Meet The Maker – Nick Tankard

Nick Tankard – artist

For this series of pictures of New York, Nick took inspiration from the films and photographs of 1940’s and 50’s America.  Nick has endeavored to create a vision of the bustling metropolis, a city where the grandeur of the Flatiron Building and the buzz and hum of Radio City Music Hall sit alongside late night diners, bars and neighborhood stores.  

 

FlatIron – Nick Tankard

Nick attempts to channel his fondness for films and vintage photographs by the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra and Fred Herzog to conjure images that contain similar themes seen in these classics of Americana.  Mystery, drama and a hint of absurdity can be found in Nick’s pictures of a lost world, but these images are not merely an exercise in nostalgia, they are also a celebration of the individual, an ode to non-conformity, a quiet reminder that in a time of bland commercialism and corporate bluster there are friendly independent shops, galleries and museums and even beautiful old cinemas being left to fall into ruin that deserve our attention to ensure they don’t turn into lost things.

Drugstore Manhattan – Nick Tankard

Nick’s pictures are produced using a cross- hatching technique with a fine line pen, layers upon layers of cross- hatching are built up to form structures and shapes whilst other areas are left untouched in order to hint at a flickering light or billowing clouds, it’s a time consuming process but one which he enjoys as it allows him time to listen to Tom Waits, audio books and radio plays. 

Radio City NYC – Nick Tankard

Nick lives next to a cobbled lane and rumbling train line in the village of Saltaire. We first spotted his work at a local private view and we have been hankering after it and pestering him for some ever since! Nearly camping out on his doorstep whilst he finished the originals for us! We hope you enjoy your piece of Nick as much as we do.

Thank you Mum x

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

Send in the cleaners!

This really sounds like something from a Tarantino film but I just wanted to write a quick little post on the cleaners that my landlord sent in on Sunday after the floods in Hebden Bridge Friday night!

Market Street flooding – image taken from the internet Ed Chadwick

I know that I  was really lucky on Friday night, compared to many of my lovely neighbours on Market Street, but I did still suffer and I suppose I naively thought that being set back from the road with gardens would save the building from being flooded by the water and sewage – I was wrong! You cannot protect anything from the forces of nature and I found that to be true today when ironically meeting with my loss adjuster in the garden at the gallery the sky turned black, the heavens opened and a flash storm meant the road outside the gallery and the path leading up to the front door was once again under an inch of water in 7 minutes! (apparently I have been reliably informed that this equates to 12 inches in an hour). Needless to say with both of us without umbrellas or coats we left in rather a soggy state!

One of three dehumidifiers working their socks off to dry out Heart Gallery

Anyway, I am waffling on so back to the cleaners! My landlord came round on Saturday during the clean up to bring dehumidifiers and let me know that the cleaners were arriving Sunday am. I swear that it just sounded like something from a film script! But send them in he did and when they arrived they worked like troopers to scrub the muck out of the reclaimed timber floor and skirtings in all the rooms and sanitise it so no germs could survive!

Cleaners in the Picture Gallery which sells paintings, prints, photography, glass  and ceramics

Cleaners in the back retail room that sells kitchen and homeware including retro telephones

Cleaning underway in the Picture Gallery – can you imagine how much we had to shift to make all this possible?

The cleaners in the back of the building in the office and storerooms – where does the water come from, where does it go? (Think there is a song there somewhere!)

I was so grateful that I also sent them on their ‘aching bone’ way with a bottle of pink fizz which I was told by them would go perfectly with the fish soup they were making for dinner!

Shifting the whole gallery around to clean!

Shifting the whole gallery around to clean!

No where to go!

So watch this space ……. hopefully the floor will once more be back to its former glory!

The floor clean and safe from germs x

So, the cleaners were amazing and I would recommend them to anyone so here is their Facebook Page.  Thanks to the landlord for stepping up to the mark in these difficult circumstances, thanks to friends and family who have been there to support me physically and emotionally (I have yet again learned a valuable life lesson about some), and thank you to my wonderful husband who has had flooding to our other business, The Milk Bar, to deal with along with me and my roller coaster of emotions – I love you xXx

Hebden Bridge Floods, Friday 22 June

Hello all, I have tried to write this over the last couple of evenings but it has been so difficult to do and I have been so physically and mentally drained that it became impossible. However, this morning, I can do it!! so here goes …

Drink Tea and Mop Up!

Last year’s sandbags I dragged from behind one of the graves in the garden as the council didn’t bring any down during the day for us.

As many of you are aware, and surprisingly some are not, Hebden Bridge was sadly a victim on Friday night to the elements and the forces of nature that we cannot control. The rain did not stop all day and the town was battered by a month’s worth of rainfall in 24 hours which unfortunately the hillside and rivers could not cope with. Where does it come from? Where does it go? The strength, power and force that the water had on the town caused devastation on a grand scale but also one that confused me somewhat with many businesses thankfully surviving whilst others completely hammered.

The river at the steps, Bridge Gate at 9pm Friday night

I’m not sure if you all know that my husband and I have another business in Hebden Bridge on Bridge Gate, The Milk Bar, which is a fabulous fifties diner inspired milkshake bar and ice-cream parlour. So, when the flood sirens went off around 8pm we both left our cosy home up in the hills to go down to the town to see what was happening. We met Heidi from Rubyshoesday, and also saw Ellen from The Yorkshire Soap Co, and realised that actually this was starting to look a little grim and we had not yet had any sandbags delivered!

Both doors at Heart Gallery protected as best as we could with limited resources and no real warning of the severity

Limited resources meant that only one sand bag was left for The Milk Bar at 8.30pm

The steps!

What could we do? We went in and raised what we thought would be enough and went home with fingers, toes and everything else crossed! I went over the tops but Bart went along the bottom and nearly didn’t make it through Mytholmroyd! We knew then that Friday night would be a very long night indeed!

The journey home!

Mytholmroyd, 9.30 pm

Mytholmroyd 9.45pm Friday 22 June 2012

After a night of not really sleeping as I watched the flood unfold via social media the journey into Hebden Bridge was a very nervous one and I have to say I was both surprised and shocked at what I saw! Where had all the water gone? 

Bridge Gate 7am Saturday 23 June, 2012

How had it left so much carnage behind?

Milk Bar

Sand bags washed away at Heart

Heart Gallery has not been as badly hit as some of our fellow neighbours on Market Street so the scale of devastation is really weird and very difficult to understand; some businesses are not affected and open as normal and others have lost their entire stock – it really is nearly the most sickening thing I have had to witness first hand and never want to see this scale of damage again in a town so full of independent small businesses.

We had raised things off the floor the night before but hadn’t expected the levels to be as deep as they were in the end coming in through both front doors

Everything on the lowest shelves at the back of Heart Gallery ruined by the water and sludge

Even things in bubble wrap, bags or boxes in the office and storeroom couldn’t escape the waves that must have swept to the back of the building

When the town woke up on Saturday morning I have to say the offers of help from customers, friends, fellow business neighbours not affected and just randoms was truly amazing to see with offers of help, mops, buckets, bin bags, coffee, cake turning up constantly throughout the day. Many of those who came to help me I sent further down Market Street to Sage & Onion, Dynamite, Rubyshoesday and Aline Outdoors as their needs were far greater than mine.

Market Street from the Co-Op end on Friday night when the rivers burst

I have seen the very best in people over the last few days, a special big shout out to Giles (Heart Gallery customer) who turned up mop in one hand and coffee in the other very early and also helped to secure the front doors at the end of Saturday as we were on alert for another night of floods (which thankfully didn’t come). And I have seen the very worst, youths and people being disrespectful to businesses clawing through damaged stock out on the streets, condescending comments and a teenage girl kindly offering her services …. for £7 an hour! Calderdale Council were quick to get in to Hebden Bridge to help take away the many items piling up on the pavements and very early Sunday morning were trying to clean the streets too to help make the town look great again.

The guys turning up to clear the rubbish

7am Sunday morning, cleaning Market Street

Our town will look great again, but it may take some time with some businesses open long before others, and when we are all back up and running we will need you, our townsfolk, our friends, our family, our loyal customers back in force supporting and spending and keeping it totally locally.

Here are a few pictures of the river Friday night and some kindly emailed through to me of neighbouring businesses affected so badly with some losing more than half of their stock; this will show you how invasive this flood has been for us all in Hebden Bridge as even those physically not affected at home or work are mentally affected – go on line and google for more images of our schools, our cinema etc and there is a flood relief fund also here.

The river at 8.30pm Friday night

Rubyshoesday

Alpine Outdoors

Market Street Friday night

The Milk Bar, Bridge Gate

GORGEOUS!

I will second the sentiments in these signs now placed in the window at The Yorkshire Soap Company and hope to see visitors flocking back to a great town of great shops very soon xXx

You are all amazing x

Meet The Maker – Christine Kaltoft

Christine Kaltoft – Jeweller

Christine designs and makes graphic contemporary jewellery and works mostly in fine gold and silver wires, sometimes including elements of wood. Her techniques include soldering, welding, and forging.

Silver necklace from the Nest Collection

Christine’s inspiration comes from the movements and sounds she comes across. She captures these moments with quick sketches and later creates jewellery that conveys the energy of the experience, resulting in jewellery that bursts or flows, is simple and elegant, or complex and layered. Her pet hens, and the wild birds that had flooded into her garden once her ancient cats had died, have begun to emerge in her work. 

‘Golden Egg necklace’, silver, walnut, 18 carat gold

Tiny nest studs, oxidised silver & 18 carat gold

Christine’s latest work is inspired by the garden in her new home in Bruton. The rolling hills and valleys, amazing skies, birds and plants all make an appearance.

Nest rings and nest capsule ring

Flock necklace, oxidised silver & 18 carat gold

Making one-off brooches as seminal pieces, the rest of the collection followed. Exuberant, light, and graphic. Christine’s jewellery is made to be worn: little signals that the wearer cares about objects with meaning and provenance.

Sprig necklace, oxidised silver and gold plated silver

Walnut sprig pendants, silver, walnut, & 18 carat gold

Heart Gallery is proud to showcase Christine’s Nest collection in our Summer Showcase and hope that you get to call in to see it shortly.

Meet The Maker – Anna De Ville

Anna de Ville – Jeweller

Essentially self taught, Anna works on the flat. The shape of the piece is sawn from a sheet of silver and then built up a layer at a time. The areas to be applied are cut out with very sharp snips and then soldered into place. The last details are made with fine silver wire. The dramatic black and white “wood block” look is achieved by oxidising the background and polishing the foreground with a selection of mops and brushes.

Raven necklace

All Anna’s inspiration comes from the natural world. The figurative side of her work is shown in humorous interpretation of animals.

Large Tawny Owl Necklace and Tawny Owl Earrings

Badgers and frogs sit alongside cheeky starlings and bemused looking owls.

Guillemot Brooch

Her latest project is to explore the design possibilities of the plumage of particular birds like the avocet and raven in a series of limited edition brooches and necklaces.

Shag Earrings with Beads

These hand made pieces are a real joy to work on and make Anna want to get up in the morning and we are proud to be showcasing some of her fabulous limited edition pieces.

Guillemot necklace

Meet The Maker – Colette Halstead

Colette Halstead – Glass artist

Colette is a glass artist based in Lancashire who enjoys working mainly with kiln fused glass but she does also use stained glass techniques.

Colette Halstead Glass – Landscape Dish

Colette’s artistic background is as varied and colourful as Blackpool, the town she was born in. She trained professionally as a fine art printmaker and on returning to her home town she worked for fifteen years as one of three artists at ‘Blackpool Illuminations’. She was the only female in a team of forty skilled workers and as artists they we were responsible for translating the designers’ ideas into the brightly lit six mile display.

Colette Halstead Glass – Seedhead Dish

 Her desire to work with glass started with a leaded light course in 2003. Glass captivates Colette like no other material; its translucency combined with the muted colours she uses, create beautiful lighting effects. She uses recycled and reclaimed window glass in her work and whilst temperamental it has a particular uniqueness of its own. Old window glass previously used to view landscapes through now hold another landscape between the layers. 

Colette Halstead Glass – Landscape coaster set

Colette’s work is always a response to the surroundings and situations that she’s in. She developed her work taking inspiration from both urban and natural landscapes, big skies and open spaces. Leaves taken from the landscape gift her work with the beauty of their organic shapes as she fuses them into the glass to create a simple composition of a tree.

Colette Halstead Glass – Hawthorn Landscape Wall piece

Inspired by nature, Colette’s unique leaf and landscape series capture the essence of the British countryside. Hedgerow and riverbank greenery from the landscapes are introduced into each piece and mark their organic silhouettes in the glass, capturing permanent memories of their once leafy existence.

Colette Halstead Glass – Landscape DIsh with Mill

Above all Colette creates pieces that she hopes give a joy and happiness to those who hold them.

Colette Halstead Glass – Hedge Parsley Rectangular Dish

Meet The Maker – Bek Genery

Bek Genery – Jeweller

Bek has been lucky enough to bump into people along the way who have taught her the basics of playing with metal including a jeweller, a Norfolk tractor driver with a welding shed, a third generation engineer and a blacksmith from Yorkshire! She has a real belief in learning direct from crafts people. The rest is experimentation and the library.

Affirmation tag bracelets

Bek has always been interested in processes that start with a pile of raw materials and end up with an object. She has experimented with a range of techniques such as tempera painting, spinning and knitting, felt making and eventually settled on precious metals and stones.  This allowed her to bring together a love of treasure, decoration, self-expression, craftsmanship and an excuse to indulge her desire to just get up and go places. Her work has a rough luxe spirit.

Affirmation tag earrings

Bek is interested in where the materials lead you in themselves, how far you can stretch them. Cold forming and reticulation appeal to her particularly. The geology and structural properties of stones and small found objects that can be incorporated into the metal shape her work.

Affirmation tag ring

Affirmation tag necklace

When we travel both geographically and chronologically we often take a keep-sake with us, something that anchors us in some way to the place or people that we come from or to ourselves; they act as navigation aids as we negotiate our way about. Bek is interested in these objects (contemporary and historical), actual compasses and astrolabes as well as lucky coins, photos, bits of baby blanket and locks of hair.

Affirmation tag selection

Bek has created a range of affirmation pieces for us and if her words don’t call out to you then why not chose some of your own and ask us to make you a piece. Bek is happy to work on commissions to help you personalise a piece for you or for a loved one.

Affirmation tag selection

Meet The Maker – Fiona Mazza

Fiona Mazza – Ceramicist

Fiona was born in Yorkshire and has always been interested in the natural world. After going back to education in 1998 Fiona studied ceramics in a part time capacity and then became technician and part time lecturer at Harrogate college. Fiona was awarded with a first class BA honours at Harrogate College in June 2010.

Butterfly Wings Clock – Fiona Mazza

Fiona’s work is noticeably influenced by landscape, and the nature in the landscape. Each piece is hand-built or slip cast and carved. Coloured slips are used and burnished to create a smooth finish and then the piece is bisque fired to 980°. One of Fiona’s ranges focuses on the wonderful world of butterflies. Enabling an exciting development of colourful forms. The final firing for the butterfly pots is Raku, the drama of which appeals to her both as a maker, and as an appropriate way to finish the work.  

Butterfly Wings Clock – Fiona Mazza

Fiona has also been making moulds and casting from pumpkins grown on her allotment, then applying slips and carving holes so they can be lit with the lights provided creating subtle patterns on the area around the pumpkins. The final firing for the pumpkins and the clocks is to 1220° in an electric kiln this makes them more durable.

Ceramic pumpkin lights – Fiona Mazza

Heart Gallery was blown away by Fiona’s work when we first met her in April 2012 and couldn’t wait to showcase her pieces. We hope you are as excited about her work as we are; the little battery operated light in the pumpkin gives it a lovely red, blue or green glow.

Meet The Maker – Caroline Parrott

Caroline Parrott – designer/maker

Caroline works in anodised aluminium, which she hand prints and dyes to create a range of jewellery, home and garden accents and mixed media automata.

Butterfly pendants on ribbon

Caroline runs her business as a maker alongside working as an arts education officer at a popular contemporary craft venue in Dorset. This combination of pursuits has led her to develop her role as a workshop tutor, she now runs regular creative classes using colourful aluminium, as well as outreach work and community projects with local schools and children’s groups. Projects have included giant swarms of butterflies adorning public spaces and school grounds.

Wall mounted butterflies

Caroline’s love of making automata was born out of the need to allow people to touch work in a gallery environment. Its endless possibilities, limitless humour and accessibility to all make the work a joy to design and create. She relishes the interaction that can be created between a viewer and a moving object.

Anodised aluminium and mixed media automata – Caroline Parrott

Caroline often chooses to combine her metal with vintage ephemera and old-fashioned containers found at antique markets. She takes much of her inspiration from traditional insect collections and Victorian apparatus, including wood and brass fittings wherever possible.

Coil Bangles

Heart Gallery loves Carolines work and finds it really cheery – particularly making us smile us through the start of a very wet and soggy June in Hebden Bridge! We hope you love her work too and will be wearing your little piece of Caroline when the sun peeks out!

Meadow Flowers