the prestigious Garrick/Milne Prize and today his Works include Portraiture, Female Form and Dance.

For further information and/or purchase please ring 01666 505152
Or 0844 879 7438.
Email: help@artgallery.co.uk

Click here for information about Vincent and Flavia's Midnight Tango show at Aldwych Theatre, London.

Charles Willmott

Charles is an internationally recognised figurative realist painter. He is the only son of an artist and metal-craftsman and was born in Stratford-upon- Avon.

Charles has been painting since the early 60’s and in the mid to late 80’s he acquired a passion for the Orient and its cultures.  During 1991 his first one-man show was staged at London’s Mall Galleries and was unique in featuring Japan’s national sport, Sumo.

He now works from his studio, attached to his home in Herefordshire. Working with World renowned dancers and other performers, he prepares graphite & charcoal studies before painting in oils. Several of these studies are in this exhibition.

Charles has worked latterly with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Royal Ballet.  In the case of the former, covering a number of productions, including Tim Albery’s Macbeth and Michael Attenborough’s direction of The Herbal Bed.  In the latter, working extensively with principal dancers.

In the years 2000 and 2003 this dedication to the stage and performance achieved him a finalist place in the prestigious Garrick/Milne Prize and today Charles’s work disciplines are divided fairly equally between Portraiture,
Female form and Dance.

But, his true love is with dance, particularly the ballet. In classical roles. He is privileged to have worked with many greats; Darcey Bussell, Miyako Yoshida, Monica Zamora, Kevin O'Hare, Catherine Batcheller and Joe Cipolla amongst others. His admiration for the beauty and grace of dancers has deepened his interest in distilling the essence of the female form.

Charles is currently working with Vincent and Flavia, stars of BBC’s “Strictly”. These stunning works will feature in a brand new exhibition in London at the Knapp Gallery, but will also be on sale through the www.artgallery.co.uk website. View Charles' gallery here.

Sam Westwood

Sam studied his craft full-time, receiving a distinction in Fine Art. Although his work covers a variety of subject matters he is best known for his specialism in iconic portraits and other figurative work.

Sam’s portrait work allows him to immortalise his subjects; capturing an emotion or feeling, frozen in time. He explores the human characteristics that make a person unique. 

Like many other renowned portrait painters, he works to produce more than a mere “likeness”; seeking additionally to uncover the true personality of the subject, allowing the viewer to focus on the subject’s aura. Judge for yourself, how much of the personality shines out of each of these paintings.

The contemporary and incisive portraits on show in this exhibition are all in this mode.

Sam finds the journey of a portrait construction, from start to finish (sometimes a long process of revision) both relaxing and satisfying, helping breathe life into his canvas.

View all of Sam's work here.

We are delighted to welcome Kathryn Thomas to our exhibition space at The Knapp Gallery, Regents Park, London.

Through painting Kathryn attempts to create an image that seems different each time you look at it, depending on either your changing mood or your perspective. Through this changing image she wants you to be able to conjure an atmosphere or a feeling from your own experience, so the painting always involves you.

On a more universal level, Kathryn urges the viewer to become more aware of the power of nature and to see things simply and for what they are - realising our fleeting relationship with our planet.

 
Kathryn’s work will be on display throughout December at The Knapp Gallery, Regent's College, Inner Circle, Regent's Park, London NW1 4NS.

Click here to view Kathryn's full gallery of work.

For further enquiries contact us on 01666 505152.