They say the early bird catches the worm;- or in this case the cheetah. No sooner had the first e-invitation for “Primary Palette” pinged in people’s in-boxes, than the phone rang with an enquiry. This adorable cheetah cub was hung in the gallery on Saturday; the interested party arranged a private visit on…
Fire, fire, burning bright; In the forests of the night What immortal hand or eye; Could frame thy fearful symmetry? With apologies to William Blake, this poem sprang to mind as 5,500 hectares of nature reserve burnt in the Cape fires a fortnight ago, when I was out on my annual sourcing trip. The evening of Sunday…
It is a privilege to have access to the inner sanctum of an artist’s studio. The strong smell of oil paint and turps is usually common to all, but what differs is the state of organisation – or in some cases – lack of it! Nadia Kisseleva is a very organised artist. I have never…
Given the relatively mild weather of late, we have had a chance to get out in the garden at Fillingdon Farm and spruce up things ahead of spring and our gallery opening. It is always satisfactory to cut back dead foliage and clear the beds of last year’s withered growth as the new shoots push…
“Primary Palette” – Finished an exhibition of paintings by Jill Annfield, Emily Kirby, Nadia Kisseleva, Jane Digby, Sharleen Boaden and Derric van Rensburg; as well as a new collection of monochromatic drawings by Arthur Azevedo, and bronze bird sculptures by Leoni Needham and Sue Maclaurin Saturday 11th – Saturday 25th April 2015 daily 10am –…
In the main this winter has been mild. And dry too so far, especially in contrast to the appalling floods of last year. But we did get a sprinkling of snow a few weeks ago, which, to an African native like myself, still brings little surge of guilty pleasure. I know it can make life…
The star of this show was the building itself. As one visitor to the recent Oxford International Art Fair put it; “you don’t need the art!” Lovers of minimalism would gag at the ornamentation, but whatever your personal taste you’ve got to love the exuberance of the Victorians who threw everything at this building –…
It was a fellow artist who first suggested in 2009 that I look at Jane Digby’s work. Always curious, my interest was further piqued by sharing the same surname. And the other artist was right – it was indeed worth looking. I contacted Jane right away and told her I was shortly due to be…
There was a definite buzz in the air at the gallery on Saturday. We had in the last of our guest Artists in Residence for a Day and, appropriate for the time of year, it was the turn of silver jeweller, Sue Chadwick. Previous purchasers and fans of her work came to meet her and…
Many people have a tree or shrub planted in their memory. Unusually, Mary Stewart planted her own before she died. One of a pair of sycamores grown from seed by Mary and her husband Grant, they planted the two trees in our field when we first bought Fillingdon Farm in the winter of 1992, before…