Chester art gallery set to open doors for annual autumn exhibition

Both evenings will include a drinks reception. The gallery will also be open for viewings on Saturday, November 9, Sunday, November 10, Saturday, November 16 and Sunday, November 17 from 11am to 5pm.

Founded in 1990 by Peter and Klazien Bullivant, with the ongoing objective of bringing high-quality, original, affordable British art to the North West, Gorstella Gallery is now run by their daughter Bridget and her husband Stephen.

The unique space which houses the gallery was created from some converted cow shippons adjoining Peter and Klazien’s home, Tudor Farm in Dodleston, five miles from Chester city centre.

The exhibition will feature works by artists Anita Klein, Kate Evans, Andrew Hood, Anne-Marie Butlin, Viki Metzler, Clare Shaughnessy, Malcolm Taylor, Matthew Wood and Annie Williams and will encompass a variety of subjects, styles and mediums.

Bridget Kimber, gallery owner, said: “This is a fantastic mixed exhibition featuring new and exciting works by some of the UK’s finest artists. We are delighted to be opening the doors of the gallery once again and are looking forward to welcoming visitors old and new to our viewings.

“If you’re looking to purchase an original piece of artwork, either for yourself or as a Christmas gift for a loved one, our exhibition is sure to provide the perfect opportunity.”

Works on display will include prints by Anita Klein whose hand-made linocuts depict the various activities and relationships of her family members. These depictions are often gently humorous.

Through her beautiful and confident use of line and space, she creates images and memories which are universally understood. The Guardian said of Anita Klein’s work: “No British artist has more thoroughly explored the female experience of family in the past 30 years than Anita Klein.”

The gallery is also delighted to be hosting works by Andrew Hood, winner of the Gorstella Award for Fine Art and the Liverpool Life Painting Open in 1995. Upon graduating, Andrew was asked to participate in a group show at Gorstella Gallery and has exhibited very successfully on numerous occasions since.

Making her Gorstella Gallery debut, artist Viki Metzler is a postgraduate in Character Animation at Central Saint Martins in London. Viki now works as a freelance cartoonist, illustrator and painter.

Originally from Switzerland, Viki moved to South Wales in 2012. The gallery is delighted to be showing Viki’s work for the first time.

In contrast to Viki, watercolour artist Annie Williams first exhibited her paintings at Gorstella Gallery 30 years ago in 1994 and has continued to exhibit her etchings and watercolours regularly at the gallery since.

Her recent work has been almost entirely still-life. She enjoys playing with shapes, patterns and colours, mixing the familiar with some abstraction and precision with suggestion.

Her foregrounds are a few simple objects, usually pots, and backgrounds are created from textiles or old newspaper cuttings, and even some unfinished paintings as a starting point.

The Autumn exhibition will also feature works by Chester-based professional wildlife artist Clare Shaughnessy, who specialises in birds and animal subjects.

Born on the Wirral in 1963, Clare’s status in the top tier of wildlife art has long been established. Her works have been exhibited nationally and she has been nominated three times for wildlife artist of the year.

Paintings on display will also include work by artist Malcom Taylor, who has a career spanning more than 40 years.

He is a member of the Royal Society of British Artists, the Pastel Society and the former president of the Manchester Academy of Fine Art. His work can be found in collections in several countries, including the UK, USA, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand.

Joining Malcom in exhibiting at the gallery is Mid-Wales-based artist Matthew Wood, who produces oil paintings in one sitting in site-specific locations using sections of board panel and MDF to create images that retain a painterly expression of either landscape or interior.

Travelling either on foot, by bike or by car to these locations, his chosen method of transport dictates the scale of each piece, as does the weather and light on the depth of technique, with all pieces being completed in situ.

Full details of Gorstella Gallery’s Autumn exhibition can be found at www.gorstellagallery.co.uk.

Location: Chester in Cheshire