Reciprocal Exchange - A Community Art Project

Tuesday 25th – Sunday 30th March - The Setting Gallery, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm.

What happens when we take money out of the equation?

Studying part-time for a Master’s in Fine Art with Falmouth university, this project is Ben Welch’s response to a module about collaboration.

“I started with a simple question: what happens when we take money out of the equation? I’ve always been interested in the ways art circulates, who gets to own it, who gets to engage with it, and what we actually mean when we talk about "value."

Initially toying with the idea of asking artists to give their work away for free, the idea of exchange kept coming up, not just as a transaction but as something more human about trust, negotiation, and shared experience.

At its core, this isn’t just a community event; it is a work of art in itself. Every exchange that takes place, every negotiation between artist and participant becomes part of the piece, a tiny performance of creativity and connection.

By inviting people to offer skills, time, or handmade items instead of money, the project challenges traditional ideas of what art is "worth." It’s about breaking down barriers, making art feel more accessible, and seeing what happens when we shift the focus from ownership to interaction.

The social aspect is just as important as the objects being exchanged. The event is shaped by the people who take part their contributions, their offers, their stories. In that sense, it aligns with ideas of relational aesthetics, where the meaning of the work emerges through human interaction.

More than anything, this is an attempt to blur the lines between artist and audience, artwork and exchange, exhibition and experience. It’s an experiment in generosity, a creative intervention into everyday life, and a way of questioning how we relate to art, and to each other.

'The Movement of Colours' - Jan Petrie

Tuesday 11th March - Sunday 23rd March, The Plot café, Tuesday to Friday 8.30am - 4pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm, Sunday 10am - 3pm

‘The Movement of Colours’ - Jan Petrie

Inspired by nature, studio 5 tenant Jan’s work explores the interplay between colour, light and shade.

 “I focus less on literal representation, more on conveying my emotional response to the landscapes I’ve been lucky enough to spend time in.”

Two Painters - Hazel Rank-Broadley and John Rodgers

The Setting gallery and Plot café, Tuesday - Friday 8.30am-4pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm, Sunday 10am - 3pm

Hazel Rank- Broadley

‘Painting in watercolour was an exciting new departure for me, beginning in 2019.  I painted in oils during my studies at Camberwell School of Art and Goldsmiths’ College, where I did a degree in Fine Art, but I found the freshness and vibrancy of watercolour altogether different. 

There is a peculiar spontaneity in watercolour, as pigment reacts with water moving into a variety of specialised papers, either rough or smooth.  It is fascinating to be able to be able to work precisely, with a fine brush on botanical painting, or to allow paint to find its own direction when a mop brush is loaded with colour and then applied to wet paper, to evoke sky, sea and earth. Endless possibilities arise, and the journey is a process where time disappears, a meditation. 

I am inspired by my garden, and I love the transparency of irises in particular.  Composing a landscape I’m interested in evoking air, space, and movement, capturing or creating a moment in time.  I have learned how leaving expanses of white, unpainted paper electrifies the scene, as do diagonal lines. 

The air, sea, sand and fields of Mallorca have been particularly inspiring in 2024.  I hope that you will find something that resonates with your own joyful moments, as you study the results of my days spent painting.’

John Rodgers

‘My relationship with Greece began when I received a British Council-Greek Ministry scholarship upon leaving the Slade in London, in 1979. It culminated in an exhibition at the British Council on Plateau Kolonaki, Athens, in 1981, the first of a number of exhibitions I made in Greece, over the years.

I have included one or two early work “remainders” I had made and previously shown in Greece, the odd borrowed painting in a selection made up entirely of oil paintings but over time, I have often worked in watercolour as well, the climate lends itself to both mediums.

Both England and Greece have been key to my work as a representational painter. I began with English landscape from a very early age, working directly from life, the influence of Robin Tanner, a late friend of my fathers, in Oxfordshire at that time. The subtleties of landscape never cease to engage me. When I arrived in Greece (I first went by train) it was the timeless quality of the old Greece, I first witnessed then, albeit briefly, and the intense quality of the light, once experienced, never forgotten, that have remained informative. The aspect of looking, association, memory, reflection and some very special friendships, people and places, I have made along the way, poly kali kardia (very good hearted), as the Greeks would say!’

'재잘재잘 그림일기: Chitter-Chatter, Beyond the Everyday' - Eunju Hitchcock-Yoo

Tuesday 11th to Sunday 2nd March 2025

The Plot café, Tuesday - Friday 8.30am - 4pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm, Sunday 10am - 3pm

'재잘재잘 그림일기: Chitter-Chatter, Beyond the Everyday' - Eunju Hitchcock-Yoo

She, a forty-something emigrant, captures her magically mundane life in a sketch diary. 

It looks like a still life from afar, but up close, it’s a never-ending cartwheel of transformation.

This exhibition will showcase the wonderful sketches that Eunju creates to illustrate her daily life.

Born in Seoul, Eunju Hitchcock-Yoo is a South Korean artist predominantly working on theatre-game and animated film. She has been. greatly interested in participatory works that interweave the components of public space, user behaviours and mobile technology.

@tevaste

Studio CHY: Crafting Narratives

Tuesday 11th to Sunday 23rd February 2025

The Setting gallery, Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm, Sunday 10am - 3pm

Based in the heart of the Cotswolds, Studio CHY is a design-led architectural practice renowned for creating spaces that tell compelling stories. Their upcoming exhibition celebrates the inherent beauty of natural materials and the transformative power of light, showcasing how they shape bespoke projects that harmonise with their surroundings.

Each project is a unique journey, blending thoughtful narrative with architectural innovation to create truly extraordinary environments.

The Global Portrait Project, Part I - The First 50 Countries

Tuesday 4th - Sunday 9th February 2025

The Setting gallery and Plot café, Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm, Sunday 10am - 3pm

"The Global Portrait Project" by James Nickells will be 193 portraits of 193 subjects from different countries and each involved in their country in positive environmental work.

James Nickells is a British portrait artist bringing you, in this exhibition, the first 50 portraits from his ambitious Global Portrait Project.

This will be the first time all 50 portraits have ever been exhibited and will cover all UN recognised sovereign states from Afghanistan to Dominica. In addition to the portraits the exhibition is supported by online videos on The Global Portrait Project YouTube channel showing the painting process and telling each subject’s environmental story. James will be available on site throughout the exhibition to talk about the project.

Stroud Trinity Rooms fundraiser

Tuesday 14th January - Sunday 2nd February, The Plot café, Tuesday - Friday 8.30am-4pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm, Sunday 10am - 3pm

Help to buy Trinity Rooms for the Stroud community

Recently, Trinity Rooms, near Stroud Hospital, were in danger of being lost as a community resource, but the new tenants, Stroud Earth Community (SEC), have taken out a lease on the building and are currently running it as a community centre with a focus on green issues, food equity, and building community resilience.

SEC is aiming to raise £350,000 to buy the building and do necessary repairs – to future proof it for local people. 

Two friends of Trinity Rooms, Lallie Jackson and Fran Mosley, are hosting a sale of textiles and art objects in the Plot Café from January 14th to 26th. Come and buy – and support a wonderful community enterprise

Nailsworth News Photographic Competition

The Plot café, Tuesday - Friday 8.30am-4pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm, Sunday 10am - 3pm

In September this year Nailsworth News announced a Photographic Competition, which was for all ages, using cameras or phones with the theme of ‘Nailsworth’. The deadline for submissions was 15th October.

There were 63 entries representing all ages and methods. The judging panel consisted of Jonathan Duckworth and Gary McMath, both well known local photographers. Judging assessed the relevance to the title, the quality of photography (composition, light, colours, framing) and creativity (experimentation).

Entries were categorised by age: under 18, 18-60 and 60+. Each category winner receives £50 and the overall winner is awarded £100..

The 9 placed entries will be enlarged, printed and displayed in the Plot café from 7th January 2025 until Sunday 12th January. There will also be an awards ceremony at Three Storeys on 7th January. Copies of the entries will also be available online in due course, and also in the December issue of Nailsworth News.

A mixed exhibition of work by local artists.

We are delighted to be holding our third joint Winter Exhibition at Three Storeys, open this December and running into early January.

A diverse mix of works from artists, professional and amateur, living and/or working within a 10 mile radius of Three Storeys will be on display in The Setting gallery and The Plot café, for you to enjoy.

The deadline for applications is Monday 11th November at 5pm.

For further information and to apply, click here

Amberley Artisans Christmas Market

Wednesday 20th November -Sunday 1st December 2024

Tuesday - Friday 9am - 4pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm, Sunday 10am - 3pm

Evening shopping Fridays - 5.30pm - 9pm

The Setting Gallery and Plot café, Three Storeys, Old Bristol Rd, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

The Amberley Artisans come together once again to showcase unique handmade artwork and gifts this Christmas.

‘Portraits’ Lucy Milne

Tuesday 12th - Sunday 17th November

The Setting Gallery and Plot café, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 10am to 2pm.

Lucy has worked for thirty years as a portrait painter in the medium of pastille.  Working from her studio in South Woodchester, she has travelled the country extensively, drawing adults, children, horses and dogs.  She has built up a strong reputation.

In 2022, making a bold decision, she enrolled at the well-renowned Heatherley School of Art in London on a two-year oil portraiture course to satisfy her long held desire to paint in this medium.

She won the school’s Sainsbury prize for Portraiture in her year, and her work was commended by Alistair Adams RP.
This exhibition will include a selection of her paintings from this course, as well as some recent ones of local characters.
Lucy is now looking forward to taking commissions for both oil and pastille portraits.

More information to follow.

‘From the Edge of the Sea’ Laura Dutton and Sylvia Wadsley

Tuesday 5th November - Sunday 10th November

The Setting Gallery and the Plot café, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm.

Standing at the edge of the sea, I am captivated by the distant horizon, vastness, space, endlessness and the possibility of setting off into the unknown. 

I paint atmospheric seascapes which aim to impart peace and serenity, calming the anxieties and complications of the times we live in.  My seascape work is for me a meditative form of painting in contrast to my landscape work which is often around environmental concerns.

 I love to observe, absorb, gather and collect at the edge of the sea.

My process involves wandering and wondering at the strangeness and beauty of the anima of the sea and it’s treasures washed up by the wealth of the tide. These glass sculptures try to capture something of the beauty, fragility, resilience and wonder of life within the waves.

‘Sustainable Sadness’ - Dave Swinburne

Tuesday 29th October - Sunday 3rd November

The Setting Gallery and Plot café, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm.

Dave is a walking artist based in Gloucestershire.

His artistic vision and style is inspired by the changing landscape and he is passionate about minimising the environmental impact of his photographic practice.  

Dave only works local to where he lives.

‘Gathered’ - Jaqueline Hammond

Tuesday 22nd - Sunday 27th October

The Setting Gallery, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

Open Tuesday to Friday 9am to 4pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm.

‘Gathered’ is a vibrant exhibition of paintings by Jacqueline Hammond inspired by the landscape and nature’s abundance. 

Jacqueline’s first solo exhibition features rural landscapes and small still life paintings of gathered flowers and found natural items. 

She is drawn to the play of light, colour and pattern, her paintings capturing a sense of time and season, as she seeks to express the feeling of being within nature in a moment in time. .

An exhibition of ceramics by Kathy Clare

Tuesday 22nd - Sunday 27th October

The Plot café, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

Open Tuesday to Friday 8.45am to 4pm, Saturday 10am -4pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm.

Irish born, Kathy Clare moved to London in the 90’s where she enjoyed a career within finance, finally settling as an artist in the Cotswolds. In 2016 Kathy got an opportunity to study Fine Art achieving a BA (2018), followed by an MA (2020) at Cheltenham University.

Surrounded by beautiful Cotswold cottages, floral gardens and ever-changing sessional views, these dreamlike surroundings inspired her study for her master's. 

'My style is unique; I have developed my own skills by experimenting with materials and process. My hand casting timings are key to achieving translucency in the porcelain walls of my lamps, which are then hand painted in delicate floral patterns using ceramic paints and lustres.’

Kathy will be showing her work in the Plot café.

Kathy Clare Ceramics (@kclare.co.uk)

www.kclare.co.uk

Taster exhibition - Autumn Arts Trail

Tuesday 8th - Sunday 20th October

The Setting Gallery and the Plot café, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

Open weekdays 8.30am to 4pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm.

The Autumn Arts Trail is a window into each artist’s practice; it’s enticing, inspiring and impressive.

Building on the success of last year, Autumn Arts has a total of over 50 artists and makers on the Trail, both in their studios and in exhibitions around the Five Valleys.

A selection of work from participating artists will be on show in this ‘Taster Exhibition’ in the Setting gallery and Plot café. 

‘Coast and Commons’ - An exhibition of work by Richard Erskine

Tuesday 1st - Sunday 6th October

The Setting Gallery and the Plot café, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm.

Richard loves diversity in life and art, and that shines through in his work and mark-making, experimenting in different media and techniques. He seeks out stunning locations on our coasts and commons for inspiration, or in any place where the light is doing something interesting. 

Richard enjoys the creative interplay between simplicity and complexity, between precision and ambiguity, which distinguishes art from mere representation. 

On show will be delicate watercolours, large expressive acrylics, naturalistic oil paintings, pencil sketches, and for a bit of fun, some pen & washes.

Instagram: richard_w_erskine

‘Pick’ Hannah Linfoot

Tuesday 24th - Sunday 29th September

The Setting Gallery, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm.

Artist Hannah Linfoot's solo show 'Pick' is an ode to the garden.  Flowers and vegetables picked from Hannah's garden are brought into the home and celebrated in contemporary bold oil paintings. 

Hannah_linfoot_art

'Where We Stand and What We See’ - Gemma Pitman

Tuesday 10th - Sunday 15th September

The Setting Gallery, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

Open weekdays 9am to 4pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm.

Gemma is a self-taught artist having grown up in a creative household at the foot of the Ridgeway in Oxfordshire. Gemma’s first career however, developed from her love of biology and having graduated from Southampton University with a degree in Physiotherapy, she then worked in Bristol and throughout mid and West Cornwall within the NHS. It was after the birth of her two sons that Gemma decided to revisit art. Possibly due to spending so much time in nature again as a mother of young children; Gemma was drawn to express the natural world through paint.

‘Where We Stand and What We See’ is Gemma’s second solo exhibition since she first started showing her work publicly in 2018.  Following on from her successful solo show ‘Living in the Landscape’ in 2022, Gemma has been exhibiting and selling work in group shows within the local area.

With an unceasing pull to the land, Gemma has been exploring our much-loved local landscape; walking the cow lines and paths to find different viewpoints to the familiar landscapes that are woven into our lives. ‘Where We Stand and What We See’ looks at the unique landscape in which we live; and continues to call the viewer to not only celebrate these places, but also to recognise that as we live in them, these places also live within us.

Jemma Jones and Melody Sellors - ‘Flow-Scapes’

Tuesday 3rd - Sunday 8th September.

Open weekdays 9am - 4pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm, Sunday 10am - 3pm
The Setting gallery, Three Storeys, Old Bristol Rd, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

‘Flow-Scapes’ - Explorations in paint, ink, shape and form. An exhibition of work by local artists Jemma Jones and Melody Sellors.

Melody's work is influenced by her love of small details everywhere.  Be it the curl of a fern or the organic landscape of the coast. 

The repetitive shapes and lines of nature become the inky explorations that lead to her abstract pieces.

Jemma immerses herself in the colours of nature. Storing memories of land and sky-scapes, which form her paintings, using acrylics and oils on canvas.

Not always conscious of where the work will take her,  this brings an organic flow to her art,  bringing vibrant colours and texture alive.

Both Jemma and Melody take much of their inspiration from nature. Be it hill-scape or coast-scape.

Coming together with their first joint exhibition ‘Flow-Scapes’ they can share their love of shape and form in their distinct styles of paint and ink. Both artists will have originals and prints for sale along with lamps, t-shirts and bags.

@melody_verity_art @art_by_jemsy 

‘A State of Flux’ - Curated by Rita Long

Tuesday 27th August to Sunday 1st September

The Setting Gallery, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

Open weekdays 10am to 4pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm.

The Fluxus movement, known for its event scores – artist instructions for others – is coming to Nailsworth. 

Hundred Heroines has chosen six captivating scores from critically acclaimed photographer Elina Brotherus's ‘Playground’ collection as inspiration for new work.  Young, local photographers are invited to respond to the instructions and offer their own interpretations on themes such as ‘Bad Camouflage’ and ‘Disobedience’.  The most interesting images will feature in the exhibition.

Curated by Hundred Heroines Ambassador and award-winning photographer, Rita Long, ‘A State of Flux' promises to be an eclectic mix of imagination and invention.

 Details of how to get involved will be available on the Hundred Heroines website from 1st July.

An exhibition of work by Michael Williams

Tuesday 13th - Sunday 25th August

The Setting Gallery, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm, closed Monday.

Michael has a long career as an artist which includes teaching at St Martin’s and Goldsmiths’ College in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, as well as producing his own work in a variety of media over the years.

Michael’s work shows his interest in space, light and the precarious human presence therein.

Choosing to work with coloured pencils for the last three years, rather than his usual acrylic or watercolours which had been his main media for years.

Michael insists on leaving the slightest gap between every pencil mark, increasing the lightness of the overall surface, thus taking it back to the characteristics of watercolour, and also strengthening the directional movement of the marks.

Works By; Echo Parker & Poppy Kakoz

Tuesday 30th July - Sunday 1st September

The Plot café, Three Storeys, Nailsworth, GL6 0JE

Open weekdays 8.30am to 4pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm.

With a passion for the human form, you can expect to see individuals as the focal point of Echo’s work, spreading across many media, ranging from life drawing to installation pieces.

While originally this interest was focussed around the physical form it has now spread to encompass psychological and social aspects of humanity.  It is such a passion that has led her through the local Art Foundation course and onto University to study Fine Art, with the aim of expanding her knowledge and maturing her skill sets to nourish her creativity. 

With a focus on people and the effects of tourism, Poppy has spent the last two years following A-Levels, travelling widely around Europe, Asia and Africa, recording as she goes.

Her passion for photography has lead her to further education; in September she will start a degree at University Arts London, studying Photojournalism and Documentary Photography.