Gallery
Current exhibition
From 3rd June
Steve Gathercole
Whilst I always had an interest in Art during my school days I did not pursue art or even appreciate I might have any artistic talent. Later on in life when I took early retirement from 
the I.T industry, my wife suggested I took up Art as a hobby. Initially I focused on Airbrush art but soon became interested in Oil’s, Pastels, Coloured pencil, Graphite and more recently Watercolor. Growing up in rural Norfolk villages and coming from a farming background, I was always fascinated by wildlife which is the main subject matter for my artwork. Over the years I have developed a style of fine detail and realism which have tried to apply to each medium I use.
Now living in a small Somerset village I am also lucky enough to live near an amateur photographer who specialises in local bird photography he has been an excellent source of Somerset bird reference material, allowing me to study all types of birds in greater detail.
Future exhibitions
30th July to 28th August 2024.
Norma Walton: Colours of Nature
Norma spent many years as a photographer and was a founder member of the Phoenix Group of Photographers in Somerset.
Having completed a BA in Fine Art in her 60s Norma now concentrates on painting in mixed media, printing and watercolour. Although originally from Essex, Norma has made her home in Devon and loves the Devon countryside and coast which provide much inspiration, especially in the colours of the changing seasons.
In these paintings, which are often semi-abstract in style, she attempts to capture the feeling of the seasons, the exuberance of spring growth, the mellowness of autumn and the changing moods of the sea. 
She is fortunate to be living near the Jurassic coast where the sea often carries amazing colours; her home is also in close proximity to ancient bluebell woods.
This exhibition showcases a wide range of Norma’s output. The watercolours of bluebell woods and coast were started during Covid. Many of the mixed media paintings incorporate collage and are impressions of local hedgerows and woodland. Monotype prints use the materials of the local hedgerows.
Currently Norma is working on a series of floral pieces inspired by her garden, created with collage and mixed media, some of which are represented here.
Lesley Ann Bartrop
Monday 2 September – Friday 27th September
Lesley is a Somerset based artist with a BA(Hons) in Fine Art who works in acrylic and ink on canvas often employing heat and glazes to enhance or affect the paint. The majority of her work is on reclaimed canvases purchased from charity shops and often allow the colours of the original printing to inform her choice of subject.
She is lucky enough to live within open farmland on the edge of the Quantock hills, only a short distance from the sea and the subject of her paintings reflects that. Whilst she mostly paints the scenery and animals that live around her home, she does admit to often adding an element of fantasy or humour to the compositions!
