| BOOK LAUNCH WITH LOCAL AUTHOR
BERNARD PEARSON AT THE WILLOW
Thursday 1 August
Please see details below | | | CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
SHROPSHIRE GUILD
OF CONTEMPORARY CRAFT
Until Saturday 17 August
See a wide spectrum of handmade craft pieces. During the course of the exhibition, you'll also be able to enjoy watching some of our talented makers demonstrating their skills and techniques.
 STITCHED BOUNDARIES
Until Saturday 17 August
Textile artists Alison Holt and Suzette Smart show off their very different techniques and styles.  On painted silk and using a basic sewing machine and just two stitches (straight and zigzag), Alison creates landscapes and seascapes of immense depth and detail. She is also inspired by gardens. Recent work includes scenes from an aerial perspective.  Suzette builds a story through layered fabric collage, using fabric scraps, machine and hand stitching, print and mixed media, producing tapestry-like effects. She especially enjoys working with vintage and recycled materials. Birds often feature in her work. BRIGHT AND BOLD VASE SCULPTURES
BY DESIGNS IN MIND
Until Saturday 17 August A small group at Designs in Mind was given a brief to make a papier-mâché sculpture of a 'character'. Part of the brief was to construct the piece so that it functioned as a vase for dried grass or seedheads. The results were varied and fun.   Designs in Mind is a working studio in Oswestry Town Centre where adults living with mental health challenges work together on diverse art and design projects.
Please visit Designs in Mind's shop
at 17 Cross Street, Oswestry
10am to 4pm
Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday
| | | MEET THE MAKERS
A chance to get to know our designer-makers better | |  SUE CHRISTIAN & NICOLA RUDD
HandweaversSaturday 3 August, 10am-3pm Learn what's involved in being a weaver, what inspires Sue and Nicola's weaving, and how they set about making each piece.
| | LINDSEY KENNEDY Mosaic Tuesday 6th August, 10am-3pm Designer and maker of contemporary mosaics for the home and garden. Lindsey is attracted to using highly reflective materials and exploring surface patterns, textures and colour. | | JANE HUNTER Eco-printer
Saturday 10 August, 10am-3pm Through the gentle art of natural dying, Jane eco-prints on fabric, creating a range of garments and accessories. | |  NICOLA RUDD Handweaver
Saturday 17 August, 10am-3pm | |  BOOK LAUNCH AT
THE WILLOW GALLERY 2pm, Thursday 1 August Free event - All welcome Bernard Pearson, local poet and author, will launch his latest crime thriller in the 'Mycroft Mystery' series here at the Willow Gallery on Thursday 1 August at 2pm. There will be teas and coffees, readings from the book, Questions & Answers, plus an opportunity to buy a signed copy. (Also for sale from Amazon or www.leafbyleafpress.com.)
Book cover by Reg Turrell | | A WAY OF SEEING WITH REG TURRELL
INSIDE THE BIG WAVE
 I spent a wonderful morning in Stefanie Gundlach's studio learning how to paint on Yupo plastic paper. Because the paint doesn't soak into the surface, the pigments can be moved and manipulated in a much freer way. I was experimenting with this new technique, letting the paint flow in whirls, when I had the idea of creating a barrel wave - and, because surfers love barrel waves, I also painted a surfer. An advantage of plastic paper is that the paint can be removed completely, so I was able to have several attempts before I got the stance right. Once the paint dried, I used acrylic white ink to show spray coming off the wave.
It's always a joy to explore different techniques, and I would like to thank Stefanie for introducing me to some more watercolour magic!
Reg's fellow-artist Stefanie Gundlach had a career in graphic design, working at one point with Warner Bros on Harry Potter. She now enjoys life as an independent artist, and exhibits regularly at the Willow Gallery. | | | Upcoming at the Gallery Autumn Open Exhibition
Saturday 24 August – Saturday 12 October Including Ped4ir Môn Photography Collective
 Borderland Visual Arts & Cheshire Artists' Network
Saturday 19 October – Tuesday 24 December | | | WORKSHOPS Whether you're a beginner, want to refresh your skills or to advance your knowledge, we offer many different kinds of art and craft workshops - and are always adding new ones. Places are limited to a maximum of 10, with plenty of opportunities for individual support and advice. Full details on our website.
Mosaic Workshop with Lindsey Kennedy | | WORK EXPERIENCE PLACEMENTS
Over the summer term, a number of young people with an enthusiasm for the arts have completed work experience at the gallery, and we have enjoyed having them. Students typically join us for a week-long placement in which we offer a programme of activities that will help them to develop skills, build confidence and learn more about working in an art gallery – from visitor services and curating to research, marketing and press relations.
Says gallery curator Anthony Smith: 'It's good for students to take a break out of school, pick something they are really interested in, and get a taste of responsibility and coping in the wider world. At the gallery, we try to create just the right balance of learning, work and fun - and it is always very satisfying to hear from former students who have gone on to take up rôles in the arts and heritage sector.' | | | Other Local Information  Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 August Watch hot air balloons as they take off from Cae Glas Park in the centre of town and soar away. Weather permitting, the balloons take off early morning and early evening. Saturday's highlight will be the evening 'Night Glow': watch as the balloons light up and build to a stirring music finale.
Although it's a free event, donations for Nightingale House Hospice are most welcome. | | | Oswestry & Borders Repair Café will be holding a special School Uniform Repair & Swap on Wednesday 21 August (11am-2pm) at the Climate Action Hub, 36 Bailey Street, Oswestry (see attached poster). There will be experienced Repair Café sewing volunteers on hand to repair uniforms, or give advice and share their skills to help people mend their own. The Climate Action Hub is also planning a school uniform swap on the same day. Says co-ordinator Elaine: 'We will be happy to receive any uniforms - even unusable ones that we can take apart and use for patches.' | | | | Leonora Carrington: Rebel Visionary
Newlands House Gallery (Petworth, Sussex)
until 26 October 
LEONORA CARRINGTON Untitled 1979 Wool tapestry
Courtesy Leonora Carrington Council and rossogranada The life and art of surrealist British-Mexican trailblazer Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) is explored in a compelling exhibition at Newlands House Gallery in Petworth, Sussex. The exhibition includes some of the artist's most recognisable works, known for being both dreamlike and mysterious, and often featuring fantastical creatures and surreal landscapes. The show also brings to the fore lesser known aspects of Leonora's work, such as later sculpture pieces. She also produced short stories, novels and a memoir.
Born into a bourgeois family, Leonora eloped at the age of 20 to live with the surrealist artist, Max Ernst. While living in Paris, she came to know Picasso, Dalí and Miró. She went on to spend most of her adult life in Mexico, and was friends with the likes of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. In the 1970s, she became a pioneer of the women's freedom movement in Mexico, Mujeres en Acción Solidaria.
One of Mexico's most beloved artists, for decades Leonora was largely overlooked elsewhere. Following her death, interest in her work began to sharpen, and she has now entered art's super-league in terms of sales. | | |  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
August 2024 | | |
