As you know, our Gardens and Beyond - The Artists’ Viewpoint exhibition is coming soon. You will be able to see it in person from 2 to 8 July, here at Yardley Artists. But before then, we thought we’d give you a sneaky preview of some of the work on display and tell you a little bit about the artists taking part.

A gloriously colourful 7-day exhibition of nature and plant life seen through the eyes of many local artists. This exciting and dynamic show aims to illustrate the many ways in which nature and botanical matter can be seen and expressed in art.

Nicky Hunter, local artist and Yardley Arts’ tutor hosting regular watercolour workshops, will have her artworks on display in a prestigious Norfolk Gallery in January 2022. Four small watercolours and one large ‘showstopper’ mountain scape painting have been selected for the ‘Harmonies’ exhibition at The Gallery Holt.

We reported some time ago that one of our tutors at Yardley Arts, Clare Abbatt had been shortlisted in a prestigious sculpture competition to produce a statue in honour of Emily Williamson, the inspirational founder of the RSPB. Well now it is the final voting round. Watch her video and then cast your vote ASAP!

Irina weaves her art pieces from pure wool in its natural shades or hand-dyed wool in vibrant colours. Drawing inspiration from nature’s beautiful colours, patterns and shapes, Irina endeavours to create unique pieces of decorative art such as rugs, wall decorations and more wearable pieces like purses and bags. No two pieces are identical, although themes may flow from one piece to another.

Born in Northamptonshire in the 1970s, Minnie Teckman was always interested in painting and drawing. She recalls being absorbed in programmes such as ‘Painting with Nancy’, ‘Take Heart’ and ‘A Country Diary as An Edwardian Lady’ as a child.

Northamptonshire-based artist, Marlene Snee says her inspiration comes from her love of nature, the local countryside and some of the places she has visited around the world. She has been drawing and painting ever since she can remember and, over the years, has received a lot of encouragement by some wonderful tutors who’ve helped her progress in her artwork.

We’ve a wide range of media on display at Yardley Arts, as part of this October’s South Northants Art Trail. Here are some works by two more of the artists you will meet, Simon Tipping and Juliet Brown, when you come along to the exhibition between Saturday 2 and Sunday 10 October (excluding Monday 4 October).

As promised, here are two more of the artists, Sally Pennycate and John Wannop, who are taking part in the South Northants Art Trail at Yardley Arts next month. Sally is a Northamptonshire artist with links to the Norfolk coastline and Norfolk Broads. While John works lumps of wood, which are found, paid for or freely given. The wood provides the inspiration for its final shape, colour, and interpretation.

In the run up to next month’s South Northants Art Trail, we thought we would introduce you to some of the artists taking part at Yardley Arts, starting with Chris Richbell. Chris paints mainly in watercolour or acrylic, and sometimes with mixed media and oils. She prefers to paint outside whatever the weather, which brings a whole new meaning to watercolour.

There’s over 50 artists taking part in this year’s South Northants Arts Trail next month, with venues all over the South of the county reaching across to Yardley Arts in Yardley Hastings. Here, there’ll be at least eight or nine local artists exhibiting, ready to talk about their work and practice, with some demonstrations going on too.

Clare, a well known Northants sculptor and also a popular tutor at the Yardley Arts community arts centre, is taking part in the national competition for a statue to honour the legacy of Emily Williamson, the inspirational founder of the RSPB. Of all the sculptors entering, Clare is one of just four shortlisted in this prestigious public competition.

This article is in Nicky’s own words: There is an air of optimism that we are turning a corner and I can soon look forward to sharing my new skills and knowledge from my latest art training when we open our doors again to students at Yardley Arts in May.

In accordance with the UK Government's road map out of lockdown, we hope to reopen from Tuesday 18 May. Take a look at our course schedule, which is being continually revised, as you can make bookings now.

At Yardley Arts, we’re delighted to be taking part in the Yardley Hastings village Advent Calendar Reveal. This year, we have two very talented artists to thank for our wonderful displays: Susie Love and Jane Roberts. We think they’ve done an amazing job. If you’re passing, do stop and take a closer look!

Following the Government’s announcement of a second national lockdown, Yardley Arts will unfortunately be closed from 5 November until 2 December. With such uncertainty about the short term future, we will reopen for selected courses from 3 December, 2020.

Together, we have been working throughout lockdown reconfiguring our courses to ensure the safety of all concerned without compromising on quality.

As government restrictions are easing, we are making preparations to re-open our site in September. We can’t wait to welcome back returning and new creative learning students, under the guidance of our team and artist tutors.

It’s been a while since we announced the postponement of our workshops and courses due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but that doesn’t mean nothing has been happening at Yardley Arts.

With a heavy heart, we have taken the decision to close Yardley Arts until further notice. Like our peer organisations, our aim is to ensure the health and wellbeing of our Friends, visitors and staff - as well as the general public - during this unprecedented time.

Yardley Arts was proud to host the first art exhibition by Jason, a resident at Oakfield Community, a residential home for adults with learning difficulties.

The Graduate Art Fair brings twenty new and emerging artists to Yardley Arts in Yardley Hastings with a stunning contemporary show opening at 12 noon on Saturday 23 November. Art lovers and collectors in the region will find over 50 unique and original works on sale at prices ranging from £50 for a limited edition print up to £2,000 for a wall hugging large-scale canvas original.

Over 150 children and adults took part in the Big Draw Festival at Yardley Arts this October. Billed as the world’s biggest celebration of drawing, it encourages everyone to take part and embrace drawing in sessions offered for free.

The Big Draw Festival is the world’s biggest celebration of drawing and it takes place across the globe every year from 1-31 October. We’ve chosen half term week (Monday 28 October to Friday 1 November) for our free workshops running from 10am to 12noon, everyday.

Yardley Arts welcomed over 600 visitors to its exhibition, whose theme was gardens and landscapes and featured the work by seven artists: Charlotte Cornish, Claire Denny, Nicky Hunter, Johan, Gerald Porter, Chris Richbell and Anna Steiner.

As the first Summer Exhibition at Yardley Arts draws ever closer, we thought you might like a preview of some of the artworks you will see if you come along. The theme for this year is ‘Garden and Landscapes’. There will be many more artworks from each artist and those represented by Primrose Gallery in Thrapston, so don’t miss out on this inaugural event.

Charlotte has always found inspiration from the places she’s visited and the artworks in her brand new collection for 2019 is no exception. Gathering inspiration from the landscapes of her beloved Marrakesh, her wonderful abstract prints are a mixture of elements from the seen world and her own emotional responses and experience.