The Nunnington dragon: “Slithering down the exhibition corridor” at Nunnington Hall
VISITORS to Nunnington Hall, near York, have until September 4 to help to determine the look of the Nunnington dragon as part of a story creation project in Ryedale.
Literacy specialist Rosie Barrett and artist Karen Thompson have been working with school groups and families to retell this folktale.
The story features in the Creatures Of Curiosity project, funded by grants from Arts Council England and Ryedale District Council, to encourage young people to engage with stories rooted in local places.
“There are some fascinating stories from the region, but the dragon has really captured imagination,” says Rosie. “Lots of regions have their own version of a dragon story, but most of us have only really heard of the most famous dragons – those featured in stories such as The Hobbit, for example, or Beowulf.
The Nunnington dragon’s head at the Creatures Of Curiosity exhibition at Nunnington Hall
“The project was a great opportunity to engage Ryedale people with our own dragon and find out a bit more about it.”
Rosie and Karen took their retelling of the story into schools in Ryedale to gauge their responses, inviting children to create their own illustrations and writing. “They had very strong ideas,” says Rosie.
“The original folktale has a devastatingly sad ending. We asked the children about it and how we should tell this element. We thought they’d want a happy ending and were surprised by their stoicism!”
Artist Karen illustrated the dragon based on the children’s ideas and consequently it slithers down the exhibition corridor. “The children helped us to get an idea of what the dragon should look like at the exhibition,” she says. “Based on details in the story, they were quite clear that the dragon should be long and worm-like.”
Scale drawing: Nunnington Hall visitors can add to the design of the dragon’s body and tail
Now Rosie and Karen are inviting more visitors to participate by creating a scale to go on the dragon’s body and tail.
“It’s been fantastic to see the dragon develop over the summer, but we’ve only got until September 4 to get enough scales to finish it,” says Karen. “We’re really hoping it will be complete by the end of the exhibition.”
Other stories featured in the Creatures Of Curiosity exhibition at the National Trust property include moorland myths about “hobs”, the secretive and mischievous creatures believed to have helped around farms and houses on the North York Moors, and an original tale based on the prehistoric creatures whose fossil remains were found at Kirkdale Caves.
Look out too for artwork by children’s author and illustrator Tim Hopgood, who has illustrated the Kirkdale creatures, such as hyenas, lions and long-tusk elephants, once native to the region, and for sensory textile creations by Wanda Szajna-Hopgood, based on Tim’s illustrations, that showcase the story of the Kirkdale Caves. Artwork by schoolchildren is on display too.
A close-up of the Nunnington dragonat Nunnington Hall
Based on a range of real and mythological creatures from the Ryedale area, the exhibition pulls together history, archaeology, science and folklore. The real creatures are themselves in some ways fantastical: creatures that lived there during the Ice Age, including mammoths, hyenas and giant deer.
The exhibition offers the opportunity to explore how local myths were created and how even real stories can take on mythical status.
On August 25 comes the chance to join Dr Liam Herringshaw, from the Fossil Roadshow and Scarborough Museums, to learn about fascinating fossils. Hands-on art and storytelling activities will take place on August 30 from 11am to 3pm.
Find out more at: nationaltrust.org.uk/nunnington-hall/features/exhibitions-at-nunnington-hall.
Ryedale Open Studios founders and directors Kirsty Kirk, left, Layla Khoo and Petra Young. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
ARTISTS across Ryedale are preparing to open their studios to the public on Saturday and Sunday and the following weekend from 10am to 5pm each day.
In the wake of last summer’s first ever Ryedale Open Studios, the sequel will give visitors the chance to explore the variety of creative talents and skills in the district, ranging from painting, printing, drawing and photography to ceramics, textiles, metalwork and willow weaving.
More than 40 artists will be participating in an event organised by Vault Arts Centre, a Community Interest Company founded to develop arts activities and events in the Ryedale area, with financial support from Ryedale District Council.
Ceramicist Iona Stock. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
Its founders and directors are Layla Khoo, Kirsty Kirk and Petra Young. Ceramicist Layla will be taking part in the open weekends; former South London primary school art teacher Kirsty co-founded and ran makers’ markets in East London and now runs a holiday cottage complex near Pickering; Petra is Forestry England’s funding and development manager.
She was instrumental in developing the arts strategy for Dalby Forest, near Pickering, in 2017 and has been working on establishing Dalby as a destination for high-quality arts activities ever since.
Phillip Spurr, director of place and resources for Ryedale District Council, says: “Arts and culture in Ryedale is key to our identity. It nourishes the roots of our communities and helps make the district what it is. I’d encourage residents and visitors alike to attend the Open Studios event to support our arts and culture industry.”
Silversmith and jewellery designer Jen Ricketts. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
To find out more about all 42 artists, head to ryedaleopenstudios.com, where a printable map and handbook can be downloaded.
Taking part will be: Aeva Denham, mixed media; Alex Jones, wildlife oil paintings; Alice O’Neill, papercut and collage; Amanda Pickles, mixed media; Angela Cole, basket designs in willow; Anna Matyus, printmaking; Caleb Matyus, decorative blacksmith works; Carol Messham, garden watercolours and polymer clay pictures, jewellery and mobiles.
Charlotte Elizabeth Lane, large-scale sky and ocean paintings; Charlotte Salt, ceramics and still-life drawings; Christine Hughes, textiles and home interiors; Colin Culley, paintings of natural world; Eleanor Walker, textiles and weaving; Environmental Art, blacksmith sculpture and abstract textiles; Evanna Denham, pencil pieces full of meaning.
Hannah Turlington, mixed media, printmaking and textiles; Harry Oyston, drawings; Heather Niven, painting and ceramic sculpture; Helen Milen, Studio Milena textiles; Iona Stock, functional and sculptural ceramics; Ione Harrison, watercolour and gouache paintings; Janet Poole, plein-air paintings in oil, watercolour and pastel.
Painter and printmaker Meg Ricketts. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
Jayne Hutchinson Raine, drawings, paintings and linocuts; Jen Ricketts, silversmithing and jewellery; Jo Naden, sculptures of myth, legend and culture; Kitty Bellamy, oil paintings and charcoal drawings of animals and people; Layla Khoo, ceramics; Meg Ricketts, collagraph prints, dry-point etchings and lino prints; Millie McCallum, paintings, collages and linocuts; Pamela Thorby, ceramics informed by Ryedale’s beauty.
Patrick Smith, painting and printmaking; Pauline Brown, paintings and drawings of Farndale; Philip Barraclough, art pencil works and watercolours; Rachel Rimell, photography on themes of identity and transition; Robert Broughton, fine art photography inspired by natural world; Ros Walker, functional and sculptural ceramics, jewellery and mixed-media paintings.
Ruth Kneeshaw, needlefelt landscapes and animal sculptures; Sally Tozer, ceramic sculptures; Sarah Cawthray, ceramics celebrating individuality; Susan Walsh, eco-printed textiles and paper; Suzie Devey, printmaking and automata; Tessa Bunney, rural life photography.
Photographer Tessa Bunney
In addition, all but four of the 42 artists are represented by one or two of their pieces in an accompanying exhibition at Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton-le-Hole until September 5. Only Charlotte Elizabeth Lane, Janet Poole, Jen Ricketts and Millie McCallum are absent.
“This is new for this year’s Open Studios and we’re very pleased to be able to show the fabulous talent of Ryedale in one place,” says Petra Young. “We hope this will bring more visitors to Ryedale Folk Museum, and at the same time we hope this will encourage museum visitors to explore Ryedale further through visits to artists’ homes.”
Admission to the exhibition is free; museum opening hours are 10am to 5pm, Saturday to Thursday; closed on Fridays.
Round To Low Horcum, by Sue, Slack, taking part in Ryedale Open Studios at Barn Studio, Swiveynun, Lockton
RYEDALE Open Studios will run over two weekends, tomorrow and Sunday, then August 14 and 15, when 33 artists will take part from 10am to 5pm each day.
The newly formed Vault Arts Centre Community Interest Company, at The Old Bank, Piercy End, Kirkbymoorside, is coordinating the inaugural event, celebrating the creativity and artistic talent of the Ryedale district.
Artists, makers and creators will welcome visitors, offering both an exclusive glimpse into their workplaces and the opportunity to buy art works directly.
Layla Khoo, co-founder of the Vault Arts Centre with Kirsty Kirk and Petra Young, says: “We’re very excited to start our first Ryedale Open Studios this year. After more than a year of seriously hampered activities for many, including artists, we now have the opportunity to show our own community, as well as visitors, the wealth of creativity Ryedale has to offer.’
Participating artist Sue Slack says:“Having taken part in an Open Studios every year for the past 15, it was a great disappointment not to be able to open my studio doors to the public in 2020. The great thing with open studios is the chance to meet with people who are interested in your art; in the processes as well as the finished picture.
“I’m really looking forward to Ryedale Open Studios and am thankful for the opportunity to be able to show my work again in the place it was created.”
Phillip Spurr, Ryedale District Council’s programme director for economic development, business and partnerships, says: “It’s great to see the inaugural Ryedale Open Studios taking place this summer, a testament to the hard work of all those involved. Ryedale is known for its artistic community, and it’s fantastic that so many are participating in what we hope will become a regular event showcasing Ryedale’s creative talent.”
A downloadable map of the artists’ locations can be found at: ryedaleopenstudios.com/map. For full details of all the artists, go to: ryedaleopenstudios.com/
Who are the Ryedale Open Studios artists?
Philip Barraclough, art pencil, watercolours, spanning human forms and landscapes, at Netherby House, Huttons Ambo, near York.
Kate Bentley, oil painting and charcoal drawing, focusing on animals and human subjects, at 22 Dale End, Kirkbymoorside.
Harriet Braithwaite, acrylic painting, at 23, Castlegate, Kirkbymoorside. Graduated in set design for television and film from University of South Wales.
Robert Broughton, photography, at The Courtyard, Dalby Forest Drive, Low Dalby, near Pickering.
Cathartic fine art photography informed by Buddhist philosophy, psychoanalysis and contemplative practices.
Pauline Brown, drawings and paintings around Farndale during lockdown, at The Courtyard, Dalby Forest Drive, Low Dalby, near Pickering
Susan Brunskill, artist, illustrator and animator, at Rutland Grange, Chapel Lane, Harome, by appointment only on 01439 741039 or 07973 331586.
Exhibiting watercolour and oil portraits of people, dogs and horses. Also makes Susel & Co stationery (artisan notecards, greetings cards and original art).
Sarah Cawthray, ceramics for garden, reflecting love of the coast, at West Garth, 23, Castlegate, Kirkbymoorside.
Soon to graduate from York College University Centre with degree in contemporary craft; will then set up ceramic studio at home.
Angela Cole, modern basket designer-maker in woven willow, deeply rooted in heritage skills, at Westow Grange Cottage, Westow, near York.
Makes functional baskets, sculptural woodland baskets and garden plant supports inspired by woodland coppicing style, willow harvest and found wild materials.
Aeva Denham, painting and mixed media, at The Courtyard, Dalby Forest Drive, Low Dalby, near Pickering.
Her work “conveys a message and emotion about social injustices or more personal topics, such as mental health”. Newly graduated from Fine Art BA degree course at York St John University.
Suzie Devey, printmaker, at Vault Studio Space, 5 Piercy End, Kirkbymoorside, studio closed on August 8.
“Don’t miss my Two Tin Cans installation as it’s easy to mistake it for an ordinary red telephone box!” she says. “Inside you will discover a miniature, fully working printmaking studio with everything you need to make your own tiny linocut print.”
Ione Harrison, landscapes and seascapes in watercolour, now incorporating imprints from plants, such as fern or grass, at Vault Studio Space, 5 Piercy End, Kirkbymoorside.
Inspired by sweeping vistas of Yorkshire’s moors and wild hills, her paintings seek to “move beyond the merely physical towards a more metaphysical or spiritual truth”.
Art photographer Peter Heaton
Peter Heaton, art photography, and Peter Maris, sculpture, at Courtyard, Low Dalby, Thornton le Dale.
This exhibition is an artist residency collaboration with photographer Heaton and sculptor Maris, commissioned by Forestry England and Arts Council England. Works are inspired by very particular forest environment and how it flourishes and changes through natural processes and human activity.
Christine Hughes, textile designer and home interior designer, at The Gallery, 7 Market Place, Malton.
Specialises in handmade, hand-painted fabric lampshades and soft furnishings. Her collections include tableware, homewares, contemporary pattern design and framed illustrations and prints.
Alex Jones, oil paintings of British wildlife, at The Little Red House Studio, Abbey Farm, Low Moor, Rillington.
Fascinated by animals’ behaviour, character and form, from the smallest bird to the mightiest stag. “I’m lucky on the farm to see many of the animals I paint on a daily basis: deers, hares, foxes, badgers, barn owls and pheasants,” she says.
Layla Khoo, multi-media 3D artist, specialising in ceramics and site-specific installations, Vault Arts Centre, The Old Bank, Piercy End, Kirkbymoorside.
Often chooses to create her ceramic work for its broad range of historical connotations, from everyday tableware to satire and sculpture.
Yasmin Lari, woven textile designer for Yasmin’s Warp and Weft, at Westgarth, 23 Castlegate, Kirkbymoorside.
Her work combines old and new, inspired by Islamic art, research into her Persian roots and colours in an ever-changing world.
Anna Matyus, printmaker, at Welburn Hall Farmhouse, Flatts Lane, Welburn, Kirkbymoorside.
Inspired by patterns and textures from the natural world and architecture at North Yorkshire historical heritage sites. Specialises in collagraph printmaking, a method that creates layers of texture and a richness of surface.
Carol Messham, watercolour painter and polymer clay artist, at 41 Feversham Drive, Kirkbymoorside.
Draws inspiration from plants, flowers, birds and bees. Trained in landscape architecture; ran garden design business for 20 years.
Heather Niven, painting and ceramic sculpture, at Wayward Studio Gallery, Station House, Kirkham Abbey, Whitwell on the Hill.
After 30 years as a painter and 2D artist, now exploring 3D world of hand-thrown pottery and ceramic sculpture too. Loves colour, dark corners and rhythms of nature.
Alice O’Neill, papercut and collage, at Barmoors, Hutton-le-Hole.
Uses many different types of paper, mostly handmade and hand dyed, from India, China, Japan, Italy and made from grasses, bark and other vegetation. Hand colourist by profession, working for picture framers and book binders.
Amanda Pickles, acrylic and mixed-media paintings, at Allotment Studio, 19 Maundon Avenue, Pickering.
Likes to get the feeling of a place or a moor with the weather, sounds, smells and changing seasons in her work, leading to Deep Earth series.
Jen Ricketts, silversmith and jeweller, at North Croft, Boonhill Road, Fadmoor, York.
Latest work concentrates on making bespoke functional silverware of intricate city skylines, intriguing silhouettes of British countryside and capturing childhood memories of park scenes and fairground carousels.
Meg Ricketts, painter and printmaker, North Croft, Boonhill Rd, Fadmoor, York.
Interested in concept of slowing down and seeing small details in nature – colour, pattern and constant change – as seasons unfold. Favours acrylics and oils; experimenting with painting onto wood.
Rachel Rimell, photography, at Beechwood, 68 Middlecave Road, Malton.
Examines the individual through the prism of transitions and liminal spaces, connections and shared experiences and the human condition. Two self-published books have explored themes of motherhood and identity.
Charlotte Salt, tactile and intuitively made ceramics, at The Gallery, 7 Market Place, Malton.
Enjoys the meditative, grounding processes of handling the clay, a rhythmic physical act involving the senses. Draws on ancient ephemera and passion for collecting found fragments and objects.
Sue Slack, acrylic landscape painter in layered colours, at Barn Studio, Swiveynun, Lockton, Pickering.
Enthusiasm for fell running has taken her to new places, both mentally and physically, influencing work that attracts walkers and cyclists. Upcoming is a four-month sabbatical to embark on new painting journey in Ullapool.
Susan Slann, oil painter and linocut and woodcut printmaker, at 1 Langton Road, Norton-on-Derwent.
Work explores powerful connection between nature, landscape and human emotion.
Patrick Smith, painter and printmaker of landscapes and seascapes, at Nesslyn, West End, Sheriff Hutton, York.
Paints “landscapes of the mind” where poetry and an unfolding process is allowed full reign and “you, the viewer, are co-opted into the image’s final resolution”.
Iona Stock, ceramics, at Hollymead, Snape Hill, Nawton.
Set up her own studio after graduating from University of Sunderland in 2020 with first-class degree in glass and ceramics. Hopes her everyday pieces “bring a little piece of my paradise into your home”.
Ros Walker, ceramics and painting, at Wayward Studio Gallery, Station House, Kirkham Abbey, York.
Creates brightly coloured functional stoneware bowls, mugs and plates; sculptural art ceramic pieces, non-functional vessels and jewellery, plus mixed-media acrylic landscapes.
Susan Walsh, eco-printed textiles and paper, employing botanical mark-making, at Pasture House, Cawton, York.
Uses leaves, flowers and seeds to create wraps, scarves, wall hangings, framed pieces, journals, cards, cushions and bags.
Justine Warner, textile and mixed-media artist, at Laburnum Cottage, West End, Sheriff Hutton, York.
“The canvas of my work is predominantly made from neck ties,” she says. “The beautiful textures and patterns of the fabric are sewn together to make backgrounds for North Yorkshire and Howardian Hills landscapes that can be mistaken for paintings”. Fabrics, wools and thread are used to layer, blend and paint recycled materials.
