Artists
Julie Allen | Anne Aspinall | Ruth Davenport | Ian Jarman
Jan Lewis-Eccleston | Stephen Player | Jane Timberlake | Helen Wright
Julie Allen Gallery 
Paintings of hares and birds in rich jewel-like colours, layered and interwoven with the expressive marks that are fundamental to my work. I try to capture the feeling or emotion of a particular place or time. I have been strongly influenced by the colours and patterns of Indian textiles and Persian miniature paintings.
Anne Aspinall Gallery
Born 1949. Trained at Manchester College of Art & Design. Anne’s richly coloured paintings are inspired by travels in Morocco where the bright colours of the souks and the heavily patterned fretwork and tiles made a lasting impression. Her subjects range from harbours to townscapes and still life. The paintings begin with the monoprint process. Layers of transparent inks are applied to a perspex plate and manipulated using brushes and rags. The resulting unique image is transferred to paper by the use of an etching press and then worked with oil pastels, ink and oil paint into the finished mixed media painting.
Ruth Davenport Gallery
Ruth Davenport studied painting and ceramics at Bradford College of Art. Living in Skipton and then in Macclesfield, she fell in love with the Pennine landscape.
Co-founder of the Longden group in 1980, she worked there until 2003. These recent pictures were made during a period spent in East Yorkshire.
Ian Jarman Gallery
I produce cityscapes, nightscenes, landscapes and seascapes in mixed media, oils and watercolour. Most of the cityscapes are of Manchester, a city I have known all my life. The landscapes are often inspired by visits to Scotland. My aim is always to convey atmosphere created by light and changing weather.
Jan Lewis-Eccleston Gallery
My work is figurative, using hand-building techniques, exploring texture, colour and form, and deriving its impetus from diverse natural and manmade stimuli. These range from mediæval images and architectural details through references to literature and folk tales. Current work follows two distinct directions, one of which explores the endless possibilities of porcelain paper-clay, which facilitates intricate detail and gives a wonderful clarity of texture. The second explores the excitement of raku, smoke-firing and terrasigillata, exploiting the unpredictability of the firing effects and tactile qualities of the burnished surfaces. I am happy to work to commission.
Stephen Player Gallery
Much of my work concerns the landscape of the Peak District, I am fascinated by the way it is affected by the elements and try to capture the raw feel of being out in the rain and windswept hills. I also love drawing and carry a sketchbook with me everywhere. This is always the starting point for my work. I use acrylics, watercolours, pastels and anything I can lay my hands on, I enjoy working with any materials.
Jane Timberlake Gallery
Graduated in 1985 from Leicester Polytechnic in 3D Design, Ceramics and Glass.
I have always loved life drawing; the fantastic shapes and curves of the human body; simple forms and words like voluptuous, curvaceous and tactile. So it is from this simple concept my work is produced, often organically, working instinctively with the clay. Each piece is hand made using coils of clay merged together. Work is then bisque fired before smoke firing. This is an ancient practice, which is great fun, especially for pyromaniacs! I’ve been using a metal dustbin with sawdust and straw. Unusual smoke patterns make each piece individually and uniquely decorated. Oxides and other materials can also be used to effect colour. As these pieces are low fired they are non functional and decorative only.
Helen Wright Gallery
My work is always concerned with animals and humans. As well as the larger terrier dogs which I am best known for, I have always been fascinated by the relationship between humans and animals and have tried to fuse the two, in addition to exploring themes from mythology, folklore and the Bible. I mix my own paper clay for my large pieces and sometimes use porcelain paper flax for smaller work. I use a mixture of velvet underglazes and oxides to colour my work, which gives me reliability and control of palette. The use of paper clay has allowed my work to develop giving internal strength and forgiving my quick working. Commissions undertaken.
