YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THIS BEAUTIFUL SUE NICHOL PAINTING
One
of our most popular artists, Sue Nichol, has donated this wonderful painting
of the Staithes coble Pilot Me B as a prize in the forthcoming raffle in aid
of the RNLI.
Artists in general and Sue Nichol in particular have always loved Pilot Me
B and she has served as a model for countless paintings over the years as
well as being a working fishing boat for her owner Bill Blackwell. Sadly she
is no longer working and has been moved from Staithes Beck, much to the disappointment
of many of our artists.
Sue painted her last Pilot painting, aptly entitled Farewell Pilot Me B,
just before the coble was taken out of the beck for the last time. The painting
won her a great accolade: Bill Blackwell himself declared it the best painting
of his coble that he had ever seen! Praise indeed in Staithes where the fishermen
are apt to complain that the artists paint boats that would go round in circles!
Sue has very kindly donated her painting to be raffled for the Staithes and
Runswick RNLI. Tickets are available from Staithes Gallery and from the Lifeboat
Shop in Staithes. The draw will take place on July 19th at the RNLI Garden
Fete at Mulgrave Castle.
Other prizes include a weekend voucher for Grinkle Park Hotel and a print
of the Staithes Group painting Fisherfolk at Staithes by Robert Jobling
(also donated by Staithes Gallery).
WEDDING BELLS FOR GEOFF AND JULIE
Congratulations to gallery regulars Geoff and Julie on their recent engagement. Their marriage will take place on 19 September 2009 at Crook Hall in Durham City.
We have got to know Geoff and Julie over the years as they have often stayed in the Laura Knight Studio and come into the gallery to look at the artworks on display.
They have always particularly liked the work of our artist Rob Shaw and have chosen this stunning work "Narrow Road" to buy for their home. The painting is being kept for them at the gallery.
Friends and family who would like to buy them a gift on the occasion of their marriage can make a contribution to help them buy the painting. Please contact Al Milnes at the gallery for details of how to do this. We will keep a record of all contributions and pass it on to Geoff and Julie.
Anyone wishing to view the painting can call in during opening hours or ring for an appointment.
LIFEBOAT SHOW 2009 - PRESENTATION OF CHEQUE TO RNLI
On Saturday 6th June at 12 noon we will be delighted to present a cheque to the RNLI for £2300.90. This money was raised through sales of artworks during our Lifeboat Show at Easter. More was also raised through sales of catalogues and donations during the show.
We'd like to thank all our artists who took part in the show for so generously contributing to this very good cause. Thanks are also due to Staithes and Runswick RNLI Fundraising Chairman, David Manship for helping to organise the show and to the RNLI Volunteers and Friends who attended the Opening Night.
The money raised will go to fund training of Lifeboat Crews through the Train One Save Many scheme. Training remains the largest cost to the RNLI and we are delighted to be able to contibute to this important work.
STREETWISE, WEATHERWISE - Margaret Shields 23rd May - 30th June 2009
We
are absolutely thrilled to be hosting Margaret Shields' solo show STREETWISE,
WEATHERWISE and urge you to come and see these breathtaking paintings so full
of life and energy.
Click here to see more samples of Margaret's work which will be in the forthcoming exhibition.
Born in Middlesbrough and resident for many years in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Margaret celebrates the resilience and stoicism of the people of Teesside and the North Sea coast. Her paintings show them buffeted by wind and waves, or dwarfed by urban architecture old and new - tiny figures in an immense and exhilarating universe.
They get on with their lives: tinkering with boats; cycling against the wind; walking their dogs; carrying home their shopping; surrounded and engulfed by gigantic seas, menacing skies, tearing winds and the vast clanking machinery of local industry. Some exploit their surroundings for pure pleasure: skateboarding under the A66 flyover; surfing or simply dodging the waves of the North Sea; or pony-hacking along a windswept beach while vast ships pass by on the horizon.
The viewpoints of these paintings offer a slightly skewed perspective that both disturbs and excites. The seascapes are also townscapes, showing the life of the town shadowed by the swirling activity of the sea itself and the silent towering vessels that pass by. In the city concrete, brick and glass loom above the streets making somehow heroic the ordinary lives lived out there.
"It doesn't take much to make the ordinary look extraordinary." (Margaret Shields)
4th Annual Lifeboat Show (4th - 19th April 2009)
It's been a long wait, shivering through freezing temperatures all winter,
one of the longest, coldest and hardest on record. The miserable weather has
been matched by dismal economic forecasts. Doom and gloom, it seems, are everywhere.
Not here at Staithes Gallery, though, where our artists have been busy throughout the dark days, working on brand new spectacular artworks to move, delight and inspire us as the days lengthen and start to get warmer. We hope you'll agree that they bring a much needed breath of fresh spring air, a blast of colour, light and joy to follow the long gloomy winter.
We'd like to welcome you all to our 4th Annual Art Exhibition in aid of the RNLI's Train One Save Many campaign. You'll find a wonderful variety of the finest artwork by the best artists working in the region. There is such a wide range of styles and media - something for everyone. Do come along. And don't forget if you ARE tempted to buy, Staithes Gallery and the artists will donate 20% of the sale price to this very important cause.
Many thanks to all the artists who have given us this stunning show. Thanks
also to Dave Manship, the Staithes and Runswick RNLI Fund-raising chairman,
and the RNLI Members and Friends who help us to put it on every year. A warm
spring welcome to you all. Enjoy the show!
Salty Sea Dogs (and Other Animals)
We're on the road! Staithes Gallery is to take this great show: "Salty Sea Dogs (and Other Animals)" to Otley. Featuring a mixture of artworks from our regular gallery artists, the show is a repeat of last year's successful visit to the lovely West Yorkshire market town.
We have been kindly invited to return to the Old Grammar School in the heart of the town. It is a beautiful building lovingly converted to house the practice of David Bamford (Architects) Partnership, a great showcase for our artworks and an opportunity to see the art in a different setting.
The show opens on Tuesday 31st March at 7.30pm. So if you are in the Otley area call in for a glass of wine and see the artworks. The exhibition continues throughout April 2009.
New
Paintings from Rob Shaw - February 2009
Staithes artist Rob Shaw has been working hard for the past year or more
on a brand new series of paintings. Some of the new work is now finished and
starting to make its way into the gallery. The new paintings are simply stunning,
like this huge colourful new work pictured.
"I've tried to create images that are richer, deeper, more complex and
layered than my previous work," he says. "I've also employed a broader
range of paint and other media."
The work depicts the village dwellings set in the exhilarating land and seascapes
that engulf them, assaulted as ever by the extreme conditions of light and
weather familiar to anyone who has spent time on this part of the coast.
The work is coming into the gallery literally as it dries. Make your way to
the Staithes to be among the first to see this exciting new step forward in
the development of one of the country's most promising young artists.
Click here to see more examples of
the new work.
CHRISTMAS SHOW: 5th December 2008 - 4th January 2009
Through Advent and into the New Year we have a mixed Christmas Show which
showcases the very best current work of our regular artists. There is everything
here to suit a range of tastes and pockets. We have everything from beautiful
traditional landscapes to bold and colourful abstracts. We have sculpture,
photography, printmaking and textiles, as well as painting in a wide range
of media. We have framed prints at £30 to vast paintings at £3000.
Staithes Gallery is a great place to come and browse, whether you are looking
for a gift for a loved one, something to treat yourself, or just to come in
from the cold and feast your eyes for a few moments during the holiday season.
If something does catch your eye, don't forget we are now signed up to the
Arts Council's Own Art scheme. You can buy an original piece of art from £100
to £2000 and spread the payment over 10 months completely interest-free
(Typical 0% APR). Please ask at the gallery for details.
CONGRATULATIONS TO LEE AND HELEN
Regular visitors to Staithes and Staithes Gallery, Lee Holmes and Helen Fisher are to be married on 25th April 2009. We would like to wish them every happiness. They are both big fans of our artist Rob Shaw and on their engagement picked out this lovely painting "Yellow Nab" for their home. The painting is currently being kept for them at the gallery. Friends and family who would like to buy them a gift (they already have a toaster!) are asked to make a donation to help them buy the painting. Please contact Al at the gallery for details of how you can do this. We will keep a record of all donations and ensure this is passed to Lee and Helen. Friends and family who wish to see the painting itself are most welcome. Ask at the gallery during opening hours or ring for an appointment
OWN ART: Available from 19th November 2008
We are delighted to announce that we are now signed up to the Arts Council's Own Art scheme. This enables art lovers to buy art with ten months' credit completely interest free (Typical 0% APR). It's a great scheme. The client gets the artwork to place in his or her home. The artist gets money to pay the bills and invest in more materials. The gallery gets the commission we need to keep the lights on. The Arts Council make it all possible. We hope that this will help our clients to own great art without breaking the bank. Please ask at the gallery for details.
STAITHES ART SCHOOL 2009: Exciting
news!
Staithes Art School is going from strength to strength. 2008 saw lots of delighted painters, and a fair sprinkling of happy non-painting partners, leaving Staithes on a Sunday evening, having spent a wonderful weekend painting with excellent tutors and in very good sociable company, clutching a batch of paintings they never imagined they would be able to do. Many are determined to return in 2009 and if they do they are in for a treat. David Curtis ROI RSMA has agreed to tutor a weekend for us in May (Watercolours and Oils). This will be a rare opportunity for fans of his paintings, his films and his books to learn from him in person in one of his favourite painting locations. We also welcome another well-known author of books for aspiring artists, Paul Talbot-Greaves, who will tutor a weekend on Watercolour painting in June. Back by popular demand are David Allen RSMA, who will tutor on Working with Pastels in early July; Robert Brindley RSMA, who has kindly agreed to do two weekends, in late July and again in September, on Watercolours and Oils; and Bruce Mulcahy RSMA, who can't resist the autumn light in October (just before the clocks go back) for his ever-popular Opaque Materials weekend. See the Staithes Art School page for further details, or contact Al at the gallery.
GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER by Ian Burke:
25th October - 30th November 2008
Wicked and playful, full of colour and fresh salty seaside wit, Ian Burke's paintings are rather like the Punch and Judy shows he depicts in this new Art Show opening at Staithes Gallery on Saturday 25th October 2008.
In Ian's view the show is a celebration of his own "getting away with it" by making his living as an artist and a teacher, both of which give him immense pleasure, instead of the drudgery of a dreary nine to five job. The show is dedicated to his late mother, Mrs Audrey Elizabeth Burke of Redcar - a thank you for her insistence on his continuing in education at the age of 16.
Ian is a maverick painter and printmaker, still fascinated by many of the
subjects that have enthralled him since his Redcar childhood: the seaside
with its piers and entertainments; beaches, boats and tractors; the fishing
industry; lobsters; huts and sheds; the detritus that gets washed up on shore.
He depicts the coast without sentiment or nostalgia. Like Mr Punch himself,
his strong, bright images shout at the viewer. His subjects and their treatment
can shock and disturb us. But the mischievous wit, the painterly confidence
and sheer bare faced cheek ensure he gets away with it.
GUARDIAN JOURNALISTS RAVE OVER STAITHES (12th and 13th September 2008)
Two journalists from The Guardian stayed at the Laura
Knight Studio Cottage
while debating the relative merits of Lancashire and Yorkshire. The
resulting articles were highly entertaining, with Staithes being held in
high esteem. Read the reviews below...
SEA FEVER by Sue Nichol: 13th September
- 19th October 2008
"I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the seagulls crying."
from Sea Fever by John Masefield (1878 - 1967)
After spending a month by the sea in Cornwall during the summer, in addition to her many visits to Staithes throughout the year, Sue has built a body of work which reflects her fascination with the sea and in September we are delighted to be able to put up a one woman show of Sue's most recent work. Dark skies with a hint of hope as a tiny patch of blue peers through clearing clouds above the angry sea; rain coming at you across the waves from the horizon; boats huddled for shelter in the harbour; or sunlight shimmering on the waves as a flock of gulls take flight: these are Sue's subjects, captured in the highly textured acylic paintings we have come to know and love. This year there are some surprises too. She has been experimenting with new media, most notably oils. Fans of her work will be able to see how the medium gives her a new way to depict her treasured subjects.
Devastating News: Ruby Garland Milnes (15.3.91 - 8.5.08) RIP
Life
changed for ever at Staithes Gallery on 8th May 2008 when our beautiful daughter
Ruby was killed by a lorry which crossed the off-road cycle path she used
every day to travel between our home in York and York College. Clients and
artists may remember her, dressed in her unique and individual style, helping
out at openings by serving refreshments. Needless to say our family is devastated
and we all miss her terribly.
We were absent from Staithes and the gallery for most of the summer with our
other children, trying to rebuild our shattered family. This was what we most
needed to do and was made possible by the kind help and support of our friends
in Staithes and elsewhere. Special thanks are due to Pete, who came up from
London to take over the day to day running of the gallery, ably assisted by
Kiki. Between them they also helped run the Staithes Art School painting weekends
in the summer. Artist Rob Shaw put down his brush to help out as well and
Rob's parents, Cyril and Beryl, also came to the rescue. We cannot thank them
enough, or indeed any of the hundreds of people who gave so freely of their
time to provide us with practical help and messages of sympathy and support.
These carried us, and they continue to do so, through the darkest times we
ever imagined. We will always be grateful.
New Lifeboat Show: 21st March - 6th April 2008
This
year's Lifeboat Show in aid of Staithes and Runswick RNLI looks set to be
better than ever. Many favourites from previous years will be returning as
well as some exciting artists new to Staithes Gallery. They are all frantically
busy putting the finishing touches to stunning new work - like this delightful
gouache "Punch and Judy" by Sue Atkinson. It all goes up on the
21st March so make it a day out during the Easter break. We will be opening
the upstairs gallery once again to provide a relaxing space where you can
sit down and enjoy the art in comfort. We hope to see you there.
Exciting New Programme for Staithes Art School 2008
We
have six fantastic new painting weekends planned for 2008, one each month
from May to October.
In May the brilliant pastellist David
Allen RSMA will tutor in Working with Pastels.
In June and September the ever popular Sue
Ford returns to teach Watercolours, Line and Wash and Pastels.
July brings Robert Brindley
RSMA, renowned for
his own wonderful landscapes, to pass on some of his secrets for painting
in both Watercolour and Oil.
In August the inimitable Ian Burke
kindly breaks his vacation from the chalk face at Eton College to tutor in
Drawing to Printmaking.
The wonderful autumn light of October in Staithes has tempted back Bruce
Mulcahy (now also RSMA) to tutor in Opaque Materials.
Have a look at the Staithes Art School
pages and check them out.
Photography Weekends at Staithes Gallery
Yorkshire landscape photographer, author and tutor John Potter is to hold
two photography weekends at Staithes Art School for small groups wishing to
develop their skills amidst the inspiring environment of Staithes. Please
see his website for details and booking:
http://www.jpotter-landscape-photographer.com/news_events.php
A Sideways View by Baz Ward
An
astonishing show of eye-catching new paintings by York artist Baz Ward: 3rd
November - 15th December 2007 .
The village of Staithes has been painted and photographed over the years by hundreds of artists…but never quite like this.
Baz Ward, known to the region's art lovers for his hyper-real cityscapes of his native York, casts a fresh eye over the village and finds a rare beauty in its forgotten corners. He scrutinises the familiar and every day from surprising angles, revealing startling patterns and forms in sights that all too often escape our notice.
"I'm interested in finding surreal and abstract forms in familiar things," says Baz. "A sphinx-like profile on a rock face, for example, or Mondrian squares on a rendered wall."
This exhibition celebrates the inspiring village and coastline of Staithes
from unexpected perspectives that confound, dazzle and amaze.
SHELTER by Robert Shaw
Exhibition of Paintings 3rd August - 14th September 2007
Storms
and floods are nothing new to Staithes and fears of coastal erosion are the
stuff of local lore (a mermaid's curse!). For generations the people of this
tiny settlement have stood up to the assaults of Time and Tide the only way
they can - by holding fast.
Artist Robert Shaw moved to the clifftop
village of Boulby overlooking Staithes in his late teens. He was captivated
by the huddles of cottages clinging to the very edges of the land and resisting
all that the North Sea could hurl at them. He began to depict what he saw
in dreamy impressionistic images that quickly found an enthusiastic market
among villagers and visitors alike.
He never stopped painting and Staithes continued to inspire him, despite moving
away and pursuing a successful career in building design. Now he returns,
a confident professional artist, with a breathtaking series of new paintings
that depict the storm-battered cottages clinging to the crumbling cliffs with
more poetry and colour than ever. But the new work also draws on his architectural
background to celebrate the construction of these hardy dwellings and the
beauty held so delicately within the balance, precarious as always, between
their vulnerability and their resilience.
Glut by Ian Burke: 3rd June - 26th July 2007
Painter
and printmaker Ian Burke's solo show
opens on 3rd June. There will be tractors and cobles, fishermen and fish,
lads and sheds, breakfasts and lobsters galore. If you've never seen Ian's
vibrant paintings and distinctive linocut prints prepare to be amazed. There
are surprises too for old friends already familiar with Ian's work. New themes
are subjected to the scrutiny of his brush and press: bright pink hunting
jackets all but blot out familiar Yorkshire moor-land landscapes; a cluttered
Welsh dresser tantalisingly reveals the eccentricities of its owner. There
are plenty of lobsters on the menu still but they are served alongside suckling
pigs and the most hugely satsifying of English breakfasts. An exhibition to
relish!
30th Mar - 15th Apr 2007
ART EXHIBITION in aid of Staithes and Runswick RNLI Lifeboat Station:
Thanks
to everyone who supported our Lifeboat Show. Sales of paintings, catalogues
and raffle tickets have so far raised a staggering £4361 for the RNLI
Train One Save Many campaign. Raffle tickets are still on sale in the gallery.
(Don't miss out on a chance to win the fabulous prize.) Thanks to all the
artists who produced such a wonderful variety of superb quality artwork and
to villagers and visitors who came along. A special thank you to the people
who gave up their time to keep upstairs gallery open. This was a great success
and we couldn't have done it without you!
Raffle in aid of RNLI: 1st Prize "Staithes Dreaming" by Robert Shaw
Robert
Shaw has kindly donated this stunning artwork "Staithes Dreaming"
as first prize in our raffle for the RNLI Staithes and Runswick Lifeboat Station.
The second prize will be a beautiful new lino-cut print by Ian Burke. Third
prize will be a copy of the catalogue for the 2007 RNLI Show signed by all
the artists.
Tickets go on sale at the Easter RNLI Exhibition and until the draw during
Staithes Lifeboat Weekend in August 2007.
Reviews and media coverage of Staithes Gallery
The Guardian (Film and Music)
12th September 2008
The Guardian (Travel) 13th September
2008
Whitby Gazette 12th June
2007
Yorkshire Post 21st
April 2007
Whitby Gazette 23rd
March 2007
Evening Gazette
16th Feb 2007 - Cover and feature
Whitby Gazette 21st November
2006
Yorkshire Journal July 2006
- Feature
Whitby Gazette 21st
April 2006
Yorkshire Post
15th April 2006 - Cover, Page2,
Page3, Page4.
Links
Staithes Town
Esk Valley
Holiday
Cottages
Staithes Fishing Boat
What's On Guide to Yorkshire and Humber