Tag: Pyramid Gallery York

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More Things To Do in York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 50, from The York Press

Follow the Yellow Brick Road at Christmas at Castle Howard: The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz

FROM The Wizard Of Oz wonderland at Castle Howard to daytime dancing at York Barbican, Gothic tales to Dickensian ghost stories, ’tis the season to be out and about, reports Charles Hutchinson.

Christmas transformation of the week: The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, Castle Howard, near York, until January 4 2026

CASTLE Howard becomes an immersive Christmas experience, dressed in set pieces, decorations, floristry, projections, lighting and sound for The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, set to delight tens of thousands of visitors over seven weeks.

Created by CLW Event Design, headed up by Charlotte Lloyd Webber and Adrian Lillie, the show-stopping Emerald City High Street in the Long Gallery is the highlight of this winter’s transformation, with life-size fabricated shop fronts inspired by York’s Shambles, while the 28ft Christmas tree sparkles in the Great Hall. Leeds theatre company Imitating The Dog has provided the projections and soundscapes. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.

Day Fever co-founders Jonny Owen and Vicky McClure: Bringing the fun of daytime dancing to York Barbican on Saturday

Dance party of the week: Day Fever, York Barbican, Saturday, 3pm to 8pm

LAUNCHED in early 2024 by Trigger Point actress Vicky McClure, filmmaker and broadcaster Jonny Owen, Reverend & The Makers frontman Jon McClure (no relation), brother Chris McClure and Sheffield businessman James O’Hara, Day Fever has fast become a cultural sensation, built on people craving a space to let loose, laugh and dance, all before 8pm.

“It feels like a massive house party at your nan’s,” says Vicky. “No drama, no egos, just people acting daft, getting dressed up and having the best time.” No dress code, no pressure, only wall-to-wall feel-good tunes and an open invitation to dance like nobody’s watching. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

The Primitives: Playing The Crescent tonight

Indie gig of the week: The Primitives, The Crescent, York, Saturday, 7.30pm

COVENTRY band The Primitives emerged from the UK independent music scene in 1984 with a sound that distilled the shimmering guitar chime of The Byrds, the buzzsaw style of The Ramones and Sixties’ girl group melodies into quickfire pop gems. After debut album Lovely, breakthrough single Crash and further albums Pure and Galore, they split in 1992, only to re-form in 2009.

This year, Elefant Records released the double vinyl collection Let’s Go Round Again – Second Wave Singles & Rarities 2011-2025, adding new material to A sides, B sides and more besides from the past 14 years. Tonight they head to York with a line-up featuring original members Tracy Tracy, vocals, Paul Court guitar/vocals, and Tig Williams, drums. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.

Musical of the week: NE Theatre York in Roald Dahl’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Saturday and Sunday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm; November 25 to 28, 7.30pm; November 29, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

DIRECTED by Steve Tearle, this musical will take you to a world of pure imagination in Roald Dahl’s devilishly delicious tale of young golden ticket winner Charlie Bucket entering the scrumptious chocolate factory. There, he and his grandpa Joe, along with five more children, will meet the mysterious confectionary wizard Willy Wonka for an adventure like no other.

“The story of chocolate is at the very heart and history of this amazing city and it is only fitting that NE Theatre York brings Charlie And The Chocolate Factory to York,” says Steve. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Mohammed Moussa: Headlining Say Owt’s bill on Sunday at The Crescent

Poetry gig of the week: Say Owt presents Mohammed Moussa, The Crescent, York, Sunday, midday

YORK spoken-word collective Say Owt welcomes Gaza Poets Society founder, Palestinian poet and podcaster Mohammad Moussa to The Crescent. Now living in Turkey, he writes with urgency, humour and hope, seeking to build connections across borders.

Supporting Mohammed on Sunday’s bill of shared personal stories will be York-based poets Nadira Alom and Minal Sukumar. Nadira writes about mental health and her experiences as a woman and a Muslim; Minal is a writer, performance poet and doctoral researcher at the Centre for Women’s Studies, University of York. Box office: thcrescentyork.com.

James Swanton: Returning to York Medical Society with a brace of Charles Dickens’ ghost stories

Storyteller of the week: James Swanton presents Charles Dickens’ Ghost Stories, York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, November 24 to 30, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 7pm; Sunday, 2pm and 6pm

YORK storyteller supreme and Gothic actor James Swanton returns to York Medical Society with two of Dickens’ seasonal ghost stories: A Christmas Carol, the famous saga of Scrooge (November 25 and 28, 7pm, and November 30, 2pm and 6pm), and The Haunted Man, a neglected Gothic classic (November 24 and 27, 7pm).

“Their words unlock a world teeming with chain-rattling spectres, with dark and shadowy doubles, with Ghosts of Christmases Past and Present and Yet To Come,” he says. “These tales chill the marrow and tickle the funny bone, but always they enchant, as only the works of a master storyteller can.” Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Meanwhile, Robert Lloyd Parry’s performance of three M R James ghost stories, Not Truly Dead, at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, on November 23 (7.30pm) has sold out.

O’Hooley & Tidow: Playing NCEM

Folk gig of the week: O’Hooley & Tidow, So Long For Now, National Centre for Early Music, York, November 26, 7.30pm

AFTER 15 years of performing together, eight studio albums, four BBC Folk Award nominations, composing Gentleman Jack as the BBC/HBO drama theme tune and gigs at hundreds of UK and European venues and festivals, Yorkshire folk duo Belinda O’Hooley & Heidi Tidow have made the momentous decision to say farewell for now to explore other adventures.

To help their loving and loyal audiences process this news, they are embarking on one last tour of all their favourite venues from over the years, taking in the NCEM next Wednesday. Tickets update: Sold out. For returns only, ring 01904 658338.

Ross Noble: Geordie surrealist tapping into his Cranium Of Curiosities at the Grand Opera House, York

Comedy gig of the week: Ross Noble, Cranium Of Curiosities, Grand Opera House, York, November 26, 8pm

THE Wizard of Waffle, the Rambler Royale, the Noodlers’ Noodler is touring a tornado of tangents. “What the show will be about is anybody’s guess, but that’s all part of the fun when you look inside my Cranium of Curiosities,” says Newcastle-upon-Tyne stand-up comedian and actor Ross Noble, who cut his comedy teeth in York as the bygone Comedy Shack’s master of ceremonies at The Bonding Warehouse. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Rebecca Vaughan: Telling haunting tales of the festive season in Dafyd Productions’ Christmas Gothic at Theatre@41, Monkgate

Frailties of human nature of the week: Dafyd Productions in Christmas Gothic, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 27, 7.30pm

REGULAR York frequenters Dafyd Productions return with Christmas Gothic, an invitation to come in from the cold and enter into the Christmas spirit as a dark and spectral woman (Rebecca Vaughan) tells haunting tales of the festive season, lighting a candle to the frailties of human nature and illuminating the chilling depths of the bleak, wintry dark. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 49, from Gazette & Herald, 19/11/2025 onwards

Adrian Lillie and Charlotte Lloyd Webber, of CWL Design, standing by the 28ftChristmas tree in the Great Hall at Castle Howard, where their Wonderful Wizard Of Oz immersive experience enchants until January 4. Picture: Tom Arber

SNOW storms with clowns, Castle Howard’s immersive Wonderful Wizard Of Oz and Count Arthur Strong and Adam Z Robinson’s solo takes on A Christmas Carol put the ‘yes’ into November for Charles Hutchinson.

Christmas transformation of the week: The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, Castle Howard, near York, until January 4

CASTLE Howard becomes an immersive Christmas experience, dressed in set pieces, decorations, floristry, projections, lighting and sound for The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, set to delight tens of thousands of visitors over a seven-week period.

Created by CLW Event Design, headed up by Charlotte Lloyd Webber and Adrian Lillie, the show-stopping Emerald City High Street in the Long Gallery is a highlight of this winter’s transformation, with life-size fabricated shop fronts inspired by York’s Shambles, while the 28ft Christmas tree sparkles in the Great Hall. Leeds theatre company Imitating The Dog has provided the projections and soundscapes. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.  

Slava’s SnowShow: Arrival in York coincides with forecasts of snow across the North

Weather forecast of the week: Slava’s SnowShow, Grand Opera House, York, 7.30pm, today to Saturday; 2.30pm, tomorrow and Saturday; Sunday, 2pm and 6pm

ENTER an absurd and surrealistic world of “fools on the loose” in Slava Polunin’s  work of clown art, wherein each scene paints a picture: an unlikely shark swimming in a misty sea; clowns and the audience tangled up in a gigantic spider’s web; heart-breaking goodbyes with a coat rack on a railway platform, and audience members being hypnotised by giant balloons. The finale is an “out-of-this-world snowstorm”. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Kerry Godliman: Welcome to the life of a middle-aged woman who has outsourced her memory to her phone in Bandwidth. Picture: Aemen Sukka, of Jiksaw

Straight-talker of the week: Kerry Godliman: Bandwidth, York Theatre Royal, tonight, 7.30pm

WHILE parenting teenagers, bogged down with knicker admin and considering dealing HRT on the black market, Kerry Godliman can’t remember what was in her lost mum bag after outsourcing her memory to her phone. Welcome to the life of a middle-aged woman who lacks the bandwidth ​for any of this.

Godliman, comedian, actor, writer, podcaster and broadcaster, from Afterlife, Taskmaster and Trigger Point, builds her new stand-up show on straight-talking charm and quick wit. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

York artist Lesley Birch at work in her studio for her Flower Power exhibition at Pyramid Gallery, York. Picture: Esme Mai Photography

Blooms of the week: Lesley Birch: Flower Power and Jacqui Atkin: Ceramics, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, until mid-January 2026, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm  

LESLEY Birch is showing 22 paintings from her Flower Power series in an exhibition that coincides with the publication of her small artbook of the same title by independent York publisher Overt Books, also featuring Esme Mai’s photographs of Lesley’s home studio and the York artist’s free-verse musings. On show too are Pottery Showdown potter Jacqui Atkin’s ceramics.

Dickens of a good show: Count Arthur Strong Is Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol, York Barbican, tomorrow, 8pm; Whitby Pavilion Theatre, November 23, 7.30pm; Scarborough Spa Theatre, November 27, 8pm  

IN response to public pressure, doyen of light entertainment and raconteur Count Arthur Strong is extending his fond farewell with new dates aplenty for his one-man interpretation of A Christmas Carol, performing his own festive adaptation in the guise of literary great and travelling showman performer Charles Dickens. Box office: York, yorkbarbican.co.uk; Whitby, whitbypavilion.co.uk; Scarborough, scarboroughspa.co.uk.

Gerard Hobson: Cut out for three days of Christmas art

Christmas exhibition of the week: Gerard Hobson, 51, Water Lane, Clifton, York, Friday and Saturday, 10am to 4pm; Sunday, 12 noon to 4pm

YORK printmaker Geard Hobson’s artwork comprises hand-coloured, limited-edition linocut prints and cut-outs focused on nature and wildlife, inspired by the countryside around where he lives in York.

As well as prints and bird, animal, tree and mushroom cut-outs, he creates anything from cards, mugs, cushions and coasters to chopping boards, lampshades, tea towels, notepads and wrapping paper. This week’s festive exhibition focuses on Christmas gifts, cards, prints and cut-outs.

Mexborough poet Ian Parks holding a copy of his new book The Sons Of Darkness And The Sons Of Light. The Basement at City Screen Picturehouse awaits on Friday

Word-and-song gathering of the week: Navigators Art presents An Evening with Ian Parks and Friends, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, Friday, 7.30pm

YORK arts collective Navigators Art plays host to An Evening with Ian Parks and Friends, where Parks reads from his new collection, The Sons Of Darkness And The Sons Of Light, and will be in conversation with Crooked Spire Press publisher Tim Fellows.

Joining Parks will be award-winning York novelist and poet Janet Dean, poet and critic Matthew Paul and singer-songwriter Jane Stockdale, from York alt-folk trio White Sail. Tickets: £5 in advance at bit.ly/nav-events or £8 on the door from 7pm.

Rant: Scottish quartet of fiddle players heads for Helmsley Arts Centre

Fiddlers of the week: Rant, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm

SCOTTISH chamber-folk fiddlers Rant return to the road after releasing third album Spin last year, featuring their ambitious, bold and reflective reinterpretation of influential tracks by bands and players from across the globe from their formative years.

In the line-up are Bethany Reid, from Shetland, Anna Massie and Lauren MacColl from the Highland peninsula of the Black Isle, and Gillian Frame, from Arran, whose live set reflects years of honing their sound together and their love for the music of each home region through their writing, repertoire and stories. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Adam Z Robinson: Playing Scrooge and 27 more characters in A Christmas Carol at Helmsley Arts Centre

Ryedale solo show of the week: The Book of Darkness & Light Theatre Company in A Christmas Carol, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm

MARLEY was dead.. to begin with. So starts The Book of Darkness & Light Theatre Company’s ghostly staging of Charles Dickens’s festive tale, performed by Adam Z Robinson, whose solo adaptation “teases out the gothic aspects” and requires him to play 28 characters.

Join miserly misery Ebenezer Scrooge on a supernatural journey into the past, present and yet-to-come. The chilly atmosphere of Victorian London is brought to life and the spirits of Christmas return from the dead, all through the spellbinding art of storytelling that combines gripping narration with eerie recorded voices and an immersive soundscape. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Becky, left, and Rachel Unthank: Playing All Saints Church, Pocklington, this weekend

Recommended but sold out already: The Unthanks At 20, All Saints Church, Pocklington, Saturday, 7.30pm

POCKLINGTON’S Hurricane Promotions bring North Eastern folk band The Unthanks to All Saints Church as part of their 20th anniversary scaled-back, intimate series of shows in support of “today’s best small venues”.

 The Unthanks play Pocklington fresh from singing sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank and pianist Adrian McNally being part of the cast of eight for the October 22 to November 2 theatre piece for Bradford UK City of Culture 2025, creating and performing the music for Javaad Alipoor’s staging of York author Fiona Mozley’s Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, Elmet.

The show poster for The Sounds Of Simon at the Kirk Theatre, Pickering

Tribute show of the week: The Sounds Of Simon, The Music of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, Old Friends, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Saturday, 7.30pm

THE Sounds Of Simon, the UK’s longest-running tribute to Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, takes a musical journey from their years as Simon and Garfunkel to the successes of their solo careers, as they explore the friendship that led to songs such as Mrs Robinson, The Sound Of Silence and Bridge Over Troubled Water,   onwards to You Can Call Me Al, Graceland and Garfunkel’s Bright Eyes.

The show incorporates elements of the duo’s famously fractious relationship, as well as replicating their beautiful harmonies, complemented by video clips, stories and memories from more than 50 years. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond when a snowstorm spells theatrical joy. Hutch’s List No. 49, from The York Press

Slava’s SnowShow: Bringing joy to children and drawing out the inner child in adults at Grand Opera House, York

SNOW storms and Count Arthur Strong’s Scrooge; dancing full of Momentum and Jon Ronson’s latest psychopath tests put the ‘yes’ into November for Charles Hutchinson.

Weather forecast of the week: Slava’s SnowShow, Grand Opera House, York, November 19 to 23, 7.30pm, Wednesday to Saturday; 2.30pm, Thursday and Saturday; Sunday, 2pm and 6pm

ENTER an absurd and surrealistic world of “fools on the loose” in Slava Polunin’s  work of clown art, wherein each scene paints a picture: an unlikely shark swimming in a misty sea; clowns and the audience tangled up in a gigantic spider’s web; heart-breaking goodbyes with a coat rack on a railway platform, and audience members being hypnotised by giant balloons. The finale is an “out-of-this-world snowstorm”. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

London City Ballet in Alexei Ratmansky’s Pictures At An Exhibition at York Theatre Royal

Dance show of the week: London City Ballet: Momentum, York Theatre Royal, today, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

LONDON City Ballet, former resident company of Sadler’s Wells, returns to York Theatre Royal with Momentum, a new repertoire that showcases artists and works rarely seen in the UK.

Here come George Balanchine’s Haieff Divertimento; New York City Ballets artist-in-residence Alexei Ratmansky’s Pictures At An Exhibition; Liam Scarlett’s Consolations & Liebestraum and Paris Opera Ballet premier danseur and emerging choreographer Florent Melac’s new work. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Jason Manford’s show poster for A Manford All Seasons, returning to York Theatre Royal this weekend

Comedy gig of the week: Jason Manford in A Manford All Seasons, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm

SALFORD comedian, writer, actor, singer and radio and television presenter Jason Manford makes his second York in his 2025 stand-up show. He cites Billy Connolly as his first inspiration and he cherishes such family-friendly entertainers as Eric Morecambe, Tommy Cooper and Les Dawson. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Pictish Trail: Expect psychedelic goo at Rise@Bluebird Bakery on Monday

Rising to the occasion: Blair Dunlop, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, tonight, 7.30pm; Pictish Trail, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, November 17, 7pm

CHESTERFIELD folk musician, singer, songwriter, storyteller and actor Blair Dunlop performs traditional and contemporary songs from his five albums, released between 2012 and 2024, this weekend.

Known for his wildly inventive electro-acoustic pysch-pop, crafted on the Isle of Eigg in the Scottish Hebrides, Pictish Trail, alias Johnny Lynch, has completed work on his new album, a sticky, shimmering swirl of sound and slime. To celebrate, he previews songs at Monday’s intimate show, performing in raw, exploratory mode, armed with acoustic guitar, sampler and his warped imagination. Expect tenderness, weirdness and generous dollops of goo. Box office: bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise. 

Chris Wood: Seeking the truth in song at the NCEM

Folk gig of the week: Chris Wood, National Centre for Early Music, York, Sunday, 6.30pm 

REFLECTIONS on minor league football, empty nest syndrome, learning to swim and the Gecko as a metaphor for contemporary society add up to a typically wise and soulful Chris Wood set. Tom Robinson and Squeeze’s Chris Difford are fans, while The Unthanks look to him as an influence, and he has played with the Royal Shakespeare Company and in The Imagined Village project with Billy Bragg and Eliza Carthy.

In a world of soundbites and distractions, six-time BBC Folk Awards winner Wood is a truth seeker, whose uplifting and challenging writing is permeated with love and wry intelligence as he celebrates “the sheer one-thing-after-anotherness of life”. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

King For A Day: Paying tribute to Nat King Cole at York Theatre Royal

Nostalgia of  the week: King For A Day: The Nat King Cole Story, York Theatre Royal, November 17, 7.30pm

VOCALIST Atila and world-class musicians take a fresh, thoughtful and entertaining look at the life and work of Alabama pianist, singer and actor Nat King Cole, whose jazz and pop vocal styling in songs such as Nature Boy, Unforgettable and When I Fall In Love define a golden era of 20th century American music.

Cole’s most celebrated songs and stylish re-workings of his lesser-known gems are complemented by projections of rare archive images and footage, weaved together by narration. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Kerry Godliman: Welcome to the life of a middle-aged woman who has outsourced her memory to her phone in Bandwidth. Picture: Aemen Sukka, of Jiksaw

Straight talker of the week: Kerry Godliman: Bandwidth, York Theatre Royal, November 19, 7.30pm

WHILE parenting teenagers, bogged down with knicker admin and considering dealing HRT on the black market, Kerry Godliman can’t remember what was in her lost mum bag after outsourcing her memory to her phone. Welcome to the life of a middle-aged woman who lacks the bandwidth ​for any of this.

Godliman, comedian, actor, writer, podcaster and broadcaster, from Afterlife, Taskmaster and Trigger Point, builds her new stand-up show on straight-talking charm and quick wit. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Jon Ronson: Hosting Psychopath Night at York Barbican, where he will welcome questions from the audience

Mind-bending insights of the week: Jon Ronson: Psychopath Night, York Barbican, November 18, 7.30pm

WHAT happens when a psychopath is in power? Could you learn to spot a psychopath? Are you working for a psychopath? Is there a little bit of psychopath in all of us? Sixteen years since journalist, filmmaker and author Jon Ronson embarked on The Psychopath Test, he reopens the case.

Expect exclusive anecdotes and fresh reflections in Ronson’s exploration of madness and the elusive psychopathic mind, re-booted with mystery special guests whose tales were not in the original book. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Recommended but sold out already at York Barbican: Adam Ant  in Ant Music, November 19, doors 7pm.

Count Arthur Strong: Telling Ebenezer Scrooge’s tale in Charles Dickens guise at York Barbican

Dickens of a good show: Count Arthur Strong Is Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol, York Barbican, November 20, 8pm; Whitby Pavilion Theatre, November 23, 7.30pm; Scarborough Spa Theatre, November 27, 8pm  

IN response to public pressure, doyen of light entertainment and raconteur Count Arthur Strong is extending his fond farewell with new dates aplenty for his one-man interpretation of A Christmas Carol, performing his own festive adaptation in the guise of literary great and travelling showman performer Charles Dickens. Box office: York, yorkbarbican.co.uk; Whitby, whitbypavilion.co.uk; Scarborough, scarboroughspa.co.uk.

Pianist Robert Gammon

Dementia Friendly Tea Concert: Maria Marshall, Jill Shepherd and Robert Gammon, St Chad’s Church, Campleshon Road, York, November 20, 2.30pm

IN a change to the advertised programme, unfortunately Billy Marshall is unable to play, prompting cellist Maria Marshall and flautist Jill Shepherd to agree at short notice to join pianist Robert Gammon for Thursday’s concert. Plans are afoot for Billy to play next year instead.

The programme includes music by Mozart, Elgar’s Salut d’Amour, the charming Liebesleid by Fritz Kreisler, an attractive Berceuse by Edward German and a lovely baroque trio sonata by Boismortier. As usual, 45 minutes of music will be followed by tea, coffee and homemade cakes in the church hall. Seating is unreserved and there is no charge although donations are welcome.

Mexborough poet Ian Parks holding a copy of his new book The Sons Of Darkness And The Sons Of Light

Word-and-song gathering of the week: Navigators Art presents An Evening with Ian Parks and Friends, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, November 21, 7.30pm

YORK arts collective Navigators Art plays host to An Evening with Ian Parks and Friends, where Parks reads from his new collection, The Sons Of Darkness And The Sons Of Light, and will be in conversation with Crooked Spire Press publisher Tim Fellows.

Joining Parks will be award-winning York novelist and poet Janet Dean, poet and critic Matthew Paul and singer-songwriter Jane Stockdale, from York alt-folk trio White Sail. Tickets: £5 in advance at bit.ly/nav-events or £8 on the door from 7pm.

In Focus: Lesley Birch: Flower Power and Jacqui Atkin: Ceramics, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, until mid-January 2026, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm  

Lesley Birch at her Flower Power exhibition opening with Pyramid Gallery owner and curator Terry Brett

YORK artist Lesley Birch is showing 22 paintings from her Flower Power series in an exhibition at Pyramid Gallery that coincides with the blooming of her small art book of the same title.

The book is published by Overt Books, the independent York publisher set up by York Creatives creator Ben Porter.

“I’ve always meant to publish an art book and never quite got around to it, but with Ben’s help, I was able to pull together this small volume,” says Lesley. “There are beautiful photographs of my home studio from Esme Mai Photography, more photos by Eloise Ross, and some of my free verse musings to accompany photographs of the paintings.

Lesley Birch in her studio. Picture: Esme Mai Photography

“There are only 50 copies available at this time. I’m thrilled to say that there is a foreword from my generous PICA Studios studio mate Mark Hearld

Lesley is sharing space at Pyramid Gallery with ceramicist Jacqui Atkin, who works with The Pottery Showdown programme. “I love the combination of my flower paintings with Jacqui’s ceramics,” she says.  “They sit beautifully together and it was lovely to hear her details about making these exquisite pieces.”

Lesley’s Flower Power paintings were painted in response to abundant summer blooms in her garden and from Shambles Market in York.

Lesley Birch’s book cover for Flower Power

Sunflowers, from Lesley Birch’s Sunflower series

“I’m often keen on certain pots and vases too and I like to set up lots of bouquets here and there, playing with colour, texture and shape,” she says.

“I find myself immersed in a world of pure discovery and concentration.  These works I’ve been developing for the past ten months and they’re now finally ready to go out on show.”

The Flower Power book is priced at £12 plus £3 postage and packaging. Contact Lesley via lesleybirch@icloud.com for a copy.

Lesley Birch with summer blooms in her garden

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‘No more war,’ pleads York obituary cartoonist Bertt deBaldock as he launches Good Rabbits Gone 4 book at Golden Ball

Good Rabbits Gone 4’s final catwalk for fashion designer Mary Quant, by Bertt deBaldock

TERRY Brett will launch the fourth volume of his cartoon rabbit tributes to celebrities and remarkable individuals at a charity event at the Golden Ball pub, in Cromwell Road, Bishophill Senior, York, on October 15.

Publishing costs are met by Terry’s gallery, Pyramid Gallery, in Stonegate, enabling copies to be given away from there, but “if they enjoy the book”, voluntary donations are encouraged in aid of St Leonard’s Hospice, York, in memory of Terry’s father, who died of prostate cancer.

The same applies at next Wednesday’s 4pm to 7pm event, where Terry/artist alter ego Bertt deBaldock will sign copies. Donations can be made to https://www.justgiving.com/page/terry-brett-8.

Terry Brett/Bertt deBaldock holds a copy of Good Rabbits Gone 4, No More War!, plus drawings of John Lennon and Amy Winehouse that will be for sale at the Golden Ball book launch, along with 15 other original works (£20 each, unframed, for this size)

The 104-page fourth compendium of death notices, entitled Good Rabbits Gone 4, No More War! covers the fallen from the spring of 2023 to the demise of  2024, with Mary Quant, Norman Ackroyd, Hairy Bikers’ Dave Myers, Melanie Safka, Shane MacGowan and Terry’s fellow cartoonist Bill Tidy among his favourite portraits this time.

Entertainers Barry Humphries, Paul O’Grady, Mike Yarwood and Len Goodman feature too. So do writers Benjamin Zephaniah, Martin Amis and Fay Weldon. Actors Dame Maggie Smith, Glenda Jackson and Bernard Hill. Musicians Burt Bacharach, Sinead O’Connor, David Crosby, Jeff Beck and Tina Turner. Footballers Bobby Charlton and Pele. Politicians Jimmy Carter and John Prescott. Artist Frank Auerbach. Even the Slender Billed Curlew, the first mainland bird to become extinct in West Asia, Europe and Northern Africa.

The cartoon drawings by “the Scribbler” Bertt deBaldock, the nom d’art of gallery owner, colour-blind artist, ukulele player and long-ago chartered surveyor Terry are each drawn in response to an individual’s death and then assembled in a book with Terry’s own witty tributes or poignant memories of the person.

Terry Brett/Bertt deBaldock’s first Good Rabbit Gone, David Bowie, January 10 2026

Why use rabbits, Terry? “It started from my two daughters wanting a pet to replace our cat, back in 1995. I became carer for their pet rabbit and drew the cartoon, which then appeared on a Christmas card every year,” he says.

“Upset when David Bowie died in January 2016, I drew the rabbit shape with an Aladdin Sane-style red-and-blue lightning flash. Then Terry Wogan with a ‘Pudsey Bear ‘ bandage. Eventually I had so many scribbles that I put them in a book.

“Though a better answer is: the rabbit is the most peaceful and least destructive creature on the planet, yet also, potentially, one of the most successful. I like it that individuals, when they die, are reduced back to a persona that is not powerful, not celebrated and not destructive. It’s a leveller.”

The Scribbler’s call for No More War! on the inside sleeve of Good Rabbits Gone 4 

Terry introduces the latest volume with the sentiment “The world has gone bonkers”, then adds: “While scribbling this collection of remarkable individuals as rabbits, there has been war in Ukraine; the Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s retaliatory destruction of Gaza; the Iranian regime has been cruel to Iranian women; Houthis have been bombed by the USA for sinking ships in the Gulf and China are poised to attack Taiwan. Hence the tag line is the cry ‘NO MORE WAR!’.”

Expanding on this thought, Terry says: “It seems to me that the disparity between rich and poor has become wider, nationally and individually. But the rich no longer have all the power and developing nations or marginalised groups are finding ways to steal something back from the powerful nations.

“Leaders of all nations seem to be prepared to risk everything in order to strengthen their own position, even though this will destroy the very thing that has allowed them to have such power.

Good Rabbits Gone 4 raises a last glass to Shane MacGowan, by Bertt de Baldock 

“I do not know what to make of it. It’s nothing new, but we can all see what is happening, thanks to technology!   It just needs one person to make them (leaders of the big nations) and us all see sense: someone like Ghandi or Mother Theresa, or Mikhail Gorbachev – he could sort it.”

Summarising what qualities make someone quality to be a Good Rabbit Gone, Terry suggests: “Some of these ‘rabbits’ have been exceptional at one thing, either through talent or endeavour, and have become famous. But I’m really more interested in the effect that those individuals have had on others. I think ‘good’ means that the person has followed a path which has made a positive impact on others, or on the wider world which we need to conserve.”

Last month at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, Alan Ayckbourn introduced his new play Earth Angel with this thought: “We have to remember there are still good things floating about in the world today, though it’s often hard to see them. But the good is still there if we look for it.”

Russell Richardson’s Gerald Mallett, left, and Iskandar Eaton’s Daniel in the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough premiere of Alan Ayckbourn’s Earth Angel: “The good is still there if we look for it,” says Sir Alan. Picture: Tony Bartholomew

Asked to refract that philanthropic philosophy through the ethos of Good Rabbits Gone, Terry says: “I am constantly looking for those good things when researching the life stories of the deceased. And there are many good stories to tell.

“Fame or power is not enough for me, I need to find some evidence that the individual has either focused on some endeavour or creative expression, or has acted for the benefit of other people or the environment. If I cannot find some form of selfless intention in their character, then I lose interest.”

Terry highlights the “interesting story” of  Camilla Batmanghelidjh (who died on January 1 2024). “She got into trouble with the media over poor book-keeping and alleged misuse of charity funds. The Kids Company, which had helped thousands of children, was forced to shut down due to false allegations that were dismissed in the high court,” he recalls.

Good Rabbits Gone 4’s exit stage left to Dame Maggie Smith

“But from what I can read about her, she was very successful at assisting 36,000 marginalised children. She is said to have helped 96 per cent of them to return to full-time education and had a massive impact with respect to reduction of crime.

“There are many really good people in the world, devoting their lives to helping others, and their stories need to be celebrated.”

 How would Terry define ‘good’ in 2025? “It’s a bit of a woolly word!” he says. “Some people in this world are so selfishly focused on their ambition, power or money, that they will never be ‘good’ in my eyes. I think ‘good’ means to have acted with the intention of making an improvement to the lives of others, or to the state of the world itself.”

Good Rabbits Gone 4’s hair-flapping farewell to footballer Sir Bobby Charlton, by Bertt deBaldock

One more question…

How long does it take to construct each Rabbit obituary?

“I would say about a day of thinking, three hours’ reading and between 30 minutes and four hours drawing,” says Terry.

Oh, and one more thing…

How does Good Rabbits Gone 4 differ from past Good Rabbits Gone?

“I spent more time on this volume,” says Terry. “I have become fussier about the look of the scribbles and about who goes in. It’s maybe more serious, which sounds ridiculous when I say it!”

Good Rabbits Gone 4’s painterly dark goodnight to School of London artist Frank Auerbach, by Bertt deBaldock

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26 Contemporary Glass Society makers draw inspiration from Vivaldi for The Four Seasons exhibition at Pyramid Gallery

The poster for The Four Seasons, the Contemporary Glass Society’s exhibition at Pyramid Gallery, York

THE Four Seasons – A Celebration of Contemporary Glass Art Inspired by Vivaldi opens at Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, on Saturday.

On show until November 1, this autumn’s vibrant celebration of glass and the seasons is presented in partnership with the Contemporary Glass Society (CGS),  bringing together the work of 26 glass artists from across Great Britain, each exploring the enduring beauty and drama of Vivaldi’s iconic concertos, 300 years after they were first composed.

“This inspiring showcase offers a unique opportunity to experience the changing moods and colours of the seasons through the expressive possibilities of contemporary glass,” says gallery owner and curator Terry Brett.

“Using an array of traditional and modern techniques – from glassblowing, kiln forming and fusing, to mosaic, stained glass, casting and pâte de verre – the exhibition demonstrates the incredible diversity and innovation within today’s glass-making community.

“Whether you’re an art collector, a lover of glass, or simply intrigued by how sound and seasonality can inspire visual art, The Four Seasons promises to be a rich and resonant experience.”

To mark the launch of The Four Seasons, a free artist talk will be held on Friday from 4pm to 5pm at The Belfry Hall, Stonegate, where four of the exhibiting artists, Priya Laxmi, Helen Bower, Suzie Smith and Dr Helen Slater Stokes, will discuss their creative processes and seasonal inspirations. To book a ticket, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1594594056749?aff=oddtdtcreator.

Before the talk, guests are invited to preview the exhibition from 2:30pm, with drinks and nibbles provided.

In addition, a private view will take place at Pyramid Gallery on Saturday from 11am to 3pm, offering buyers and collectors the first opportunity to purchase works from the exhibition. Drinks and nibbles will be provided.

“The Contemporary Glass Society is delighted to return to the Pyramid Gallery for an exhibition this year,” says chair Sarah Brown. “I’m so pleased that we can bring a variety of work from some of our members to York.

“Sharing a snapshot of the breadth of creativity within glass making to the general public and providing platforms for makers to sell their work is a key part of our mission in supporting makers at all stages of their careers and promoting glass as a creative material and preserving the history of working in glass.”

Glass makers featured in The Four Seasons will be: Ali Robertson, Alison Vincent, Caroline Reed, Cathryn Shilling, Deborah Timperley, Elizabeth Sinkova, Frans Wesselman, Gail Turbutt, Helen Bower, Helen Restorick, Dr Helen Slater Stokes, Janette Garthwaite, Jane Yarnell, Kate Pasvol, Kerry Roffe, Layne Rowe, Lydia Swann, Nour El Huda Awad, Pamela Fyvie, Pascale Penfold, Priya Laxmi, Rosie Deegan, Stephanie Else, Suzie Smith, Valerie Bernardini and Wendy Newhoffer.

The Four Seasons, A Celebration of Contemporary Glass Art Inspired by Vivaldi, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, September 6 to November 1. Opening hours:  Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.

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More Things To Do in York beyond as the Vikings reveal power-base life skills. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 31, from The York Press

Dr Adam Parker, curator of archaeology at York Museums Trust, holding the Thor’s Hammer Pendant at the Viking North exhibition at the Yorkshire Museum, York

VIKING treasures, street art moved indoors, Fringe comedy previews and Ryedale Festival’s classical lustre bring out the summer smiles in Charles Hutchinson.

Museum launch of the week: Viking North, Yorkshire Museum, York

VIKING North is filled with magnificent objects, many unseen for generations and others that have never been on public display, adding up to “the best collection of Viking finds to be shown outside London” as these Viking treasures reveal the North’s power base, wealth and skills.

Telling the story of the Viking Age in the North of England from AD866 to 1066, the exhibition is underpinned by new archaeological research and cutting-edge technology and features objects from Yorkshire Museum’s own collection, the Vale of York hoard, co-owned with the British Museum, and specially loaned national and regional items, including from the Viking Army Camp at Aldwark, North Yorkshire.

Sea, Swell, Scribe: Jo Walton, Ruth King and Nicky Kippax combine in Pyramid Gallery’s exhibition of paintings, pottery and poetry

Exhibition launch of the week: Sea, Swell, Scribe, Jo Walton, Ruth King and Nicky Kippax, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, from today, 11am, to August 31, open 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday

WHAT happens when you let a poet loose in an art gallery with a piece of charcoal? If the juxtaposition of sumptuous curvy and pointy pots against a backdrop of textured metallic atmospheric paintings is inspiring her, then she will scribble words and phrases all over the plinths.

Artist Jo Walton, left, potter Ruth King and poet Nicky Kippax

York artist Jo Walton, from Rogues Atelier, potter Ruth King, from the Craft Potters Association, and poet Nicky Kippax, from Bluebird Bakery, combine in a show planned and organised by Pyramid  gallery manager Fiona Macfarlane and curated by Walton. Kippax has written Eksphratic verse in response to the paintings and pots.

Here is one of Nicky Kippax’s poems form the exhibition, The First:

The first
creature to climb
from the sea had the logger
head of a turtle and nothing more
yet to unfold to body but unbeaten
in its lug to land, brow thrust against
the fret and neck amok. Look now –
as the suggestion of an arm
is beginning to break
free of itself.

Street artist Al Murphy in his Naughty Corner at VandalFest at 2, Low Ousegate, York

Street art takeover of the summer: Vandals At Work present VandalFest, today and tomorrow, July 18 to 20 and July 25 to 27, 11am to 6pm

VANDALS At Work reunite with youth homelessness charity Safe and Sound Homes (SASH) for VandalFest, the immersive street art takeover of a disused office block at 2 Low Ousegate, York, with a 2025 theme of the playful, cheeky, witty and mischievous.

The stripped-out interior provides four floors of blank canvas for bold, site-specific “intervention” that cover walls, floors and ceilings, complemented by live DJ sets.  Among more than 30 artists from the UK and beyond are Bristol graffiti pioneer Inkie, subversive stencilist Dotmasters, inflatable prankster Filthy Luker, master of optical illusions Chu, rooftop renegade Rowdy and York’s own Sharon McDonagh, Lincoln Lightfoot and Boxxhead. Entry is free, with a suggested £3 donation to SASH. Visitors can support the cause by buying limited-edition artworks and merchandise.

Ryedale Festival artist in residence and soprano Claire Booth

Festival of the week; Ryedale Festival 2025, until July 27

THIS North Yorkshire festival of delights will be led off by 2025’s artists in residence, saxophonist Jess Gillam, soprano Claire Booth and viola player Timothy Ridout, along with Quatuor Mosaiques, VOCES8 and composer Eric Whitacre.

Pianists Sir Stephen Hough and Dame Imogen Cooper, organist Thomas Trotter, Arcangelo, York countertenor Iestyn Davies and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s festival debut are further highlights. Jazz, folk and literature weave into the programme too: reeds player Pete Long and vocalist Sara Oschlag salute Duke Ellington; Barnsley’s Kate Rusby showcases her new album, When They All Looked Up, and Dame Harriet Walter channels Jane Austen’s wit in Pride And Prejudice. Full details and tickets at: ryedalefestival.com. Box office: 01751 475777.

McFly: Heading to the Scarborough seaside today

Coastal gig of the week: McFly, TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, today; gates open at 6pm

MCFLY’S Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd head to the Yorkshire coast to perform 5 Colours In Her Hair, Obviously, All About You, You’ve Got A Friend, I’ll Be OK, Star Girl, Don’t Stop Me Now, Obviously et al. Twin Atlantic and Devon complete the bill. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Josie Long: Opening Theatre@41’s week of Edinburgh Fringe previews and comedy nights. Picture: Matt Crockett

Comedy event of the week: Halfway To Edinburgh, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, July 13 to 19

A WEEK of Edinburgh Fringe previews and comedy nights takes over Theatre@41, Monkgate, kicking off with comedian, writer, podcaster and filmmaker Josie Long’s Work In Progress on July 13 at 2pm, followed by two Mark Watson selections, Sam Nicoresti and Lulu Popplewell’s Fresh For The Fringe double bill at 7.30pm.

Molly McGuinness and Phil Ellis are in preview mode on July 14 (8pm); Nina Gilligan discusses memory loss, health anxiety and goldfish-related trauma in Goldfish on July 16 (8pm), and Hayley Ellis navigates middle age in Silly Mare (Work in Progress) on July 17 (8pm). Susan Riddell and Kate Dolan, on July 18 (7.30pm), and Barmby Moor surrealist Rob Auton and Chloe Petts, on July 19 (7.30pm), round off the festival previews. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Phil Grainger, left, and Alexander Flanagan Wright. Picture; Charlotte Graham


News just in: Wright & Grainger in The Gods The Gods The Gods, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, July 15, 7.30pm

IN a very late addition to Theatre@41’s packed programme for next week, Easingwold duo Wright & Grainger return their Edinburgh Fringe gig theatre hit The Gods The Gods The Gods to North Yorkshire soil for one night only.

Combining 12 tracks, four stories, three performers and one exhilarating experience, Alexander Flanagan Wright and Phil Grainger mix big beats, heavy basslines, soaring melodies and heart-stopping spoken word into a show that has headlined festivals and sold out venues from Wānaka Festival of Colour in New Zealand to the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, India, to Stillington Mill. Please note: this event is standing room only; chairs will be available for those unable to stand. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Georgi Mottram: Classical BRIT Award nominee performing at Voices United concert in aid of St Leonard’s Hospice

Charity event of the week: Ian Stroughair presents Voices United: Rubies For Our Angel, Grand Opera House, York, July 18, 7.30pm

YORK cabaret artiste and West End musical actor Ian Stroughair co-hosts this fundraiser to mark St Leonard’s Hospice’s 40th anniversary with radio presenters Joanita Musisi and Laura Castle, introducing a night of musical theatre and rock and pop classics.

On the bill will be Stroughair in Velma Celli drag diva regalia; York singer Jessica Steel and guitarist Stuart Allan; York musical theatre actress Joanne Theaker; retro party band Jonny And The Dunebugs; The Voice UK 2024 semi-finalist Lois Morgan Gay and West End classical singer Georgi Mottram. Box office: https://shorturl.at/G3qhV or atgtickets.com/york.

Dance is SO embracing: Dancefloor double act Anton & Giovanni reunite for Together Again at York Barbican

Dance show of the week: Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice in Together Again, York Barbican, July 18, 7.30pm

STRICTLY Come Dancing alumni Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice promise “more fun, more dance, more song and even more entertainment than ever before” in the terpsichorean double act’s new show Together Again, full of breathtaking routines, stunning choreography and a seamless blend of Ballroom, Latin and musical theatre. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Ancient Hostility: Harmony singing and drones at YO Underground 4 in The Basement

Navigators Art presents YO Underground 4, The Basement, City Screen, York, July 18, 7.30pm to 10.30pm

YORK arts collective Navigators Art plays host to a night of live, local and left-field folk song, electronica and film at The Basement. On the adventurous bill of York and regional acts will be: Andrew Metheven’s lo-fi folk music from the hills and the concrete; Ancient Hostility’s harmony singing and drones from members of Dawn Ray’d and All In Vain, and transdisciplinary artist Hannah-May Batley’s traveller ballads, storytelling, writing, performance and pigments.

Participating too will be: Mark Hanslip, who has a “PhD in shoving saxophones through computers” (possibly not literally); Namke Communications’ electronics and echoes, and multidisciplinary artist Things Found And Made, rummaging in zines, films, music, storytelling, pop-culture, esoterica and folklore. Box office: bit.ly/nav-events

The Wedding Present’s David Gedge, right, walking in Leeds with Reception writer-director Matt Aston

Gig announcement of the week: An Evening of Conversation and Music with David Gedge from The Wedding Present, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, July 20, 8pm, doors 7pm

DAVID Gedge, long-time leader of The Wedding Present, discusses his “semi-legendary” Leeds indie band’s 40-year-career and his life in the music industry, in conversation with Amanda Cook. York writer/director Matt Aston join him too on the eve of rehearsals for Reception – The Wedding Present Musical, ahead of its premiere at Slung Low, The Warehouse, Holbeck, Leeds, from August 22 to September 6.  

Next Sunday’s event concludes with Gedge’s 20-minute acoustic set drawn from The Wedding Present’s cornucopia of arch, romantic yet perennially disappointed songs of love, life’s high hopes and woes, chance and no chance. Box office: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-with-david-gedge-from-the-wedding-present-tickets-1472506409309?aff=oddtdtcreator.

Listen to David Gedge discuss 40 years Of The Wedding Present, the Reception musical and his Rise@Bluebird Bakery show with Two Big Egos In A Small Car podcasters Charles Hutchinson and Graham Chalmers at:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1187561/episodes/17507606-episode-233-interview-special-with-david-gedge-from-the-wedding-present

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Why Christmas is a ‘strange time’ for Pyramid Gallery owner Terry Brett. But good news, the work is ‘astonishing’

Gallery owner Terry Brett holding an artwork by Alan Stokes, part of the Deck The Halls 30th anniversary Christmas exhibition at Pyramid Gallery, York

CHRISTMAS may be a time of joy and festivities, but for Terry Brett, curator and owner of Pyramid Gallery in, Stonegate, York, the season is a “strange time”.

“We prepare for it throughout the year from March,” he writes in his latest blog. “By the time we eventually get to the first week of December I am totally washed out by the whole thing.”

Terry goes on to outline the challenges of mounting Pyramid’s 30th anniversary Christmas exhibition, Deck The Halls, featuring minimalist lithographs by Alan Stones, from Cumbria; metal boxes by Marcus Steel, from the North York Moors; hares and foxes by Blandine Anderson, from Bude; ceramics by Craig Underhill, from St Ives, and  paintings by Frans Wesselman, from Worcester.

On show too is glass sculpture by David Reekie, from Dickleburgh, Norfolk; ceramics by Ben Arnup, from York; prints by Mychael Barratt, from London, and portrait art by John Wheeler, from Middlesbrough.

Those challenges vary from a lorry hitting the National Trust-owned building on Monday, to the impact of the York Christmas Market, to the vagaries of the artists who exhibit at Pyramid.

Ceramicist Ben Arnup in his York studio

The lorry first. “I came in at 9.30am to see a large gouge in the render under the overhanging bay and Sarah sweeping the pavement,” writes Terry. “The lorry had mounted the pavement in an attempt to get past a van that was parked opposite our building.

“For me, it was a complete waste of half a day, with more time wasted on Tuesday and probably for the next two months.

“The landlord is the National Trust and they are responsible for the structure, but I need to talk to them about it and provide photographs and videos etc, so that they can assess the damage and make a claim from the truck company’s insurance. They have sent two people to inspect. They are very good, but it all takes time!”

Next, York Christmas Market. “I would like to say that the Christmas Market benefits York, but I have nothing but negative thoughts about it,” writes Terry. “Saturdays are ruined. Except for Saturday 7 December, when York was blasted by Storm Darragh. Thank you Storm Darragh for closing down York Christmas Market.

“The closure for one day was announced on the media and in Pyramid Gallery we had our best trading day since the day we sold a large Paul Smith bronze fox in February 2024. For me this just proves my worst fears about having a Christmas Market in York.”

Windswept Oak, lithograph, by Alan Stokes

Terry continues: “It used to be a nice event – a single weekend when everyone dressed up for the Victorian Christmas Fair. Now it is just a calamity with people coming in droves and queuing for sausages or mulled wine, then realising that they need a toilet, so they now have to queue for a cafe (because there are not enough public toilets in York).

“My customers prefer not to come into the city centre on a Saturday afternoon. It’s a disaster. Except when there is a storm – Storm Darragh I Love You! P.S. Sundays are much more pleasant in the city centre and Pyramid will be open between 11am and 5pm this Sunday.”

Thirdly, the artists and makers.  “We know certain things will sell well, but we always want to offer something fresh,” writes Terry. “It’s very difficult to know what will work, so we tend to ask too many makers for too many things – and if everything arrives, it is a logistical nightmare!

“The artists may or may not be able to get the work to us in time – for various reasons (e.g. equipment failures, health issues, family issues, production issues due to trying something new), so again we tend to ask for work from more makers than we really need.”

Certain things could be sold over and over again, if Terry were able to acquire them. “Here is an example: Gin Durham,” he writes. “She lives in High Wycombe and in a studio in her house she produces the most delightful ceramic hares and foxes with highlights to the ears in gold lustre.

Paintings by Frans Wesselman and ceramics by Craig Underhill

“This year she had some health issues and needed to take things easy. She wanted to get work to us, but the task of packing it all up for posting was just too much. When she does send it, there is sometimes a casualty or two and this is a massive ‘downer’ for any artist.

“So, even though we have been talking to her since spring, the work was not going to be arriving. So I said, ‘what if I drive down to High Wycombe? Can I collect?’ And that is how I spent a day last week.”

Terry arose at 6am and arrived back home at 8.30pm, having driven 540 miles. “The hares and foxes have nearly all sold within a week,” he writes. “But this is needing a huge amount of my time…

“Even though I managed to also see the brilliant sculptor Jeremy James in Derbyshire (he let me take away 26 pieces which are now part of the Christmas show) and also Alison Vincent, who makes those astonishing waves and icebergs in glass, when she is not diving with sharks or swimming with Orcas! I absolutely love visiting artists and collecting work, but it takes it out of me and prevents me updating the website.”

Terry, nevertheless, ends on a high note: “The gallery is looking its very best. The work that artists have given us is astonishing and I thank everyone who has said this to me over the last four weeks. Thank you!.”

Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York,  is open every weekday, 10am to 5pm; Saturday, 10am to 5pm; Sunday, 11am to 5pm; Christmas Eve, 10am to 3.30pm or 4pm; closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day; December 27, 11am to 4pm; closed New Year’s Day.

The poster for Deck The Halls at Pyramid Gallery, York
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Last Chance To See: The Wednesday Four at Pyramid Gallery, York, ends Monday

Lindsey Tyson: Switched from textile designer to full-time painter

THE Wednesday Four, a group of four artist friends who gather in Scarborough each week – busy schedules permitting – are exhibiting at Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, until November 11.

Shirley Vauvelle (ceramic sculpture and paintings), Gillian Martin (paintings and prints), Katie Braida (ceramics) and Lindsey Tyson (paintings) have been meeting for three years but have known each other much longer.

“Our aim is to discuss art in progress, offer constructive criticism and encouragement, exchange ideas and generally share art inspiration whilst having a good catch-up,” they say in their artist statement.

“It is a great privilege to be amongst such supportive artist friends. This is the first time the four of us have exhibited together.”

Stones Throw, by Shirley Vauvelle

Shirley has made things since childhood, sewing dolls clothes or making pieces from found natural forms such as sea shells. She has been a designer, educator, gallery owner and, over the past decade, a maker and artist, showing work in galleries around the UUK.

“I feel painting and ceramics overlap in the way I treat the surfaces and that search for depth and a sense of self,” says Shirley. “My practice has tended to produce playful component pieces combined with found materials, assemblages inspired by creatures, birds and plants. It is now developing into larger-scale, semi-abstract, hand-built sculptural ceramic forms and paintings.

Shirley’s art education background and initial design career was in textile/surface decoration, studying at Chester College on a foundation course and Leicester Polytechnic for a BA Hons, graduating in 1987.

Self taught in ceramics, she works from a light-filled studio in her home, situated near the seaside town of Filey and featured in publications.

Fish Cairn, ceramic, by Shirley Vauvelle

“An important part of my surroundings is the coast and my garden, which is continuously being developed and evolving, full of many interesting plants selected for form, texture rather than prettiness, many of them being used within my work,” says Shirley.

“The work has evolved over a long period of time, in the background of my more commercial work. After the experience of lockdown, with more time to experiment and freedom to think about ideas, this has led to hand-built sculptures and assemblages in stoneware clay, with found materials.

“With the luxury of more time to appreciate peace and nature, allowing thinking space to the stages of development, it is very much reflected in how the pieces have evolved.”

The work is now moving forward with more personal expression, still taking inspiration from her surroundings, focusing on shape, form, colour and moods.

The poster for The Wednesday Four’s first group exhibition at Pyramid Gallery, York

“I’m exploring surfaces, playing with found materials, different clays and paint, all with the emphasis on looking at the different relationships of form and shapes,” says Shirley. “I’m also thinking about the wider context of nature on our planet, the strength and fragility of nature.”

Shirley’s art is in private collections in the UK, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and Germany. Her work has been selected regularly to show at Oxford and York Ceramic Fair with the Craft Potters
Association.

In April this year, she was invited to exhibit alongside studio work by John Maltby at the Yew Tree Gallery on the west coast of Cornwall, at Keigwin, between St Ives and St Just. in April. In September, she was selected to show at the 20th anniversary Brighton Art Fair.

Gillian Martin has worked professionally as an illustrator and designer for many years, originally in London while working at the Tate Gallery too. She now lives in Scarborough.

Contemplation, painting, by Gillian Martin

She has collaborated with a wide range of clients, publishers and design agencies, with her work appearing in many publications, on licensed products and also sold as prints.

Clients include Sony, Universal Records, Oxford and Cambridge University Presses, BBC Books, Macmillan and many others.

Alongside her illustrations, Gillian is an abstract artist, taking inspiration from modernism and colour field painting.

 “My illustrations and paintings are primarily rooted in my love of mid-century art and design,” she says. “My paintings focus on the drama between line, shape and colour and aim to create a pleasing balance between these elements.”

Katie Braida: maker of sculptural vessels

She is delighted to have had a painting included in the Ferens Art Gallery 2024 Open Exhibition in Hull.

Katie Braida makes sculptural vessels and forms using a variety of hand-building techniques.  Working with soft clay coils and slabs and allowing the material to move and suggest direction for development, the forms grow during this process.

“Once the forms are refined, the surfaces can be layered with pattern and texture inspired by discovering the rhythms and patterns within the natural and man-made environment,” says Katie.  “The development of texture and pattern helps to create an invitingly tactile surface to the work.”

Having started pottery at school, Katie studied ceramics as part of her degree and became a teacher specialising in ceramics in secondary education. She has taken part in national ceramics fairs and her work features in private collections.

Drifting, oil painting, by Lindsey Tyson

Lindsey Tyson draws inspiration from her upbringing in rural North Yorkshire by the coast, where she developed a deep connection to the dramatic weather and elemental energy of her surroundings.

After more than 30 years as a textile designer, Lindsey has transitioned into a full-time painter. Last year, she won the Women in Art/ Hampstead School of Art Abstract Painting Prize, marking a significant milestone in her burgeoning career.

“Driven by intuition and a desire to create something original, a limited palette guides my work – delighting in muted, unsaturated colours, punctuated by strategic bursts of brightness,” says Lindsey. “Process, mark-making and the mixing of media are essential to my art, where I create numerous layers and seductive surfaces, drawing you in to take a closer look.”

The Wednesday Four, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, until November 11. Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond in the wild, on stage, canvas and dancefloor. Hutch’s List No 20, from Gazette & Herald

What’s All The Fuss About?, Will Palmer’s photo of Arctic walrus Thor on the Scarborough harbour slipway, from the British Wildlife Photography Awards exhibition at Nunnington Hall. Courtesy of National Trust

WILDLIFE photography, Rodgers and Hammerstein romance, a Strictly couple and a Scottish double bill send June into full bloom for Charles Hutchinson.

Ryedale exhibition of the week: British Wildlife Photography Awards, Nunnington Hall, Nunnington, near Helmsley, until July 7

CELEBRATING the diversity of British wildlife and wild spaces, this exhibition aims to raise awareness of British biodiversity, species and habitats. On display are award-winning images selected from 14,000 entries in more than a dozen categories, including film and three for juniors.

Look out for What’s All The Fuss About?, taken by Scarborough photographer Will Palmer, who captured the headline-making Arctic walrus, Thor, when resting ashore on the harbour slipway cobbles on December 31 2022. Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 5pm; last entry at 4.15pm. Tickets: nationaltrust.org.uk/nunnington-hall.

Courtney Broan’s Ado Annie in Pickering Musical Society’s Oklahoma! at the Kirk Theatre, Pickering

American classic of the week: Pickering Musical Society in Oklahoma!, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, running until Saturday, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee

LUKE Arnold directs Pickering Musical Society in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1943 love story of Curly (Marcus Burnside) and Laurie (Rachel Anderson), set in the sweeping landscapes of the American heartland. 

Further roles go to Courtney Broan as Ado Annie, Stephen Temple as Will Parker, Michael O’Brien as Mr Carnes and Rick Switzer-Green as Ali Hakim, joined by dancers from the Sarah Louise Ashworth School of Dance. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.

Nadiya & Kai: Strictly dancers venture Behind The Magic at York Barbican

Dance show of the week: Nadiya & Kai , Behind The Magic, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm

STRICTLY Come Dancing professionals Nadiya Bychkova and Kai  Widdrington go Behind The Magic on a journey through the world of dance, from childhood memories and competition days, to dancing on Strictly and beyond.

The Ukraine-Southampton couple and their cast will be highlighting the influence of 20th century dance legends, creatives and artists alike. Expect “fabulous outfits, wonderful music and sensational dancing”. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Ceramicist Emily Stubbs: Exhibiting with sister Amy and father Christopher in Stubbs3 – Canvas, Clay and Cloth at Pyramid Gallery, York

Family exhibition of the week: Stubbs3 – Canvas, Clay and Cloth, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, June 15 to August 3

FAMILY artistry unites in Stubbs3 – Canvas, Clay and Cloth, a unique exhibition featuring works by sisters Emily Stubbs and Amy Stubbs, regular participants in York Open Studios, alongside their father, Christopher Stubbs, from Hepworth, West Yorkshire.

Their first-ever joint showcase brings together diverse artistic media in a celebration of family creativity. Contemporary ceramicist Emily Stubbs works from PICA Studios, in Grape Lane; Amy specialises in textile and surface pattern design in a range of homeware and wearable art; Christopher will be exhibiting framed paintings and sketches. All three will attend Saturday’s launch in a Meet The Artists session from 12 noon to 2pm.

Amy Stubbs: Homeware and wearable art

Vintage gig of the week: Ben Beattie’s After Midnight Band, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 8pm

BEN Beattie’s After Midnight Band celebrate the greats and the lesser known, from honking jump blues to hypnotic Latin beats, joyous African township sounds to the smoky jazz normally to be found in a Chicago speakeasy at 3am. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Ben Beattie: Heading to Helmsley with the After Midnight Band

Film music of the week: A Tribute To Hans Zimmer and Film Favourites Illuminated, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 3.30pm and 7pm

EXPERIENCE cinema’s most iconic soundtracks performed by the London Film Music Orchestra in an immersive tribute to Hans Zimmer and more besides in an immersive illuminated setting.

The chamber orchestra will be performing music from Harry Potter, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Gladiator, E.T., Pirates Of The Caribbean, Jaws, Interstellar, Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List and Inception. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Simple Minds in Scarborough: Charlie Burchill, left, and Jim Kerr are off to the Yorkshire coast on Tuesday. Picture: Dean Chalkley

Coastal gig of the week: Simple Minds and special guests Del Amitri, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, June 18; gates open at 6pm

SOMEONE somewhere in summertime, namely Simple Minds in Scarborough on Tuesday, finds Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill’s band revisiting such hits as Promised You A Miracle, Glittering Prize, Alive And Kicking, Sanctify Yourself, Don’t You Forget About Me and, aptly for Scarborough, Waterfront.

Opening the Scottish double bill will be fellow Glaswegians Del Amitri, led as ever by Justin Currie. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com/simpleminds.

Wannabe: Spicing up the Grand Opera House, York

York tribute show of the week: Wannabe – The Spice Girls Musical, Grand Opera House, York, June 20, 7.30pm

WANNABE, the “world’s longest-running” Spice Girls tribute stage production, celebrates three decades of girl power in a nostalgic journey through the Spice World.

The show charts the English girl group’s meteoric rise, from July 1996’s debut number one, Wannabe, to Scary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger and Posh’s reunion at the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony. Expect “meticulously crafted costumes, unique vocal and musical arrangements exclusive to Wannabe, iconic dance routines and stunning visual flair”. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Tim Ainslie: Leading his three-piece band in Malton

Blues gig of the month: Ryedale Blues Club, Tim Ainslie and The Vibes, Milton Rooms, Malton, June 27, 8pm

TIM Ainslie and The Vibes head up to Malton from Suffolk for a night of blues, jazz and funk, crossing over into country and rock too, making it hard to pigeonhole his three-piece’s style.

Ainslie, who turned professional in 1997, will be showcasing his original material and guitar-playing prowess that has seen him tour home and abroad with Steamboat To Chicago, Steel Street, Swagger, Groove Doctors, Delta Groove and American guitaristsBuddy WhittingtonandLightnin’ Willie. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

The poster artwork for Rick Witter and Paul Banks’s acoustic Shed Seven gigs at Huntington Working Men’s Club in December

Show announcement of the week: Shed Seven’s Rick Witter and Paul Banks, Huntington Working Men’s Club, York, December 21 and 22

RENASCENT York band Shed Seven will end their 30th anniversary celebrations with a brace of intimate acoustic concerts by frontman Rick Witter and guitarist Paul Banks at Huntington WMC, supported by a DJ set by Sheds’ bassist Tom Gladwin.

Tickets will go on sale at 9am today (12/6/2024) for these homecoming gigs: the York postscript to the Sheds’ 23-date 30th Anniversary Tour, their biggest ever “Shedcember” itinerary from November 14 to December 14. Box office: store.shedseven.com.

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Christopher, Emily and Amy Stubbs exhibit together for first time at Pyramid Gallery

“Coming together now to showcase our work as a family is incredibly special,” says PICA Studios cereamicist Emily Stubbs

FAMILY artistry unites in Stubbs3 – Canvas, Clay and Cloth, a unique exhibition by sisters Emily Stubbs and Amy Stubbs, regular participants in York Open Studios, and their West Yorkshireman father, Christopher Stubbs, at Pyramid Gallery, York, from June 15 to August 3.

All three will attend Saturday’s launch at Terry Brett’s gallery in Stonegate in a Meet The Artists reception from 12 noon to 2pm.

Their first-ever joint showcase brings together diverse artistic media in a celebration of family creativity. Contemporary ceramicist Emily Stubbs works from PICA Studios, in Grape Lane; Amy specialises in textile and surface pattern design in a range of homeware and wearable art; Christopher, from Hepworth, will be exhibiting framed paintings and sketches.

Vessels, by Emily Stubbs, at Pyramid Gallery, York, from Saturday

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see my daughters continuing our family’s creative tradition,” says Christopher. “Exhibiting together is a wonderful experience, and it fills me with pride.”

Emily, who studied ceramics at Cardiff University, creates contemporary ceramic vessels that explore the relationship between colour, form and texture. Her work is characterised by the juxtaposition of contrasting elements, which she achieves through a process of sketching, drawing and collaging.

Emily’s ceramics are exhibited in galleries and events across Great Britain. In her latest exhibition, she will be showing a selection of abstract vessels.

Throughout the years, our work has clearly inspired one another,” says Amy Stubbs

“This exhibition is an exciting milestone for us,” she says. “Growing up immersed in Dad’s artwork profoundly inspired my creative journey. Studying an art foundation degree in Dewsbury, I realised my passion for ceramics.

“Amy, too, pursued her creative calling in textiles. Coming together now to showcase our work as a family is incredibly special.”

Amy, who studied at Falmouth University, combines manual print-making techniques with digital manipulation to create intricate surface patterns. Her work includes lampshades, cushions, silk scarves, other home furnishings and fashion accessories.

Cushions, by Amy Stubbs, on show at Pyramid Gallery from Saturday

Her designs are influenced by nostalgia and family heritage, reflecting a blend of traditional and contemporary style in her homeware and wearable art.

“Throughout the years, our work has clearly inspired one another,” says Amy. “We share a common language of mark-making and shapes, with a vibrant love of colour that resonates across all our pieces.”

Christopher is a seasoned artist with a multifaceted career since leaving school at 15 and working in engineering and textiles before transitioning to psychiatric nursing. He later studied fine art at Huddersfield College of Art, where he was influenced by the great masters and the importance of observation under the tutelage of William Cowper.

“Exhibiting together is a wonderful experience, and it fills me with pride,” says Christopher Stubbs

Further honing his skills in printmaking at Leeds Polytechnic, he drew inspiration from renowned artists such as Henri Matisse, Picasso and Willem de Kooning.

Over his career, Christopher has created works for such clients as J P Morgan, Royal Mail and British Steel and he has been the director of his own design company, alongside wife Joy, for more than 30 years.

Stubbs3 – Canvas, Clay and Cloth, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, June 15 to August 3. Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm; Saturdays, 10am to 5.30pm.

Untitled, by Christopher Stubbs, from Stubbs3 – Canvas, Clay and Cloth
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Terry Brett to raise funds for St Leonard’s Hospice at book event at Pyramid Gallery

Terry Brett at the counter at the Pyramid Gallery

YORK gallery curator Terry Brett will mark the publication of his third volume of cartoon rabbit tributes to celebrities and remarkable individuals at a charity event at Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, on Friday (8/3/2024).

Publishing costs are met by the gallery, enabling copies to be given away from there, but voluntary donations to www.justgiving.com/page/terry-brett will be encouraged in aid of St Leonard’s Hospice, in memory of Terry’s father, who died of prostate cancer.

Terry will be on hand to sign copies from 5.30pm to 7pm outside the gallery, with the books displayed on a table. Inside, visitors can enjoy a glass of wine and buy the original drawings.

Terry Brett puts his stamp on his valedictory to Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II. Cartoon: Bertt deBaldock

The 108-page third compendium of death notices, entitled Good Rabbits Gone Volume Three 4 Equality, spans September 2021 to December 2022 with a fourth volume covering the fallen of 2023 on its way.

Among those featured are Queen Elizabeth II (Delivered: 21 April 1926, Post: 8 September 2022); Leslie Phillips (‘Hello-o-o’: 20 April 1924, ‘Ding Dong!’: 7 November 2022); Terry Hall (Special : 19 March 1959, Much Too Young : 18 December 2022), and Kathleen Booth, British computer scientist and mathematician, (Ticking: 9 July 1922, Ticker stopped: 29 September 2022).

The cartoon drawings by “the Scribbler” Bertt deBaldock, the nom d’art of the Pyramid Gallery owner, colour-blind artist, ukulele player and long-ago chartered surveyor, are each drawn in response to an individual’s death and then assembled in a book with Terry’s own witty tributes or poignant memories.