15/4/2010

I stopped to admire the glass figures in the window of this small gallery/shop and went inside to have a closer look. The figures are huge. almost life size, made by an artist called Steven Yates. My eye was caught by another piece that happened to be by the same artist. It was a paper mache pair of figures in a passionate embrace, painted red. When I asked about it the lady painting at the back of the shop explained that on the male figure there were 'men seeking women' ads. and on the female figure 'women seeking men' ads. It is appropriately title 'Chemistry' - I like it because the artist has really captured the movement and passion of the couple. It is slightly erotic but not tasteless! Alas if I only had £800 to spare and an appropriate wall to hang it on!

Aside from this piece, which really grabbed me, the gallery is filled with paintings of landscapes and flowers, some beautiful, others quite ordinary. There were a few smaller glass and ceramic works and a cabinet of handmade jewelry. It is a lovely place to have a look around even if you can't afford to buy anything!

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2/1/2010 1 photo

This is a truly exciting and beautifully art gallery. I challenge you to wander past the window and not stop for a quick browse. I wasn't even meant to be stopping the day I discovered this gem in the heart of Ilkley and I suppose you might say it actually stopped me in my tracks. It isn't hard to see why either.

Inside there was a lovely range of different types of art from a range of exciting media. Some of my favourites were the exquisitely painted photo-realistic images, although the Stef Ottevangar animal sculptures were really quite cute. There was jewellery on show too, including some lovely metal carved earrings for about £20. My absolute favourite was this amazing snowy road scene on a huge canvas, it really was something else.

Essentially, whatever is on show here clearly will be of the highest quality and although it may be high end, I can justify those sorts of prices for high art by independent artists. Take a look for yourself, it's lovely!

Listed in: A guide to Ilkley ...

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