York Open Studios 2022 Archives

April 3, 2022April 9, 2022

Who are the 30 new artists and makers in York Open Studios 2022 as it opens this weekend? Meet the final six here…

*Shirley Davis Dew: Paintings inspired by a love of Yorkshire, on show at Rocking House Studio, Main Street, Fangfoss*

WELCOME to day two of York Open Studios 2022 on its opening weekend.

More than 150 artists and makers are showing and selling their work within their homes and workspaces, giving visitors an opportunity to view and buy “bespoke pieces to suit every budget”, from 10am to 5pm today and next weekend too.

As ever, the range of artists’ work encompasses painting and print, illustration, drawing and mixed media, ceramics, glass and sculpture, jewellery, textiles, photography and installation art. Check out the artists’ directory listings at yorkopenstudios.co.uk to find out who is participating.

CharlesHutchPress is highlighting the 30 newcomers in a showcase all this week, in map order, concluding today with Lucinda Grange; Janine Lees; Emma Frost; Shirley Davis Dew; Laura Thompson and The Island.

*Adventure photographer Lucinda Grange: Scales iconic structures and buildings to take her pictures. Picture: Tom Ackerman*

Lucinda Grange, photography, The Black House, 14 Heslington Lane, York

ADVENTURE photographer Lucinda documents urban extremes; the spaces above and below the public footpaths in our cities. Her approach to photography utilises underground spaces as well as high points within a landscape.

Award-winning Lucinda, who splits her time between New York City, Zurich and North East England, has travelled the world, scaling some of the tallest and most iconic structures and buildings, such as the Great Pyramid, Firth of Forth Rail Bridge and the Chrysler Building.

“I use photography as a means of self-expression, to identify with the more obvious and hidden aspects of my character,” says Lucinda, who has exhibited at the Museum of London and the National Football Museum, Manchester.

*Dancing With The Stars, by Lucinda Grange*

“I believe that a person is defined by their actions and choices, and is therefore defined by the environments they choose to put themselves in. This explains why I record my own surroundings, photographing the people and places I choose to have around me.”

Lucinda records social documentary in an unusual manner, sometimes alienating herself to do so, resulting in angst and solipsism. Beauty, fragility and fear are all present and tangible within the work.

This approach to documentary photography utilises high points within the landscape, resulting in her images “challenging the viewer to reconsider the environment they find themselves in”.

Janine Lees, painting, Birch House, 130 Main Street, Fulford, York

TAKING inspiration from the natural world, Janine creates works that evoke feelings of warmth and affection by painting intimate animal portraits in a realistic and colourful style.

Having previously worked as a graphic designer, Janine is now a full-time professional artist working from her home studio., where she divides her time between pet portrait commissions and creating artwork for sale.

Janine’s artwork has been selected to represent various coloured pencil and art publications both online and in exhibitions such as the UK Coloured Pencil Society, The Artist magazine (UK) and Color Magazine (USA).

*Emma Frost: Highlighting the beauty found in our everyday lives*

Emma Frost, painting, North Studio, Arnup Studios, Panman Lane, Holtby, York

LANDSCAPE artist Emma has a particular interest in man-made structures such as pylons, wind turbines and telegraph poles, set against dramatic skylines and beautiful surroundings.

Growing up in rural Northamptonshire before moving to York via Leeds, Germany and Amsterdam, Emma enjoys painting scenes depicting both rural and urban life.

She typically depicts views from her day-to-day surroundings, including school runs, supermarket car parks and drive-thru takeaways. “Ensuring these scenes also include beautiful sunsets or large, expansive skies enables my work to highlight the beauty found in our everyday lives,” she says.

*Shirley Davis Dew: Artist, tutor and demonstrator*

Shirley Davis Dew, paintings, Rocking House Studio, Main Street, Fangfoss, York

A PASSION to capture movement, light and her love of colour permeates Shirley’s vibrant paintings in watercolour or acrylics paintings, applied with brushes, knives and fingers.

You can watch her in action in demonstrations from 10.30am to 12.30pm and 2.30pm to 4pm each day of York Open Studios 2022.

During many years in business management, Shirley painted for pleasure. Her exhibitions led to her being asked to run classes and so began a 20-year second career as a tutor and demonstrator.

“A love of Yorkshire inspires my paintings of the big skies, woodlands, rolling hills and coast,” she says.

*Laura Thompson: Transitioning into illustration*

Laura Thompson, illustration, Rocking House Studio, Main Street, Fangfoss, York

LAURA’S website promotes her as both a freelance illustrator and textiles and surface pattern designer. “I’m transitioning into illustration, from a background in textiles and graphic design; experimenting with ways of working, subject matters and observational work to discover a style that feels natural,” she explains.

Her York Open Studios debut focuses on botanical, still life and landscape illustrations, created using watercolour, gouache and colour pencils. Motifs are often manipulated digitally into designs for greetings cards and repeat patterns for textiles giftware.

“The outdoor world provides a constant source of inspiration, and now, people, places and possessions are explored from a personal perspective to encapsulate the themes of memory and sense of self,” she says. “Ideas translate into uplifting or nostalgic imagery, aiming to bring a joyful aesthetic.”

*The Island: Exhibiting photography of everyday life taken with disposable film cameras*

The Island, photography, Beverley House, 17 Shipton Road, York

YORK charity The Island supports some of the most vulnerable and isolated young people in the city to realise their potential through positive mentoring relationships and activities.

Collaborating with York photographer Makiko since early summer 2021, The Island introduced photography activities to the children – who range in age from mid-primary ages to late-teens – by providing them with disposable film cameras to shoot their everyday life.

The Island’s main purpose is to try to improve the mental health of vulnerable children in the York community, who are facing challenges in the post- Brexit, Covid-19 world, by adding these simple activities to their on-going art sessions, backed by Art Council England funding.

*Images from The Island’s photographic activities*

April 2, 2022April 3, 2022

Who are the 30 new artists and makers in York Open Studios 2022 as it opens this weekend? Meet six more here…

*“My faith is very important as a source of creative energy,” says York Open Studios 2022 debutant ceramicist Rukshana Afia*

THE sun is out to greet York Open Studios on its opening weekend.

CharlesHutchPress is highlighting the 30 newcomers in a showcase all this week, in map order, continuing today with Philip Wilkinson; Rukshana Afia; Dylan Connor; Anna Pearson; Danladi Kole Bako and Izzy Williamson.

*Automata maker* *Philip Wilkinson at work in his Quick Sticks Workshop*

Philip Wilkinson, sculpture, 241 Burton Stone Lane, York

PHILIP has been a design-maker of bespoke works and hands-on museum exhibits for 25 years.

Employment stints at the legendary Eden Project, in Cornwall, and the magical Centre for Alternative Technology, at Machynlleth, Wales, stoked his interest in working with reclaimed materials.

In 2019, Philip built Quick Sticks Workshop, where he imparts “the joy of making stuff” through handmade automata, educational kits and practical sessions.

His works upcycle scrap into whimsical, hand-powered artworks with the common themes of humour, environment and engineering. “Each handcrafted model draws unique character from available materials,” says Philip, who also teaches design at a York school.

*Rukshana Afia: Makes coiled ceramics in stoneware and white earthenware*

Rukshana Afia, ceramics, 92 Dodsworth Avenue, York

RUKSHANA headlined her March 19 blog “Preparation verging on panic…”, but the day has arrived for York Open Studios debut.

She makes coiled ceramics in stoneware and white earthenware, the earthenware decorated using alkaline/Islamic glazes, sometimes liquid metals. Her felts are cut and re-pieced with surface embroidery.

Rukshana is Eurasian, born in London in 1953. “I’m a progressive Sunni Muslim by birth, upbringing and mature conviction,” she says. “My faith is very important as a source of creative energy as well as a historical treasure-house of artistic techniques, particularly in ceramics,” she says.

*Dylan Connor: Attended workshops led by a body sculpture and movie special effects creator*

Dylan Connor, sculpture, 114 East Parade, York

DYLAN’S’ work explores an “urban abstract and realism narrative of body anonymous and known body sculptures”, using organic material found in everyday environments present in today’s society.

Dylan began studying art and sculpture while at school, graduating in contemporary design and craft from York St John University in 2018.

*A sculpture by Dylan Connor, using organic material found in everyday environments*

He then attended workshops led by a body sculpture and movie special effects creator and further extended his formal education to become a qualified teacher specialising in art and design.

He has spent time further developing his urban realism practice in his York workshop to reveal his latest collection.

*Anna Pearson: Everyday objects and views as subjects*

Anna Pearson, painting, 29 Woodside Avenue, York

ANNA has produced a selection of different types of work, sometimes adding collage to them. She takes her inspiration from the Impressionists and Yorkshire’s own David Hockney.

“My preferred medium is acrylics, finding the best way to apply it can be with the fingers or anything else lying around my kitchen,” she says. “When sketching outdoors, I use pen and ink and have a whimsical attitude to straight lines – I like structures to have ‘character’!”

Most of Anna’s work is in acrylics with everyday objects and views as subjects, often using sponges to apply the paint.

Danladi Kole Bako: Creator of Bankoleart

Danladi Kole Bako, mixed media, The Studio, 40 Hempland Drive, York

DANLADI is the Nigerian-born founder of Bankoleart, his art being essentially characterised by the use of talking drums for functional and aesthetic visual art expressions, creatively employing themes, designs and media to highlight socio-cultural issues.

Born in 1969 in Kaduna state, Nigeria, Danladi is a “self-thought” artist, painter and mixed-media artist. “My passion for contemporary visual arts was nurtured during my years in solitude, when I devoted myself to research and developing my unique ‘Bankoleart’ style,” he says.

His art form has flourished with increased experimentation at numerous artist-run spaces in Nigeria and his works are owned by private and corporate collectors worldwide.

*Izzy Williamson: Expresses feelings of playfulness and wonder in her linocuts*

Izzy Williamson, printmaking, Flat 1, 9 Sandringham Street, York

PRINTMAKER Izzy specialises in making original, limited-edition, intricate and figurative in style and deeply rooted in nature and stories from her childhood in Whitby.

“The narratives within my work observe feelings of playfulness and wonder, stemming from stories in folklore, dreams, myth and everyday joys,” she says.

Since graduating from Leeds College of Art in 2015, Izzy has produced designs for interiors, packaging and branding.

*Izzy Williamson goes down to the sea, her linocuts being deeply rooted in nature and stories from her Whitby childhood*

In focus tomorrow: Lucinda Grange, photography; Janine Lees, mixed media; Emma Frost, painting; Shirley Davis Dew, painting; Laura Thompson, illustration; The Island, photography.

April 1, 2022

Who are the 30 new artists and makers in York Open Studios? Meet seven more here

*Shannon Vertigan: Exploring perceptions of home in her student showcase at York St John University*

YORK Open Studios returns to its traditional spring slot for the next two weekends after last year’s temporary Covid-enforced detour to July.

More than 150 artists and makers will be showing and selling their work within their homes and workspaces, giving visitors an opportunity to view and buy “bespoke pieces to suit every budget”, from 10am to 5pm on April 2,3, 9 and 10, preceded by this evening’s 6pm to 9pm preview.

CharlesHutchPress will highlight the 30 newcomers in a week-long preview, in map order, that continues today with Andrew Wrigley; Helen Wrigley; Ni Studios; Laetitia Newcombe; John Cutting; Matilde Tomat and Shannon Vertigan.

*“Paradise remains stubbornly lost despite my return to the UK in 1997,” says Andrew Wrigley*

Andrew Wrigley, painting, 1 The Sycamores, Sycamore Place, York

ANDREW works in oils and digitally, as well as in drawing and sculpture. His work is figurative, with narrative pointers to realities that lurk beyond outward appearances. “The bigger the canvas, the better,” he says.

Andrew was born in Scotland but grew up in a little shack on the Pampas from the age of nine. “My art bears witness to the fact I’ve not recovered from the shock of migration and that paradise remains stubbornly lost despite my return to the UK in 1997,” he says.

He never had the time to complete his Masters thesis in theoretical physics at the University of Buenos Aires on account of spending six hours a day drawing.

Helen Wrigley, painting, 1 The Sycamores, Sycamore Place, York

HELEN works primarily in oil paint on big canvasses while calling on her experience in photography, design and sculpture as she expresses her emotional response to her chosen subjects.

“Through life, my creativity has always shone through, whatever the material,” she says. “Never satisfied with other people’s design, my joy has always been in the challenge to create and achieve this intention, whether it be clothes and garden design or fine art.”

Mimi at Ni Studios, mixed media, 20-24 Swinegate, York

MIMI is a multi-disciplinary artist whose creativity spans painting, printmaking, charcoal, realism, photography and digital work, all presented on the walls at Ni Studios, where she will host a demonstration on Saturday at 2pm.

“I’m a multi-faceted artist whose true passion lies within autobiographical creations,” she says. “My practice is innately cathartic and led by expressionism and my emotions.

“Most of my work is instinctual, spilling my thoughts and feelings out from behind the barrier of creation. I believe I use creating as a release and see myself reflected through most of my oeuvre.”

*Laetitia Newcombe: “Drawn to the fluid nature of clay”*

Laetitia Newcombe, sculptural ceramics, York College student showcase, The Last Drop Inn, 27 Colliergate, York

INSPIRATION for Laetitia’s sculptural ceramics, jewellery and wall hangings comes from the forms and patterns she finds in her surroundings, together with a deep connection to her vibrant upbringing.

Growing up in South Africa and now based in North Yorkshire, she draws on this fusion of influences in her richly textured and brightly coloured works.

“All my pieces are hand-built, using coils and slabs that I alter, sculpt and refine as I go along,” she says. “I’m drawn to the fluid nature of clay as it lets me express my individuality.”

*A sculptural ceramic by Laetitia Newcombe*

John Cutting, sculpture, student showcase at Creative Centre, York St John University, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York

JOHN’S art practice has developed from multiple skills gained during his working life as a soldier, engineer, traveller and adventurer.

These experiences enable him to confidently identify and play with raw, natural, synthetic and engineered materials that ooze inspiration for him to create assemblage sculpture and installations.

*John Cutting: Soldier, engineer, traveller, adventurer and sculptor*

Using his imagination, creativity and experimental approach, he chooses suitable materials from their texture, form and malleability.

Establishing a working knowledge of the materials’ properties, capabilities and boundaries, John creates unique and personal pieces of contemporary art with an “imaginary, thought-provoking awareness of the relationship the various combinations present”.

*Caught in the act of reading: artist Matilde Tomat*

Matilde Tomat, mixed media, student showcase at Creative Centre, York St John University, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York

CAUGHT in the act of drawing, Matilde’s work investigates the reactions and separateness of both maker and viewer while exploring inspiration, separation and artistic pleasure in her mixed-media performative piece.

Originally from Italy, Matilde is an artist, writer, psychogeographer and psychotherapist. “My practice evolved from the enquiry on loss to the discernment of past events, the idea of posterity, the concepts of Truth and Seen, and my identity as an artist as seen by ‘the others’ while in the act of creating,” she says.

A lover of silence, Matilde is intrigued by hidden connections, synchronicities and the mystical. Oh, and should you be wondering, psychogeography is the study of the influence of geographical environment on the mind or on behaviour. Psychogeography art “explores artists’ responses to place and displacement in real and imagined spaces”.

*Shannon Vertigan: Questioning the meaning of ‘dwelling’*

Shannon Vertigan, student showcase at Creative Centre, York St John University, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York

SHANNON’S multi-disciplinary practice begins to question the meaning of ‘dwelling’. “Installations are inspired by investigating the role of structures that surround us, spatial boundaries and differing perceptions of ‘home’,” she says.

Born in Cheshire in 1999, Shannon is an artist, researcher, organiser and curator, at present completing a BA degree in Fine Art at York St John University.

She is a director of numerous community art projects and was a co-curator, organiser and resident artist at Uthink’s Piccadilly Pop-Up in York. Last year she exhibited at The Awakening show in York; Cultivate: Alright? and Cultivate: Next, both online, and Uthink York at 23, Piccadilly.

In focus tomorrow: Philip Wilkinson, sculpture; Rukshana Afia, ceramics; Dylan Connor, sculpture; Anna Pearson, painting; Danladi Kole Bako, mixed media; Izzy Williamson, printmaking.

March 31, 2022March 31, 2022

Who are the 30 new artists and makers in York Open Studios? Meet six more here

*York Minster, by Duncan Lomax,, at Holgate Gallery*

YORK Open Studios returns to its traditional spring slot for the next two weekends after last year’s temporary Covid-enforced detour to July.

CharlesHutchPress will highlight the 30 newcomers in a week-long preview, in map order, that continues today with Toni Mayner; Kimbal Bumstead; Duncan Lomax; Moira Craig; Jo Rodwell and John Hollington.

*Toni Mayner: Jewellery inspired by histories, love and loss*

Toni Mayner, jewellery, The Cottage, 2 Love Lane, The Mount, York

USING traditional goldsmithing skills and precious stones and materials, Toni makes thematically based one-off narrative pieces and small collections of jewellery inspired by histories, love and loss.

After achieving her Masters in jewellery and silversmithing in 2007, from 2010 to 2020 she lectured at the Institute of Jewellery, Fashion and Textiles, Birmingham City University.

Her work has been exhibited in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Poland and China, including performance, installation and narrative jewellery practice. Returning to her roots as a maker, Toni relocated to York in 2021 to establish a business making wearable collections and commissioned pieces in her garden studio.

*Kimbal Bumstead: “My paintings aren’t just experiments in colour”*

Kimbal Bumstead, painting, The Mount School, Dalton Terrace, York

KIMBAL specialises in vibrant abstract paintings that capture traces of journeys into imaginary worlds. His distinctive style uses translucent layers of oil paint and varnish to create sensory-rich and absorbing compositions.

Kimbal’s painting practice stems from his background in participatory performance art and his fascination with maps. “It’s really thrilling to be an artist,” he says. “My job is to bring things into existence that weren’t there before, and I use colour and mark-making to get there. But there are other aspects too. My paintings aren’t just experiments in colour, nor are they just expressions of feelings, they are also explorations of journeys into other worlds.”

Originally from London, Kimbal studied Fine Art at the University of Leeds and has held solo exhibitions at Aeon Gallery in London, de Stoker in Amsterdam and BasementArtsProject in Leeds.

New to York, where he teaches abstract art classes with York Learning, he is also exhibiting with Simon Crawford in According To McGee’s first Return Of The Painter 2022 show in Tower Street until April 4.

*Duncan Lomax: “Much more than photography”*

Duncan Lomax, photography, Holgate Gallery, 53 Holgate Road, York

DUNCAN is an experienced commercial photographer, running Ravage Productions to serve a wide range of businesses, as well as being the official photographer for York Minster.

Alongside this, he produces creative work to his own brief, work that is often “much more than just photography”

“As well as ‘traditional’ photography, I utilise in-camera multiple exposures, long exposures and other creative techniques to push the perception of what a photograph can be,” he says. “I also use multi-media techniques to create unique prints with individually applied embellishments.”

Duncan has been conducting a spring clean at Holgate Gallery before reopening for tomorrow evening’s preview from 6pm to 9pm. For the duration of the Open Studios event, the gallery will be showing work solely by owner Duncan, who opened the premises in September 2020.

*Moira Craig: “Vibrant memories of summer”*

Moira Craig, printmaking, 51 Otterwood Lane, York

PRINTMAKER Moira has come to her creative practice after a career in a range of care settings. “My passion for creativity really took flight on the day after my retirement when I visited York Open Studios,” she says.

Drawing on her long experience of working in textile techniques, she experimented in her garden during lockdown, resulting in her alchemy of flowers, leaves and dyeing techniques in contemporary botanical pieces that blend traditional flowers into impressionistic compositions to create vibrant memories of summer.

*Jo Rodwell: “Loves the bright, bold colours of nature”*

Jo Rodwell, mixed media, 42 Dikelands Lane, Upper Poppleton, York

JO applies a variety of materials and media to explore how colours and layers interact with each other, depicting light and shadow, and how translucency and opacity affect this.

“Focusing on creating figurative art inspired by people, places and experiences, I uses painting and printing trying to capture the essence of a moment,” she says.

“I love the bright, bold colours of nature and incorporate these in my art to create vibrant and exciting images, in the hope it triggers a moment of reflection for the viewer, evoking an emotion and enabling a connection with the subject.”

*Jo Rodwell: “Exploring how colours and layers interact with each other”*

John Hollington, wood, 68 Ouse Lea, Shipton Road, Clifton, York

JOHN changed career from draughtsman to York St John product design student…and then designer-maker in 2015.

Inspired by a lifelong love of 20th century art and architecture, he creates beautiful pieces with a modernist, geometric aesthetic for home, garden, birds and bees.

*John Hollington: “Modernist, geometric aesthetic for home, garden, birds and bees”*

Crafted from oak or cedar – oiled and left natural or blackened to highlight the grain – they sell in gallery shops at The Hepworth, Wakefield, and Yorkshire Sculpture Park and elsewhere.

John has received awards from Northern Design Festival, been longlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize in York and was selected by TOAST for their New Makers 2020 programme.

John runs the award-winning John Hollington Studio, designing lighting as well as garden objects.

In focus tomorrow: Andrew Wrigley, painting; Helen Wrigley, painting; Ni Studios, mixed media; Laetitia Newcombe, sculptural ceramics; John Cutting, sculpture; Matilde Tomat, mixed media; Shannon Vertigan, mixed media.

March 30, 2022March 31, 2022

Who are the 30 new artists and makers in York Open Studios? Meet the next six here

*A painting by Carol Douglas, to be found at 55 Albemarle Road, York*

YORK Open Studios returns to its traditional spring slot for the next two weekends after last year’s temporary Covid-enforced detour to July.

CharlesHutchPress will highlight the 30 newcomers in a week-long preview, in map order, that continues today with Carol Douglas, Anthea Peters, Derek Gauld, Phil Bixby, Jacqueline Warrington and Richard Frost.

Carol Douglas, painting, 55 Albemarle Road, York

CAROL paints primarily in acrylic on canvas, adding oil pastel and fabric collage to some works. Her box canvasses are mostly unframed.

Carol completed her full-time foundation diploma in art and design in 2018, realising an ambition held since she was 16. Now, at 70, she has exhibited at Partisan café, in Micklegate, and According To McGee, in Tower Street, York, and Dean Clough Art Gallery, in Halifax, and is promoted by Broth Art, an on-line London gallery.

Anthea Peters, jewellery, 6 Middlethorpe Drive, Dringhouses, York

ANTHEA creates wearable pieces of jewellery in silver and gold, complemented with copper accents, gemstones and enamel.

Her jewellery is inspired by the wild and unspoilt locations she frequents in her ‘day job’ as a chartered dam engineer in rugged, remote locations. Closer to home, she finds happiness in her garden and on moorland adventures with her family; exploring and studying flora and fauna for her jewellery designs. Consequently, silver toadstools adorn those designs, along with snails, flowers and ‘found’ objects.

“I’ve been making jewellery with precious metals for nearly 20 years and have made special commissions for friends and family over the years, including wedding rings; Christening bracelets; baby teething rings and for special birthdays,” says Anthea. “All my work is very personal and crafted with love, with the design developed specifically for that individual.”

Derek Gauld, landscape printmaking, 8 Middlethorpe Drive, York

DEREK creates printmaking works, both large and small, from mostly landscape sketching and painting outdoors in Yorkshire, the Lake District and Cornwall.

His distinctive style is developed from sketches, working on marks and tones through etching and printmaking techniques such as sugarlift, soft ground, aquatint and relief in the studio.

“I like the loose feel of sugarlift to begin prints,” he says. “I generally use soft ground etching for initial mark making and then build up tones from light grey to black through a process of aquatinting, which involves stopping out areas of the image and dropping into safe acid, leaving longer to create darker tones.

*“I like the loose feel of sugarlift to begin prints,” says Derek Gauld*

“I will pull a black-and-white print after three, four or five tone checks and sometimes add accented colour to the print plate to give another impression. Colour will be added individually to each print, and prints are limited to 25.”

Derek studied printmaking at evening class for three years and has exhibited at Pyramid Gallery and Blossom Street Gallery, in York, and Scarborough Art Gallery. He is a member of York Printmakers – whose membership now runs to 40 – and West Yorkshire Print Workshop.

*Phil Bixby: Architect and photographer*

Phil Bixby, photography, 24 Hob Moor Terrace, York

PHIL makes black-and-white photographs, shot on 35mm film, that he develops and scans to produce high-quality inkjet prints that explore texture and lighting.

Architect Phil rediscovered film photography after a lengthy absence. “Black-and-white photography works with the same elements of light on form but allows a level of abstraction that buildings do not,” he says.

“Being reunited with tools from the late-20th century and learning again the varied characters of different films has given me scope to explore, experiment and enjoy.”

Believing “we need to plan for future change”, building designer Phil runs My York Central with Helen Graham, having started working together as My Future York, and since early summer 2017 they have been coordinating the My Castle Gateway project.

As an architect, he has worked on community self-build, masterplanning and community decision-making in York and elsewhere, while spending time aplenty watching and learning about York from the saddle of a bicycle.

*“To watch a piece develop as the form and shape changes during the making process is both fascinating and exciting,” says Jacqueline Warrington*

Jacqueline Warrington, jewellery, 3 White House Rise, York

JACQUELINE makes precious metal jewels and silver vessels, employing traditional techniques such as raising, chasing, repousse and forging. She makes silver icons too, exploring her interest in folklore and the saints.

Jacqueline trained with a renowned jewellery designer from the age of 16, then studied silversmithing and jewellery at Bradford and Sheffield art schools. She has been working at the bench since setting up her business in 1984, designing and making her own range of jewellery and exhibiting widely across the country.

“Using the qualities of the metals and stones in their various forms makes designing each piece a challenge,” says Jacqueline. “To watch a piece develop as the form and shape changes during the making process is both fascinating and exciting.”

In 2004, she set up a teaching school that ran successfully for 16 years but now she has decided to concentrate on her own work.

*Richard Frost: From civil engineer to furniture maker*

Richard Frost, furniture, 36 White House Gardens, York

AFTER a 27-year career as a civil engineer, Richard took a leap of faith and changed vocation to follow his passion for all things wood.

Re-training as a cabinet designer/maker at Waters & Acland Furniture School in Cumbria, he combines the problem-solving techniques of an engineer with the creative skills of an artist to design and make furniture and decorative items.

Setting up Richard Frost Design in January 2019, he has not looked back since, producing bespoke and limited-edition handcrafted furniture, household goods and gifts, often incorporating patterns, achieved through manipulation of contrasting woods and veneers.

“With no single definitive style, I take my inspiration from both the natural world and our industrial heritage,” says Richard. “My portfolio includes pieces with a traditional feel and those with more of a contemporary look. At all times my objective is to produce an exquisite piece of furniture.”

In focus tomorrow: Toni Mayner, jewellery; Kimbal Bumstead, painting; Duncan Lomax, photography; Moira Craig, printmaking; Jo Rodwell, mixed media, and John Hollington, wood.

March 29, 2022March 30, 2022

Who are the 30 new artists and makers in York Open Studios? Meet the first six here

A sample of Kate Semple’s work as she makes her York Open Studios debut

YORK Open Studios returns to its traditional spring slot for the next two weekends after last year’s temporary Covid-enforced detour to July.

CharlesHutchPress will highlight the 30 newcomers in a week-long preview, in map order, that starts today with Laural Duval, Mandi Grant, Amanda Allmark, Marie Murphy, Poppy O’Rourke and Kate Semple.

Laura Duval, mixed media, South Bank Studios, Southlands Methodist Church, 97 Bishopthorpe Road, York

ARTIST, designer and metalsmith Laura specialises in ceramics and metalwork, using copper as her first choice, although she does utilise silver too.

“I create bowls, cutlery, serving utensils, tableware, and other decorative items with the hope that my work will not only be admired, but also be used in the everyday, to create a sense of occasion,” she says. “All my creations are handmade one-of-a-kind pieces; no two pieces will ever be exactly the same.”

*Mandi Grant in her studio at South Bank Studios*

Mandi Grant, painting, South Bank Studios, Southlands Methodist Church, 97 Bishopthorpe Road, York

INSPIRED by the architectural features of York buildings, the lush vegetation of allotments and livestock, Mandi creates lyrical paintings of shapes, colours and textures in combinations of oil, acrylic and wax painting techniques.

She has enjoyed a long and career in a tertiary college’s lively art department, teaching A-level and pre-degree foundation courses in art and design.

Mandi has embraced the challenges of combining her studies of fashion and textiles with taking a degree course in fine art painting and printmaking, encompassing the visual richness these subject areas afford.

Amanda Allmark, ceramics, 70 Scott Street, York

EXHIBITING as part of the York College student showcase, Amanda’s ceramics are influenced by her life experiences and an ongoing mission to promote self-love, self-empowerment and our right, as human beings, to shine.

Drawing on a therapeutic background, she uses creativity to highlight human behaviours and emotions, encouraging awareness with a combination of words and illustration on the ceramic surface.

*Have Courage Dear Heart, by Amanda Allmark*

She handcrafts her contemporary ceramics by working with form and visual language, her pieces being at once impactful and playful and marked by beautifully burnished surfaces.

“The subtle colours and feminine lines of my designs work in contrast with strong and empowered messages,” she says.

*Textile artist Marie Murphy: “Mid-century Brutalism meets a riot of colour”*

Marie Murphy, textiles, 38 Scarcroft Road, York

MARIE set up her textiles studio in 2019 with a focus on illustration and surface pattern design. Her modern and bold homeware and stationery combine a love of geometric art, architecture, print and embroidery.

“My work could be described as a mix of mid-century Brutalism meets a riot of colour,” she says. “Designs and paintings begin as ideas in a sketchbook, as line drawings or the use of bold blocks of colours. These are then translated into paintings and illustrations.”

Those paintings and illustrations then form the basis for Marie’s digital patterns, prints and embroideries, influenced by such artist and designers as Bridget Riley, John Pawson and Anni Albers.

*Poppy O’Rourke: Feminist-inspired artwork*

Poppy O’Rourke, illustration, 13 East Mount Road, York

SELF-TAUGHT artist Poppy works in a variety of media to create feminist- inspired artwork, spanning digital illustration, painting and mixed media.

Poppy, who moved to York from Brighton in 2017 to study, favours intense colour and bold, minimalist designs, as seen in her Wonky Women series that aims to depict the female form in all its uneven beauty.

In her latest work, she experiments with colour and text to create unique designs centred around feminist quotes.

*Share The Knowledge, Multiply The Power, by Poppy O’Rourke*

Kate Semple, illustration, painting, ceramics, 13 East Mount Road, York

KATE has worked in the creative industry for 30 years, her experience ranging from special-effects painting in the film industry to designing and styling for editorial and working as a freelance Illustrator.

Since leaving London 19 years ago, she has created art, illustration and graphics for a variety of clients from her home studio in a wonky old Victorian house in York, where she also loves working in 3D, hand-building ceramic sculptures.

*Kate Semple hand-building a ceramic sculpture*

“I’ve drawn on recent personal experiences to create a new body of work that explores different mediums, whether ceramics, printmaking or drawing on both paper and clay,” says Kate, who is having a kiln installed in her garden shed

In 2022, Kate will be revisiting her Map Of York, first created in lockdown in 2020. Look out too for the illustration-led branding work she has done for Flori Bakery, in Nunnery Lane, spanning packaging, colouring books, tote bags, T-shirts and cards.

A constant stream of work for Kate is illustrating buildings, not least for the boutique hotel chain Guest House Hotels, both in York and Bath. She also created three paintings for a range of merchandise in the Ryedale Folk Museum shop in Hutton-le-Hole.

In focus tomorrow: Carol Douglas, painting; Anthea Peters, jewellery; Derek Gauld, landscape printmaking; Phil Bixby, photography; Jacqueline Warrington, jewellery; and Richard Frost, furniture.