New Year Open Exhibition
Works by 25 artists across all media and subjects
Until Saturday 2 March  | |  To new horizons
It's always a joy for the gallery to feature the work of the accomplished Mr John Peacock, now living and working in North Wales.
John trained in Fashion and History of Costume, building a highly-successful career as a top costume designer with the BBC in London. He is also the author of many books on costume, and has lectured widely on fashion through the ages. On retirement, John's interest turned to mixed-media stitched collage, with the use of period fabrics, stained and oiled brown paper, coloured papers and newspaper. John is continually drawn to nature, to trees and woodland, and his work is often enhanced with hand stitch, coloured inks, dyes, paint and bleach. The rich colours of antique embroidery and oriental rugs are also often reflected in his work. | | | | Karl's corner It was good to welcome artist-in-residence Karl Robinson-Bray back to the gallery after being absent from his normal spot in the gallery for several months. Karl had needed to spend some time working from home and also in his studio space upstairs here in Willow Street. As seen on his website, Karl creates captivating figurative paintings alongside landscapes and semi-abstract art. | | A WAY OF SEEING WITH REG TURRELL
NIGHT HARBOUR  I was amazed that, on a dark winter's night, there was so much activity and light in the harbour. The orange and white spotlights were reflected in the water, and the plastic fish baskets shone out in their bright primary colours. The fishing boats were silhouetted and merged into one shape. I used oil pastels for the lights and reflections, with a watercolour wash applied on top. The oil resisted the paint and give the sparkle effect I wanted. Sepia and white acrylic ink was used to free up the composition and create texture.
Bridlington Harbour lies at the mouth of the Gypsey Race, the most northerly of Yorkshire's chalk streams. The present piers were built in the first half of the 19th century - but the site was used by shipping from antiquity. Today the harbour still caters for some commercial and leisure fishing. | | | | UPCOMING - OUR SPRING OPEN EXHIBITION
Saturday 9 March - Saturday 27 April and featuring  Mythical Metal Seedheads
Collection by Maggie Furmanek, Judith Harrison & Sara Piper Heap
Landscape Transition
Landscape paintings by Georgina Shepherd & Julie Price
'Outside Edges’
Collection by Alison Holt, Joanne Dale, Gill Crozier & Stefanie Gundlach 
| | | CREATIVE WORKSHOPS AT THE WILLOW Learn a new skill or polish an old one. Classes take place in small groups with lots of advice and guidance from our experienced and talented artist-tutors.
 Welcoming two new tutors Textile artist Rachel Davies will be joining us with a new workshop, Weave A Scene, for students interested in textiles and stitch. Rachel will show students how to use different fibres to weave a landscape or seascape - and then, with simple hand stitches, attach their weaving to a canvas. The workshop will be very relaxed and suitable for all levels of experience.
 We also welcome Emma-Jayne Holmes with a new workshop focusing on sketching - a wonderful way to capture the essence of your life and surroundings, or to explore a specific theme. Under the expert guidance of Emma-Jayne, students will investigate a range of approaches to sketching and explore their own style of working. In other upcoming workshops, learn how to paint expressive portraits and landscapes - or get a taste for the art of feltmaking, mixed-media collage, making mosaics with glass, sculpting in clay or the colourful artistry of batik. You can also learn about different types of printmaking - from linocut and printing with gelatin plates to the magic of ecoprinting. Please see our website for full details. | | OUR NEXT CRAFT FAIR Saturday 27 April â— 10am-4pm
Quality handmade arts and crafts from local makers. Also check out books by local authors. Other 2024 Craft Fair dates Saturday 22 June Saturday 2 November To enquire about vendor space at any of our craft fairs,
please contact Anthony willowgalleryoswestry@gmail.com / 01691 657575 | | |  Enjoy a warm welcome from Margaret and Michaela when you visit our café â€" just the place for a breather, lunch or a light bite, while enjoying a great display of artwork! | | | Other Local Events & Information | | BORDER EMBROIDERERS
Tues 6 & 20 Feb, 10-12 noon
Border Embroiderers meet at Oswestry Library every other Tuesday throughout the year, except for August, to sew, chat and enjoy a cup of tea/coffee. Come and join this friendly group - all ages and abilities welcome. Just drop in or contact Mary on 01691 658651. | | Repair Café Oswestry & Borders
Saturday 10 February from 12-3pm
Llanfyllin Public Institute A team of skilled volunteer repairers give their time and expertise for free to help people fix items that might otherwise be thrown away
Please book your item in beforehand at osbordersrepaircafe@gmail.com, so organiser Elaine knows which experts to invite and what tools they need to bring. | | | The Book of Kells Experience
Trinity College Dublin
Until 30 September 2024 Courtesy of Trinity College Dublin The new immersive experience invites visitors to step into the pages of the ornate 9th-century Celtic manuscript produced by monks of St Columba's Order of Iona. The book is believed to have been relocated to Ireland - to the monastery at Kells - following a Viking raid on Iona. When the monastery of Kells was destroyed in 1641, the book was brought to Dublin for safekeeping, and has been in the possession of Trinity College since at least 1661.
The exhibition uses 360-degree projections, stage sets, animations, audio story-telling and digital mapping to explore the creation, legacy and stories behind the illuminated religious text. | | | AI detects hidden hand in Raphael’s Madonna della Rosa An international group of scientists with the help of artificial intelligence algorithms analysed the famous painting and found that the face of Joseph on the canvas probably does not belong to the brush of the great artist of the Renaissance. It is now thought that one of Raphael's pupils, Giulio Romano, widely regarded in his own right today, may have contributed his skills to the painting. The AI is the creation of Professor Hassan Ugail, Director of the Centre for Visual Computing and Intelligent Systems at the University of Bradford. The findings have been published in the journal Heritage Science, and the Guardian's arts correspondent Mark Brown summarises (in more layman's terms) the report here. Painted c1518-1520, Madonna della Rosa depicts Mary carrying the infant Jesus, with Joseph and a young John the Baptist on the left, as well as a rose on the table from which the artwork got its title. | | | Huge Shakira statue unveiled in her hometown in Colombia
 dpa/Picture-Alliance/AP A bronze statue of Colombian singer Shakira has been unveiled along the waterfront in Barranquilla, the city where she grew up. The 6.5m-tall (21.3ft) bronze, the work of sculptor Yino Márquez and his students, portrays the Grammy-winning Latin music superstar in her trademark hip-swinging pose, with long curly hair and arms raised overhead, adorned in a sheer skirt with gleaming aluminium embellishments. A plaque at the foot of the statue praises her for 'a voice that moves masses' and highlights her philanthropic activity through a foundation that she created named Pies Descalzos ('Bare Feet') that promotes early childhood development.
The statue is large but not the largest pop icon statue ever erected. This distinction would seem to belong to Forever Marilyn, a 7.9m (26ft) tribute to the screen legend created in 2011 and displayed in Palm Springs where she was purportedly first discovered. Designed by artist Seward Johnson, the stainless steel and aluminium statue is a representation of the blonde bombshell in her famous billowing white dress, taken from Bill's Wilder's 1955 film The Seven Year Itch.  | | | Greece offers to loan the British Museum ‘important antiquities’ in exchange for the Parthenon Marbles
Greece is prepared to part with some of its greatest treasures to ‘fill the void’ at the British Museum if the Parthenon Marbles were reunited in Athens, the country’s Culture Minister, Lina Mendoni, has said.
George Osborne, the British Museum’s chair, responding to the drive by Athens to reunite the sculptures, has appeared more determined to tackle the issue head-on than any of his predecessors. Talks aimed at securing a loan deal will continue, he has pledged, despite the diplomatic fallout that followed Rishi Sunak’s refusal to meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in November.
| | |  A vibrant, not-for-profit at space showing contemporary artwork from local and national artists. We host exhibitions, art classes, craft fairs and other community-focused events - bringing together creative individuals and art lovers from our local communities and beyond. CONTACT US Tel: 01691 657575
email: willowgalleryoswestry@gmail.com
Website: willowgalleryoswestry.org
Facebook: Willow
Address: 56 Willow Street, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 1AD Gallery/Café open Tues-Sat 10am-4pm (3.30pm café last orders)
Closed: Sundays/Mondays/Bank Holidays Editor: Hilary Moorcroft
February 2024 | | |
WILLOW GALLERY Oswestry 
