Willow Gallery, Oswestry - newsletter

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Newsletter from the Willow Gallery, Oswestry

WILLOW GALLERY Oswestry View this email in your browser NEWSLETTER February 2021     MARK WARNER Rocks at Aberystwyth ~ Acrylic Winter Lockdown 2021 Under national lockdown restrictions, both gallery and café remain closed. Unavoidably, no date has been set as to when we will be able to re-open. Meanwhile our online shop remains open - and we'll update our website and social media platforms as we receive further information or guidance. Wishing everyone well during these troubled times, and we hope all our artists are finding lots of subjects - and inspiration - albeit closer to home! And please send us your news, images, videos &c. Animal portraits by David Bannister Contact davidbannisterart.com for more information DEFIBRILLATOR INSTALLED AT THE WILLOW A life-saving defibrillator unit has been installed outside the Willow Gallery, one of now several peppered around the town centre. The defibrillators can help resuscitate people who have suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, and are designed to be used by members of the public without any formal training. For details of the defibs available in and around Oswestry, see www.oneoswestry.co.uk/live-work/defib-locations/ ART AND CRAFTS FROM OUR ONLINE SHOP LANDSCAPES IN DIFFERENT MEDIA DIANA BAUR Sunset Bird Mixed media THOMAS PETIT Moors  Hand-blown glass vase [detail] ROSEY PAUL After the Rain Felted wool RUTH GIBSON Murmeration Megaliths Printed & glazed stoneware STEFANIE GUNDLACH On the Moors Watercolour GILL CROZIER Pink Beach & Cave Acrylic on board EARTHENWARE BY WILLIE CARTER At his workshop in Cheshire, Willie produces a range of thrown and hand-built pieces, from egg cups to huge platters, each individually brush decorated in vibrant Mediterranean colours. LEFT: Harbour platter BELOW: Chicken bowl ILLUSTRATIONS BY EMMA GILES Working with pen, ink and a little touch of colour on handmade paper RIGHT: Love is...Unconditional BELOW: Moonlight Sonata BEE PRINTS, CARDS, TEXTILES & PLACEMATS BY TERESKA SHEPHERD A portion of every sale is donated to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust BE MY VALENTINE   CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT Card by HAZEL McNAB Locket by SARA PIPER HEAP Glass mosaic by LINDSEY KENNEDY Ring by SORREL SEVIER Pendant by TAMALA DESIGNS Stained-glass hearts by SIÂN HUGHES NEW YEAR SALES FOR LESLEY Two beautiful mixed-media compositions by local artist Lesley Fisher, both featuring the fish pond at Tresco Abbey Gardens (Isles of Scilly) LEFT: Lake at Tresco Abbey Gardens     RIGHT: Where Fishes Play Buy art over 10 months with an interest-free loan Find out more on our website MINDFUL MUSEUMS A feast for the eyes with Lindsey Kennedy A series of short videos offering you a mindful exploration of artworks and objects held in the collection of Shropshire Museums   Listen to the videos on the Shropshire Museums website THE GREAT BIG ART EXHIBITION Museums and leading artists are inviting the public to take part in what they hope will be the biggest art exhibition ever mounted.   The Great Big Art Exhibition has been launched by Sir Antony Gormley who is asking artists of all ages to make an artwork and place it in their front window, balcony or garden. Leading artists - including Anish Kapoor, Sonia Boyce and Ai Weiwei - will choose a different theme each fortnight. The opening theme, chosen by Sir Antony, is animals. The next theme will be portraits.   The Angel of the North sculptor says the aim is to create a countrywide show inspired by the rainbow images people made to celebrate the NHS and keyworkers during the first lockdown. Details of how to take part, including a free activity pack, are available from arts organisation FirstSite. PAINTING ABOVE RIGHT: Chalky by © IRENE MUIR Rejected Tintin cover design sets record for comic book art with €3.2m auction price A picture by the Belgian illustrator Hergé has set a new record for the most expensive work of comic book art, selling online for €3.2 million in Paris, following a battle between three bidders.  The 1936 gouache, ink and watercolour painting was originally intended as the cover image for The Blue Lotus, Hergé's fifth book about boy reporter Tintin and his dog, Snowy. The tale unfolds in China at the time of the Japanese invasion of 1931, when Tintin gets drawn into a dangerous mystery involving opium dens, chloroform, spy networks, drive-by shootings, kidnappings and a poison that causes insanity. The painting shows the young hero and his faithful Snowy hiding in a porcelain jar. The artwork was ultimately too costly for publisher Louis Casterman to mass reproduce because (a victim of its own craftsmanship) it featured too many colours. The artist therefore produced a more simplified design while the rejected original was folded in six and tucked away in a drawer for decades. Tintin first appeared in a cartoon strip in 1929 and went on to star in 24 books. Hergé died in 1983. Paintings on a plate Uffizi Gallery creates cooking show inspired by art The Uffizi in Florence is collaborating with chefs from around the country to produce recipes inspired by the gallery's collection of artworks. The initiative is titled Uffizi da Mangiare (Uffizi on a Plate). Artworks providing inspiration for Italian chefs include a painting by Botticelli,  Caravaggio's portrait of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, and several still-life studies of fruit, meat and seafood.   The weekly recipe show is being made available on the Uffizi Facebook page each week. Says director Eike Schmidt: 'We thought that since people can't go to restaurants right now and can't go to museums, why don't we ask some of our well-known chefs to be inspired by our paintings.'   RIGHT: A 1736 painting by Lombard artist Giacomo Ceruti shows a boy with a basket of fish and a crab. To go with the seafood, distinguished Tuscan chef Fabio Picchi suggests a beautiful home-made mayonnaise! Boy with a Basket of Fish Pink seesaws across US-Mexico border named Design of the Year 2020 A seesaw installation on the US-Mexico border created by California-based architects Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello has been named the 2020 Beazley Design of the Year by London's Design Museum. The installation, dubbed the Teeter Totter Wall, consisted of three bright pink seesaws installed through the slats of the 20ft steel border wall, with one seat in El Paso (Texas) and the other in Ciudad Juárez (Mexico). Only in place for about 40 minutes, the project made a lasting impression, allowing children and adults from both sides to interact with one another and achieving a sense of unity at the divisive border that was highly politicised under the Trump administration. On his first day in office, Joe Biden ordered a halt on the construction of the wall.  Snow can brighten the landscape and lift dampened spirits - but also create a more hazardous environment. With possibly more snow to come, please take care, stay safe and keep complying with Covid rules! Marysia's Snow Mademoiselle CONTACT US Tel: 01691 657575 email: willowgalleryoswestry.gmail.com Website: willowgalleryoswestry.org Facebook: Willow Address: 56 Willow Street, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 1AD   Gallery and Café currently closed under lockdown restrictions   Editor: Hilary Moorcroft February 2021 FORWARD TO A FRIEND       ANN LEWIS Storm Clearing ~ Linocut

Excellent newsletter for Shropshire historians

Dear Blogger

Newsletter of the Oswestry Border History and Archaeololgy Club - how to keep in touch with club members.

Changes to ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION

Dear Blogger

Another `Road Closure` message forwarded by David Shearan - The following email arrived this morning.

"Apologies for the confusion.

 

We were unable to start yesterday as there was a conflict between works there was an urgent Severn Trent closure in Grimpo which was using Ruyton as a diversion route.

 

The work is planned to go ahead today and tomorrow however there is BT works planned on Church Street Friday that is restricting our work to two days. I have asked permitting whether an extension would be possible Friday if necessary.

 

The team are commencing work this morningstarting at the bridge".

 

I hope this clarifies matters.

Post office in Village Hall CANCELLED on 5th February

Dear Blogger

Message forwarded by Margaret Lycett

POST OFFICE at RUYTON XI TOWNS VILLAGE HALL

Unfortunately, owing to continuing staff shortages

the Post Office outreach service on

Friday 5th February is CANCELLED

It is hoped toresume the srvice on Friday 12th February from 1.30 to 3.30

No road closure today - just erd and 4th February

Dear Blogger

You might have noticed that the traffic through the village seems pretty normal - considering the road is supposed to be closed.

Message from David Shearan - Received at 5.03 this afternoon.

Bizarrely our Parish Clerk has recently received an email that said the following:  Please find enclosed details of a temporary road closure:  Road Closure:  B4397 Baschurch to A5 junction Closure  Start Date: 3th February 2021  End Date: 4th February 2021  Purpose: Urgent carriageway repairs. Access will be maintained for emergency vehicles, HGVs and buses    There has been no explanation from either Shropshire Council or Keir about why the works were cancelled today or why the road will only now be closed for 2 days instead of the original 4      David

Can you help - wanted 2 bed property

Dear Blogger

Wanted, a 2 bedroom property to RENT within 10 miles of Oswestry.

Please contact Phil info@kenningillustration.co.uk

Whittington Music Festival is on - 20th to 22nd May

We're back! with details of this year's festival and a plea for help Covid-19 permitting, the 2021 Whittington Festival will happen from Thursday May 20th to Saturday May 22nd at Holy Trinity Church, Oswestry SY11 2ES. The  move has been dictated by the need for safe distancing for both audience and performers which would not have been possible at Whittington. Sophia has created a series of three concerts, each with a different theme, which as well as some familiar and much-loved music, will feature a world premiere! The concerts will be shorter than usual and without an interval so as to keep audience movement to a minimum. We are bringing fifteen world-class musicians to the festival who have played at prestigious venues at home and abroad. The festival will be a special experience for the performers who have spent over a year unable to perform to a live audience and we know it will be equally special for us music lovers. Full details of the programme and performers are available on the festival website.                      https://www.whittingtonmusicfestival.org.uk/ We are aware that some of you may feel hesitant to venture out, and that although the performances will be of our usual high standard, the restrictions forced on us by the pandemic will make the experience rather different to previous years. We want as many people as possible to be able to attend, so please help us by taking part in  a short online survey to guide our detailed planning of ticket sales. There are a dozen questions which will take only a couple of minutes to answer. Honest! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUf2-mVXqh2LdoHuHLCQJ2NSha2DcZnDZkpxT_i5ZFIMW62Q/viewform We expect tickets to go on sale after Easter. We are delighted to have welcomed three new trustees and a webmaster, but we still need someone with a good head for figures to help with our accounts, and someone who has a way with words to help write grant applications. Joining the festival team will help to ensure a future for one of the cultural highlights of our area, so I look forward to hearing from you if you are interested or can suggest someone who might be. Keep safe! Rob Greaves, Chairman rob@whittingtonmusicfestival.org.uk