My four years journey has, this year, brought me closer to my creative goals, and finally to my own website!

As 2024 emerged with our Craven Arts members group exhibition SPRING as we continued to develop our Gallery on Otley Street which today is filled with a wide variety of mediums and techniques from over 30 members with our WINTER show. I featured in Dales Countryside Museum exhibition Labour of Love - a point in time looking ahead, with perspectives from people involved in farming, wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, land management and tourism in the Yorkshire Dales. I also ran a children’s art workshop at a Gargrave & Malhamdale Community Library event, volunteered at the Folly Museum in Settle where I sell greetings cards and paintings, and became the first artist to sell a painting at the newly opened Badger in the Wall Gallery in nearby Clapham - result!

I took my flock of sheep portraits to the  hugely popular Cumbria Wool Gathering which was great fun, then welcomed lots of lovely visitors to my studio during the bank holiday Craven Arts - Summer Breeze festival. I said goodbye to my long-standing role managing entries for Gargrave's annual Art Exhibition, and found myself co-opted as membership representative for the Craven Arts Trust Charity.  Our local agricultural show season has long been a favourite in our family farming calendar, so standing at Trawden Agricultural Show continues to be a coming-home experience.

I ventured further into regional makers market scene at the local artisan 'Apple' Makers Fairs on a glorious day at Holden Clough Nurseries, Bolton in Bowland. I've featured with other artists at Skipton's The Home Company, at its lovely promotional event. I have also managed the second annual Art & Heritage exhibition for St Mary's Thornton-in-Craven and staged 'Sceap and Tun' Sheep Town at Holy Trinity, Skipton, with both ventures supporting these churches with their enormous fundraising appeals.

Artisan makers markets at Craven Arts House in Skipton, and Gargrave-based Craven Makers and Vintage Fair will soon be rounding off a successful year for Cum-bye arts, and being in a position to make all this possible I have to extend my thanks to Eustachio of  Webarto www.webarto.co.uk … this un-fussy and easy to manage website has been the icing on the cake!

My focus for the coming year will be three-fold. Nurturing little Ollie and Isla our new great grandchildren into the wonderful world of the arts; helping to extend the reach for the Craven Arts Charity, and as I join the hugely popular North Yorkshire Open Studios circuit to build upon all these experiences.

In the meantime … Do keep an eye on my blog pages and call into Studio 3 Craven Arts House at any time Wednesdays, Fridays or Saturdays 11 A.M - 4 P.M. (or by appointment via email) to check out my work as it evolves. Find out what we are doing and where we are going to be next, through my future blogs or my comments page. 

Thank you to all my wonderful customers, colleagues, friends and family for your continuing support!