Newby Hall is a treasure trove for art lovers; the outstanding permanent art collections are complemented by changing exhibitions and displays. Our exhibition programmes are renowned for their quality, variety and originality. 

The following diary contains information on forthcoming exhibitions in the Grantham Room.

 

 

 

Gillian McClure has written many highly acclaimed and award winning picture books as well as collaborating as an illustrator with writers such as Philippa Pearce and Kevin Crossley-Holland.

 

 

 

Gillian has exhibited at the Barbican, The Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge, University of Kent, and in galleries in Norwich and West Sussex. Last year she took part in the Big Draw Exhibition at Ipswich. She also has artwork in the Seven Stories Children's Book Centre archive.

 

In this exhibition, Gillian will be selling artwork from Selkie, Bruna and Tom Finger as well as some pieces from her earlier books. She will also include some sketches and roughs, showing the working progress from first idea through to finished artwork.

 

Visit Gillian's Blog at www.grannytale.blogspot.com

 

Website: www.gillianmcclure.com

 

Susan trained originally in fashion design, I worked for several years in London as a designer and illustrator. A return to the north of England allowed me to concentrate on botanical art which has been an interest since childhood and this has become the main focus of my work.

 

Drawing has always been my preferred method of working using a variety of coloured pencils. Subjects are always drawn from life, where possible from my garden, and are usually lifesize. I have always preferred drawing to painting and find the depths of tone and translucency offered by coloured pencils staisfying to produce. It is quite a time consuming process as each area of colour is built up using the fine lines of a pencil point and is achieved throughmuch pencil sharpening! There is an increasing interest and appreciation of coloured pencils as a fine art medium. My use of coloured pencils has recently led to invitations to teach.

 

I began to exhibit in 1997and as well as taking part in joint exhibitions, have held two solo exhibition. I am an elected member of The Society of Botanial Artists and The Society of Floral Painters and exhibit with them annually. I have been presented with several awards for my work including two gold medals from The Royal Horticultural Society.

 

Lucy Kinsella, Wednesday 2nd June - Sunday 18th July 2010

Born in Hampshire, Lucy Kinsella moved to Leicestershire where she gained a BA Hon's in sculpture at Loughborough University. She was awarded the Dante Alighieri Travelling Scholarship which took her to Florence, and the Dennis Holt Travelling Bursary spent in southern Ireland.

 

After graduating, Lucy determined to develop her skills as an animal sculptor, drawing inspiration from Barye, Degas and Bugatti, and the contemporary work of Jonathan Kenworthy. Lucy's trademark lies in the expressive handling and fine detailing that captures the movement and energy of her chosen subject.

 

 

 

Lucy's work is held in many private and public collections both in the UK and around the world, Including France, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, United States, South Africa, China, Japan and United Arab Emirates.

 

www.lucykinsella.com

 

Tessa Bunney has been artist in residence at Newby Hall for the past year and has been photographing the staff and estate throughout the seasons. Tessa's exhibition depicts the life of a working estate. Tessa's work draws attention to observing details which we usually let slip by unnoticed and aims to the ongoing debate about the changing nature of rural life.

 

As a photographer, Tessa has particular interest in different landscapes and the way they are shaped by human activity. Working closely with communities and individulas, Tessa's work explores people's relationships to the landscape, often incorporating text and sound as part of the finished project.

Tessa works as a documentary photographer undertaking personal projects and portraits and features photography for various magazines including Observer Life, Guardian Weekend and the Sunday Times magazine.

 

Award winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner studied and illustrations at Edinburgh College of art. She fell in love with the city and still lives there with a small menagerie of creatures: Shannon the horse, Ena the grey cat, goldfish Sheila and a speckly black and tan guinea pig called Marvin.

 

Catherine finds huge inspiration in her pets and often uses them as models, frequently asking Ena to pose so that she can study her posture and movement. Then she translates sketches of Ena into characters such as dragons and hares, not to mention moose and bears! But it was creatures of a wilder kind that inspired her first picture book, Augustus and His Smile - Catherine spent hours and hours watching and sketching tigers (in freezing temperatures) at Edinburgh Zoo.

 

www.catherinerayner.co.uk

 

 

For the last year or so we have lived in a farmhouse on the edge of Skipwith Common, a large area of ancient wetland, situated a few miles south of York. My small upstairs studio looks across the field to the trees that fringe the common and we walk there often. It is a powerful and varied landscape and I am aware that in the elusive way that these things happen. It has had a discernible influence on my work. Not only has it been a very productive period, but also while the work itself remains thoroughly abstract, I have begun to sense in these paintings certain reverberations and rhythms which seem to have their origins in the nearby landscape. This began to be apparent to me in the Night Factor paintings but in the present series it has become more pronounced.

Jerry's paintings are not only valued by private collectors but also provide an adaptable rescource for professionals such as architects, designers, restauranteurs, hoteliers and management teams who appreciate the role that  art of rea quality and originality can play in a project.