OSWESTRY TOWN COUNCIL SEEKS ARTIST
FOR MARKET MURAL
Click HERE for details | | | Spring Exhibitions
Plenty of quality and variety in this show with
some familiar artists and some new Saturday 9 March - Saturday 27 April
'Mythical, Metal, Seedheads'
Collection by Maggie Furmanek, Judith Harrison & Sara Piper Heap
A mixture of work from three talented artists includes ancient board games, hares in various forms and some kinetic metalwork, along with lino-printed and etched copper-printed seedheads.
'Landscape Transition'
Landscape paintings by Julie Price & Georgina Shepherd
Julie and Georgina explore their connections with the landscape and coastline - and how these change across the seasons.
'Outside Edges/Ar yr Ymylon'
Collection by Gill Crozier, Joanne Dale,
Stefanie Gundlach and Alison Holt
There are several twists and turns to discover in this exhibition. Each artist is inspired by the rich cultural heritage and natural beauty of Wales - but within their works you will discover a range of interpretations of these themes.
'Bird Flew'
A collection by Bob Knowles and others using recycled materials
Birds are a marker, a litmus test of our times. Bird health, variety and population numbers reflect how much (or how little) we care for our environment.
Since 1970, 14 breeding bird species have been lost from the Oswestry Rural area. A further 22 species have declined in abundance since 1990. | | | A WAY OF SEEING WITH REG TURRELL
OWL LIGHT
 During an early morning walk, I came across this tawny owl and was puzzled why it didn't fly off as I got nearer. Then I noticed that its feathers were soaked.
I used gesso applied thickly with a palette knife to create shadows and highlights in the woodland. Black card was pressed into the gesso to form the trees. Quinacridone yellow created the effect of the warm morning sun drying the owl's feathers. Using gesso allowed me to wet the watercolour and remove some of the paint.
| | |  We were delight to welcome Shropshire artist Elizabeth (Beth) Darlington to the gallery last month. Over the years, Beth has experimented with a variety of mediums including soft pastels, oil pastels, acrylic paints and inks, oils, encaustic wax, poured acrylic and texture gels. Gold leaf is used in almost all of her work, particularly in her signature where her initials form a heart shape. Beth paints on cotton canvas or heavy duty watercolour paper, depending on the effect she is aiming to achieve. She is also open to experiment on other surfaces such as old oak boards. As well as one-off works, she also offers high-quality limited-edition prints.'When people look at my work,' says Beth, 'I hope for them to feel something good, something wholesome. I want to remind them of forgotten aspects of themselves, and open doors in their minds to everything that they need, right there within themselves.' | | | CELEBRATION OF LIFE
in honour of
JOHN VIDAL (1949-2023)
Journalist, Author, Charity founder,
Director of Willow Gallery John's remarkable life was celebrated on 2 March, following his death on October 19 last year. The celebration, at John's beautiful home in the hamlet of Pont-y-Blew near Chirk, included the publication of his book, Fevered Planet, in June 2023, and his marriage, just a month before his passing, to long-time partner Jenny Bates. The gathering of family, friends and colleagues was full of many lovely and touching tributes and fond memories. Dress was informal and jolly - and, like all the best celebrations, there was feasting and music. In addition to those attending in person, many others - from all around the globe - tuned in on Zoom. John Vidal was many things to many people, and this was a truly uplifting celebration.
For 30 years as the Guardian's environment editor, John delved into a host of issues relating to environmental degradation and the consequences of climate change. One overseas trip, reporting in 2002 on hunger in Malawi, led him to set up the Gumbi Education Fund to educate children in one of Malawi's poorest villages. The fund continues its work today.  John was also a familiar face in around Oswestry: he had lived in our part of the world since the 1970s and became director of the Willow Gallery in 2014. He remained at the helm of the gallery until 2022 - and our friend and mentor remains greatly missed. Top: Recent portrait (section) of John by local artist David Bannister
Bottom: John was a regular visitor to Gumbi | | | | UPCOMING 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.
Current one-day workshops include ? Sketching techniques ? Portrait painting in acrylics ? Landscape painting in acrylics ? Felted art (sea & sky) ? Weave a landscape/seascape ? Mixed media collage ? Sculpting birds in clay ? Glass mosaics ? Linocut printing ? Ecoprinting ? Gelatin printmaking Please see our website for full details. | | OUR NEXT CRAFT FAIR Saturday 27 April ? 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 | | |  Our Café
Our bright and airy café offers sweet treats, savoury eats and, of course, tea and coffee just the way you like it. It's also dog-friendly and a perfect place to meet up with friends. | | | Other Local Events & Information | | | BOB GUY (1947-2023) Bob studied at the Kingston School of Art. He went on to specialise in wood engraving, inspired by the work of the 18th-century engraver Thomas Bewick, and was an elected member of the Society of Wood Engravers. Living and working in Mid-Wales over many years, Bob regularly exhibited at the Willow Gallery and at the National Eisteddfod, and he was vigorously committed to the Workhouse Community Centre in Llanfyllin. He has work displayed in the British Library and Ashmolean Museum as well as in many private collections; he has also worked in collaboration with poets and other authors to produce handmade books, including (in 2021) Offa & the Bard. | | | Council seeks artist for market mural Oswestry Town Council is inviting applications from local artists to design and install a large mural on the external side wall of Powis Hall Indoor Market, a cornerstone of local commerce and culture,
While the theme remains open, a strong preference has been voiced for the mural to embody the spirit and heritage of the market. It will also need to complement work already completed to the outside of the building. The successful applicant will be given access to Oswestry Town Council's archives, with its wealth of historic images and materials, from which to draw information.
Interested artists must submit an application with details of the materials they want to use, timescales and expected durability of their mural. Applicants will also need to provide examples of previous work, references and proof of their public liability insurance. It is expected the installation will be completed by the end of summer 2024. 
The mural will go on this exterior side wall of Powis Hall Indoor Market
The project comes with a budget of £8,000 to covers all costs of the work. This will include scaffolding as well as covering Health & Safety considerations. The closing date for applications is midday on 8 April.
This project is funded by the government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which aims to improve pride and life chances across the country. | | | Ellesmere Heronwatch 2024
Continues to mid-May 
Use video cameras to see nesting herons
Free entry ? Indoors ? Suitable for all ages and all weathers
The Boathouse,
Mereside, Ellesmere, Shropshire SY12 0PA www.heronwatch.org.uk / 01691 622838 for detailsNew volunteers also welcome! | | | Repair Café Oswestry & Borders
Saturday 9 March, 12-3pm
Oswestry Memorial Hall 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 - or let Colin help you on 01691 239344. NEW - The Midweek Mend Oswestry & Borders Café will be holding small weekly repair sessions at the new Climate Action Hub, 36 Bailey Street, Oswestry, starting on Wednesday 13 March from 1-4pm. See attached poster for details. | | | VICTORIAN RADICALS
Birmingham's Gas Hall reopens for pre-Raphaelite exhibition
until 31 October, 10am-5pm (closed Mondays and Tuesdays) Three generations of British artists, designers and makers revolutionised the visual arts in the second half of the 19th century. The Pre-Raphaelites, William Morris and his circle, and the men and women of the Arts & Crafts Movement transformed art and design.  Selected from the City of Birmingham's outstanding collection, Victorian Radicals presents vibrant paintings and exquisite drawings alongside jewellery, glass, textiles and metalwork to explore their radical vision for art and society.
Fresh from an award-winning tour of the US, Victorian Radicals is the first comprehensive showing of the city's Pre-Raphaelite and Arts & Crafts collections in Birmingham for over five years.
FORD MADOX BROWN: The Last of England (1855)
Two emigrants leave England to start a new life in Australia with their baby | | Wildlife Photographer of the Year (People's Choice) Nima Sarikhani/WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Ice Bed, a stunning image by British amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani, of a young polar bear drifting off to sleep on a tiny iceberg has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award.
Dr Douglas Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum, which runs the annual competition, said, 'Nima's breathtaking and poignant image allows us to see the beauty and fragility of our planet. His thought-provoking image is a stark reminder of the integral bond between an animal and its habitat, and serves as a visual representation of the detrimental impacts of climate warming and habitat loss.'
After three days searching for polar bears through thick fog off Norway's Svalbard Archipelago, the expedition vessel Mr Sarikhani was on encountered a younger and an older male. Just before midnight, the young male clambered onto a small iceberg and used his paws to scrape away the ice and carve a bed for himself, allowing Mr Sarikhani to capture the moment the bear drifted off to sleep.
| | | Rare Bayeux Tapestry replica sold to French museum A life-size, hand-tinted photographic replica of the Bayeux Tapestry has found a new home at the Bayeux Museum in France. The acquisition, costing £16,000, was part of the late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts' estate.  In 1872, a photographer from the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria & Albert) travelled to the Normandy town of Bayeux to take pictures of the 11th-century action-packed embroidery. Photography was in its infancy, and the images of the 70-metres-long work were produced on glass plates and meticulously hand-coloured, a process that took two years.
The rare piece (one of only six photographic reproductions) eventually found its way into the private collection of Charlie Watts, who died in 2021. Now it is with the original, UNESCO-listed masterpiece that has been displayed for centuries in Bayeux. The reproduction is presented on two original oak supports on which the image unfolds. | | | | Art expert wants National Gallery to show 20th-century work
Julian Spalding, who headed public collections in Sheffield, Manchester and Glasgow over a 50-year career, argues that the National Gallery could, in its bicentenary this year, 'resuscitate the great art of painting' by hanging pictures by artists such as David Hockney alongside Old Masters. In a letter to the National Gallery, Mr Spalding criticises its 1996 agreement with the Tate that 1900 should divide their respective collections, saying it was 'as if painting died then as a great art form. This isn't what happened. The art of painting was brilliantly reinvented for our times by Picasso, Matisse and many others.' Bringing the collection up to date, he says, 'will also naturally and most importantly widen the gallery's representation of female artists and the art of many cultures, truly reflecting the nature of Britain and our world today.'
Although the National Gallery has held numerous exhibitions devoted to modern and contemporary artists, these have been temporary. Mr Spalding proposes that modern and contemporary works could be transferred from the Tate to the National 'easily and immediately, merely the cost of a van'.
Alex Kidson, a former curator at Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery, also considers that the 1900 cut-off is 'much too early', but expresses reservations about including contemporary artists. 'Artworks achieve greatness because they've survived over time. Arguments about who is actually worthy of getting into the National Gallery are bound to increase. If you had a cut-off point of, say, 1945, that would be easier to administer.'
While the National Gallery has declined to comment, the Tate has said: 'There are no plans to change the date of 1900 as the collection divide between the two museums.' | | |  A vibrant, not-for-profit art space packed full of 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
March 2024 | | |
