Thinking outside the (GIFT) box!

So ‘silly season’ is most definitely upon us now in Heart Gallery and we are positively glowing with cheer and enjoying the festive atmosphere in Hebden Bridge. The Valley of Lights events recently really brought our community together and it was an amazing celebration for businesses and homeowners that had been affected by the floods but got through it and renovated and re-opened. With a sense of pride for what we have all achieved the Valley of Lights attracted approximately 10,000 visitors from far and wide and gave the upper Calder valley the boost it needed to face Christmas.

With the Festive Fandango now well and truly underway we can see at Heart Gallery that people are making more of a conscious effort to stay local and support the many small independent shops in our great town. Every year I do this as I feel so blessed to have a wealth of choice on my doorstep but this year more and more people are supporting Hebden Bridge businesses which is fantastic to see. Festive Fandango is now in its third year and gathering pace. It’s not rocket science! All you need to do is spend a minimum of £5 in 5 separate Hebden Bridge shops, get a sticker, collect all 5, complete the card and hand it in or post it to our Visitor Centre by the Marina. You are then given a discount voucher booklet for January and entered into the draw to win a £750 hamper of goodies donated by all the lovely shops in our great town.

So many of our fabulous customers are thinking outside the (gift) box this year and I just wanted to share a couple with you that have got our creative juices flowing here at Heart Gallery so thank you to those that planted the seeds for those ideas!

Andy Poplar’s amazingly clever etched glass lab bottles have been bought to fill with home infused damson gin for presents by one very artistic customer who is also a member of our fabulous Hebden Bridge WI. Then this last weekend two guys bought the larger version of Andy’s lab bottle for their bathroom to keep purple shampoo and conditioner in … I will be borrowing that idea too!

I think everyone in our town should bottle a bit of Hebden Spirit don’t you?

The same lovely lady who has been making damson gin all year came back for one of Rosie’s handmade mini wooden chopping boards we have in Elm, Oak, Tulip and Zebrano …. not for cheese but for lemons and limes to go with the gin of course!

So there you have it folks, a few ideas thinking outside the (gift) box and keeping your pennies in the town along with the chance to win a £750 hamper – simples I say!

Christmas At Heart

CHRISTMAS AT HEART

Yes …. it is that time of the year again! Christmas always feels like it comes around again so quickly and I don’t mind that because I love this time of the year – it’s a really lovely, warm, cosy, happy family time for me. Although there are loved ones no longer with me I always feel their presence more around Christmas than at any other time of the year and know that they are gathering too …. keeping those dreams alive and Christmas at heart.

[don'tstopdreaming] – Andy Poplar

Christmas at Heart Gallery is always a ‘family’ gathering too as we all look forward to it so much and start to get excited as soon as the first parcel of work arrives from one of our many talented makers …. we almost feel as if we are gathering around the tree Christmas morning to unwrap our delights! The reality is of course that we are unwrapping them in their new home in Heart Gallery, displaying them for your delight (as well as ours) and watching them get admired, purchased and wrapped ready for their next new home!

Heart hangings – Caroline Parrott

This year we do feel that Christmas in Hebden Bridge is a crucial one for all of us. As small independents that were affected by the devastating ‘summer’ flooding back in June and July, we are hoping that our beautiful Hebden Bridge will be a destination for many and that our streets will be alive with locals and visitors eager to support us all and shop locally.

Beach Family Necklace – Charlottte Lowe

I have had many conversations with customers and friends lately that have all said they really want to try harder this year and buy all their gifts and provisions for Christmas in Hebden Bridge so that is something that has been really uplifting to hear. I personally have never found it difficult to spend in my own town and support both my neighbours on Market Street and traders in the rest of the town throughout the year anyway … to me Christmas is no different in that respect, I just spend more!

[milkof] Human Kindness – Andy Poplar

Being aware that money is a lot tighter for all of us at the moment has meant the type of gorgeous work we have chosen for the Winter and our Christmas Exhibition has had a few restraints put on it so that we can offer a purse friendly range to suit all budgets. One thing that has not changed however is the quality of the work on the shelves and in the cabinets at Heart Gallery!

Silver and 22ct gold etched jewellery – Diana Porter

We have got a superb mix of contemporary jewellery and craft from our local and UK based makers and as we are now an established destination for many of you all these wonderful pieces are under one roof making it so much easier to shop; especially when the weather is a little grim – always warm and sunny in Heart Gallery!

Ceramics – Simone Morris

Silver Jewellery – Katharine Yelland

Ceramics – Elissia Grace

Come along and browse our inviting space for that perfect gift or treat as there is always a warm welcome at Heart Gallery. Please join us on Sunday 4th November, between 12-5pm, for a sneaky peek at all the new work and get yourself in the Christmas Spirit! Glittering jewellery, luxury textiles, functional wood, delicate ceramics, witty glass, paintings and print … the list is endless but we can guarantee you will be able to tick a few off your list after your visit!

Seaside Stacking Rings – Becca Williams

Claire and Amy’s found object creatures

Silver jewellery – Elaine Jenkins

Textiles – Elissia Grace

Summer Frolics – Ami Derbyshire

See you on the 4th November if you can make it and if not, don’t worry, just pencil us in your diary for a pre-Christmas visit soon and you won’t be disappointed.

CHRISTMAS AT HEART SUNDAY 4TH NOVEMBER 12-5PM

Christmas Celebrations at Heart Gallery

OWN ART DAY AT HEART GALLERY SUNDAY 11 DECEMBER 11AM - 5PM

Hello friends

Just a quick blog post to tell you about our Own Art Day Sunday 11 December from 11am-5pm. We will have lots of goodies to give away but we really want to talk to you about how great this scheme is. OWN ART is an Arts Council England initiative designed to make it easy and affordable for everyone to own high quality contemporary art and craft.

Own Art To Take Home

The scheme seeks to support the creative economy by encouraging increased sales of work by living artists from a wide range of visual arts venues across the country and Heart Gallery wholeheartedly supports and promotes this scheme.

Heart Gallery Hebden Bridge

Why? Because it allows our customers to apply for an interest free loan of between £100 and £2000 for the purchase of original works of art or craft in any media. No deposit is required and loans are repayable in 10 monthly interest free instalments.

Own Art With an Interest Free* Loan Representative 0% APR

The Social Housing Shortage ltd edition screenprint £6.20 a month for 10 months

This means that, particularly at this time of the year, there is no need to max up the credit card and incur high interest charges because you can choose more or less anything you want from Heart Gallery and buy it on the Own Art scheme interest free …. it doesn’t cost you a penny more than the price of the piece(s) and you then have 10 months to pay for your purchase but you can take it away with you the same day your loan is approved! The minimum you can borrow is £100 (monthly repayment of £10) but this can be used to cover a group of lower value items whose combined total adds up to £100 or more.

Think about it …. a necklace for Mum …

Silver lily necklace with white fresh water pearl £57

… a bracelet for your best friend …

Silver flower charm bracelet £54

… a limited edition print for your Aunty and Uncle …

Boutique Shopping in County Arcade Leeds £80

… a mounted textile for gran …

Gran textile picture £60

… and a treat for you perhaps!!

Silver Primrose studs £40

All these pieces above qualify for the Own Art scheme and total £291 but you will pay just £29.10 per month for 10 months and everyone gets to own a piece by a UK based artist/maker that’s really special and not mass produced.

So, if you want to find out more about Own Art, or wish to purchase pieces from Heart Gallery on the Own Art Scheme, bob along on Sunday 11 December for some festive cheer. Joining us in the afternoon to sing Christmas Carols for your entertainment will be Gledholt Male Voice choir. They are kindly giving up their Sunday afternoon free of charge to sing a selection of popular carols and collect for various local charities so do come along and show your support. Their musical team includes Susan Wilkinson, an award winning musical director, and accompanist John S Bailey who has worked with Opera North, Freddie Starr and various award winning choral societies so this promises to be an entertaining afternoon.

Gledholt Male Voice Choir

Meet The Maker – Tania Sneesby

Tania Sneesby - Textile Artist

Tania uses a variety of new and vintage fabrics, combining them with unexpected materials, to create beautiful tactile craft pieces. 

Sister - mounted original textile piece in Heart Gallery

She doesn’t like to over plan the work, preferring to start with just a simple sketch, and “feel the work”, enjoying the flow of extemporizing, letting the fabric determine the outcome. Tania loves the imperfection of working this way, leaving edges raw, and threads loose, emphasizing the hand made care and fragility of the work.

Grandad - mounted original textile piece in Heart Gallery

As her work grows and develops, She is planning to continue with further experimentation, incorporating photographic elements, and creating new combinations and discoveries.

Tea for 3 - mounted original textile piece in Heart Gallery

Tania graduated from the University of Central Lancashire, where she studied illustration. She is fascinated by the relationship between text and pictures, and is particularly interested in children’s book illustration. 

Gran - mounted original textile piece in Heart Gallery

Tania loves traditional stories and fairy tales, and is looking forward to further development of different characters. This means that a new body of work inspired by folklore will be in our ‘May Your Dreams Come True’ Exhibition in May 2012. However, if you can’t wait that long Heart Gallery is proud to showcase a small range from Tania for our Christmas Exhibition.

Meet The Maker – Timea Sido

Timea Sido - ceramicist

Award winning British designer Timea Sido is based at the prestigious Cockpit arts London. Where she has been hand crafting her beautifully intricate ceramics since 2002. Timea’s work ranges from hand crafted bespoke work to design for manufacture and batch production. Her clients have included Kevin McCloud, Molton Brown, Kelly Hoppen, Aveda, Liberty and Fortnum and Mason.

Tangled contour small vessel

Timea’s Tangled Web Collection challenges conventional ceramics, through the development of an innovative technique in which delicate organic lines of white earthenware clay are formed and layered to construct a filigree pattern, which is then creatively applied to a variety of products within the collection.

Tangled Web Small T-Light holder

Her intricate ‘tangled’ pattern structure and fine detailing is Timea’s signature style.

Tangled Heart Container

Her enchanting ceramics add a touch of individuality to a room.

Tangled Web bowl collection

Timea’s work has been well represented by the media and the press, her work was featured in ‘Breaking the Mould’ a contemporary ceramics book published by Black Dog Publishing. Timea also won Best Dressed Stand @ PULSE 08 for her innovative display and enchanting collection of ceramics, textiles and gifts.

Various Tangled T-Light Holders

Her most recent achievement was winning the runner up prize for the Export Award at Origin 2009, enabling her to launch her collection in Milan the following year. 

Tangled heart hanging ornament on red ribbon

Heart Gallery has a wonderful selection of Timea’s tangled web collection and her hanging Christmas decorations are flying out so hurry if you are wanting to treat yourself to a snowflake, droplet, heart or bauble xXx

13.11.11

A great day on Sunday started with a very moving sight for me which I hadn’t realised would be happening.  I had been getting the gallery ready for opening for our What A Cracker Exhibition and I heard a brass band. I was just in time to see this band and people walked through Hebden Bridge and along Market Street at 11am.

Market Street 13.11.2011. 11am

What a great way to start the day which just got better and better so here are a few little piccies of our launch, please enjoy:

Fizz

There just had to be pink fizz …

Chocolates

and chocolate treats …

Tinsel

and because they are re-pointing the outside of the building I just had to trim up the scaffolding with tinsel and hearts …

Customers enjoying browsing the gallery

and customers browsing, sipping, chomping, marvelling and buying …

Contemporary craft on the shelves-small wire tin by Louise Wilson

and contemporary jewellery and craft including new collections from old favourites and new and exciting makers …

Baubles and Makers - Jacqui Sharples with her letterpress framed work

and baubles and makers adorning the gallery.

What A Cracker

If you couldn’t make it on Sunday don’t worry as the exhibition runs right through until January but we have another surprise event planned for Sunday 11 December so watch this space and see you soon xXx