beautiful bird houses by amanda mares....

the perfect gift for anyone who loves beautiful, handcrafted things, this bird house is made from vintage fabric and comes with a contrasting fabric bird. the house can be placed on a mantle or bookcase, or hung from the wall.

the artist, amanda mares, is based in manchester. we have five different bird houses for sale and, like anything bird-related at thewhitegallery, i'm expecting them to fly out quickly, so be sure to visit soon.

art angels special delivery...

i love this time of the year, when i can order new christmas cards from my wonderful suppliers, art angels in norwich.

the images they use are just beautiful - by artists like allen william seaby & print makers such as robert skinner and alice melvin - and they're printed to the highest quality, so lots of customers return to have them framed.

these are just a small selection of the cards on offer this year.

christmas comes early to thewhitegallery...

...in the shape of new work by the very talented ralph mcgaul.

demand for this artist's work is growing, so make a date to drop in soon and see his new paintings. i promise you won't be disappointed.

'coat of many colours,' by ralph mcgaul.

'baby's head, chips & gravy', by ralph mcgaul.

'lake or backwater' by ralph mcgaul.

we also have some new work by di metcalfe and jenny hirst - perfect for that surprise gift on christmas morning.

the gallery is open wednesday to friday 10am-3pm and saturday 10am-5pm.

something special from over the hill...

'Tulips' by Ingrid Karlson-Kemp.

One of my favourite car journeys out of Bollington is up Blaze Hill, along the side of the ridge with White Nancy at the end, and out across the moors towards Buxton. The children especially love the twists and turns in the road, and the openness as you get to the highest point with the valleys below. I always remark that 'I think that's Shuttlingsloe?' without actually knowing, but something I'm very sure about is that every bit of the landscape makes me want to exhale and lower my shoulders. It was this journey (but in reverse) that the artist Ingrid Karlson-Kemp took to find me the other day.

'River Breaking' by Ingrid Karlson-Kemp

Originally from Sweden, Ingrid works in mixed media, using rich, colourful textures whether working with recycled paper materials or stitching in fabric and fibre. Storytelling inspires her work where subject matter ranges from memories, journeys and experiences, to the magic landscapes of her present home in Upper Dovedale or her roots in Northern Sweden. Favoured techniques include collage, mono-printing and crystalline watercolour lending the work a luminous quality.

Ingrid is one of the resident artists at the Gallery in the Gardens at Buxton's refurbished Pavilions. She is also a member of the Peak District Artisans, exhibiting at the prestigious annual Great Dome Art Fair in the Buxton Festival Fringe.

I'm just delighted Ingrid has decided to venture over the hills to come and exhibit at thewhitegallery. Don't miss this chance to see her work before Christmas.

'Honeysuckle' by Ingrid Karlson-Kemp

new papier mache sculptures by patty callaghan...

who could resist patty callaghan's papiermache creations. a whole herd of cattle, sheep, crows and shire horses are crowding out thewhitegallery this christmas! fantastic value, starting at just £35 for a newspaper heffer, i dare you not to be charmed! they've brought a smile to the face of every customer who's seen them. be sure to take a look soon - and let us know if you've got any special requests as i'm sure patty could rustle up the odd terrier or gloucester old spot if we asked her nicely! email fionabailey@mac.com for more information.

New work by Adele White...

'It's the Ephemera' by Adele White

Based in South Cheshire, Adele White's work is immediately striking for its rich use of colour, shape and texture. Adele often works beyond the canvas, placing found objects like metal and board around and over the edges of the base.

"The stimulus for my work," she says, "is a vast collection of memories and experiences...these include old boats, architectural surfaces and peeling billboards whose rich textures and time worn qualities provide intrigue. It is the ephemera which trace a person's existence by the surface marks that remain, which I find fascinating."

Adele describes her painting process as a kind of 'artistic archaeology'- the oil paint is layered up and selectively rubbed back to reveal previously worked areas. Her work is essentially abstract but there is something very realistic about elements of it too - a bus ticket here, a foreign stamp there, each tiny fragment a memory of some journey taken, some place visited. Like a very beautiful scrap book presented in a painterly way. Each picture tells a story and it's up to the viewer to interpret the tale.

'Stop, Look, Listen' by Adele White