| Watch out - Puffin coming in for Christmas!
>From a card range by Welsh artist MYFANWY BREWSTER | | | We are so pleased to announce that both gallery and café
will re-open from Wed 2 December with all safety measures in place. We'll then be back to our regular opening times Mon-Sat (10pm-5pm; last orders for café 4.30pm) and, with an emphasis on affordable, we have a great variety of art and crafts on show. We look forward to seeing you! | | | A reminder that you are not permitted, under current Tier 2 restrictions, to socialise inside the gallery and café with anyone you do not live with or who is not in your support bubble | | | CURRENT EXHIBITION
ARTS & CRAFTS
Featuring Borderland Visual Arts (BVA)
Shropshire Guild of Contemporary Craft (SGCC)
Until 23 January | | SMALL WORKS BY BVA
Showcasing small pieces from some of the gallery's most popular artists, most priced at under £200. Includes paintings, prints, sculpture and mixed media works. | SELECTED WORKS BY SGCC
Support local talent and find a unique quality craft gift. Choose from jewellery, pottery, glasswork, weaving, woodcraft, home decorations and much more. | | * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
RE-VIEW TEXTILE EXHIBITION
 'Identity & Place'
Until 23 January | | This autumn we were delighted to welcome Merseyside-based textile artists Re-View Textile, exhibiting at the Willow Gallery for the first time. The artists often use re-purposed and recycled materials in their work, and find it exciting to give new life and beauty to discarded or unwanted items. A variety of themes - coast, landscape, weather, gardens, geology, folk tales, dance, nests, the inner world - are inspired by the exhibition title.
Because of the November lockdown, the exhibition had to close early - but we do still have a selection of their work on display until January. For those unable able to visit, here's a virtual tour (filmed by Judith Railton, one of the exhibiting artists). |  ROSEY PAUL
Estuary View
Textile collage | | | Teach your children well  For the exhibition, JULIE JAMES-TURNER made a series of 'Baby Bunting' figures that reflect her concern about the mental health problems affecting growing numbers of children and young people. Julie used the medium of knitting to symbolise the building or mending of relationships, and how a safe and supportive home is at the heart of a child's wellbeing and development. 'Bunting' is an old term of endearment for a little child. | |  Unique and lovely things from our gallery shop Tick off your Christmas gift list | | | | You will find a wide range of high-quality, locally-designed products, including jewellery, glass art, woodcraft, posters and greetings cards | | Gift vouchers Available from £10
Also redeemable against future workshops and ticketed events Buy your voucher here | | Online gallery
For those not able to visit in person or who are minimising contact with others, see our extensive collection of art and crafts to browse and purchase online.
BUY ART OVER 10 MONTHS WITH AN INTEREST-FREE LOAN | | | Upcoming exhibitions - Call for submissions | | ON SCREEN AT KINOKULTURE  Oswestry's Community Cinema December's screenings include a remarkable documentary, The Painter & The Thief, by Norwegian film-maker Benjamin Ree, in which a young Czech artist befriends the man who stole her paintings and invites him to sit for a portrait. Before meeting this odd couple, Ree had been fascinated with art theft. Other films include the National Theatre's production of War Horse, based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo. For details of all this month's films and confirmation they're going ahead, see kinokulture.org.uk. You will need to wear a face mask, sit in your assigned seat and keep a safe distance from others. | | Grayson's Art Club Exhibition  Friday, 4 December • 21:00 - 22:00
 Alongside his wife, psychotherapist and author Philippa Perry, potter artist Grayson takes viewers behind the scenes at Manchester Art Gallery for the preparation of an exhibition of work produced during his six-part lockdown series shown on Channel 4 last spring. Grayson is reunited with some of the members of the public who had their entries selected for the exhibition, as well as some of the high-profile artists and creatives from the show.
Under Tier 3 restrictions, Manchester Art Gallery has to remain closed for at least until the rules are reviewed. Tickets to the exhibition (free entry) will be available to book online once there is a clear reopening date. The exhibition will then hopefully run as scheduled until mid-April. | |  BECOMING RICHARD BURTON NATIONAL MUSEUM CARDIFF
Following the story of how a boy from modest beginnings in South Wales became a Hollywood star With new and stricter rules for Wales announced 30 November to tackle the rise in coronavirus cases, the museum has had to close. But there is also a digital exhibition that will be updated on a regular basis. Check it out now. | | | Unknown Constables hidden for 200 years in family scrapbook The works include a watercolour drawing of a rural landscape signed J Constable and dated 5 April 1794 when he was 17, making it one of his earliest known works. He wasn't however showing much genius as a teenager: 'It is probably a copy after a print and is pretty naive,' says Mark Griffiths-Jones, a Sotheby's specialist in British watercolours and drawings. 'He was very young - but from an academic point of view it is interesting to find something of this date. Constable, quite famously, was a late developer.' | |  A restorative break
Every year Willow Gallery artist-in-residence Karl Robinson-Bray looks forward to his winter break. Off the beaten track among the soft green hills of Mid-Wales, Karl has found the perfect bolthole for relaxing, re-charging the artistic batteries and experiencing the joy of simple things - while from his doorstep it's the perfect spot to enjoy long scenic hikes. We wish Karl a great escape! | | | Warmest regards from everyone at the Willow Gallery, and thank you so much for your support through this challenging period
Celebrate the season - what we all need is a bit of festive cheer and, with vaccines so close on the horizon, a more cheerful and hopeful year ahead | | | Tel: 01691 657575
email: willowgalleryoswestry.gmail.com
Website: willowgalleryoswestry.org
Facebook: Willow
Address: 56 Willow Street, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 1AD
Gallery & café open: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
Closed: Sundays/Bank Holidays Masks/face coverings are required
Enhanced cleaning regimes are in operation across all areas
Use hand sanitiser, follow social distancing guidelines
Editor: Hilary Moorcroft
December 2020 | | |
Sadly, being able to stage live music again remains a distant prospect
