This is my latest painting and my first self portrait. Although I can't imagine I'll get much take- up for a nude self portrait of myself this painting is for sale. It's a small canvas, the dimensions are the same as my 'Windermere form Wansfell' painting (see previous post), oil and acrylic, £35 (inc p&p).

If you'd like to buy this painting, or contact me for anything else, you can do so via the comments box on the blog, by tweeting me @BekhaG or emailing me at rebecca.greensides@hotmail.com. I'm in the process of setting up a facebook page to accompany this blog, so details of that to follow soon.

Have a great bank hoilday weekend everyone xxx

A quick post tonight, just wanted to make you aware of some up- coming Art events to put in your diary.

Firstly, Holmfirth Art Festival will run from June 14th to 24th. The website 'About' info goes-

Holmfirth Arts Festival is eleven days of music, art, comedy, theatre, literature and inspiring things to do in Holmfirth and the Holme Valley.


We celebrate the landscape of this beautiful part of Yorkshire, inviting audiences to enjoy events in picturesque village halls and churches, cafes and teashops, Holmfirth's atmospheric Picturedrome, up on the hills overlooking the town and in surrounding woodland as well as some of the more unusual places the town has to offer, like Th'Owd Towser, the old church jail. We have events in homes, in the street, and by the river. If you already know Holmfirth and the Valley, the festival is an opportunity to see it a little differently. If you've not yet discovered this lovely part of Yorkshire then June is the perfect time to visit!




As well as lots to look at and listen to, Holmfirth Arts Festival is full of things to do yourself, from art workshops to walking tours, choral singing to map making, writing and drumming. 

This will be the first time I've attended this rather new festival and I can't wait to try out all the workshops that will be going on and see some local artist's work in more intimate settings. I'll give more details about what I'll be getting up to at the Holmfirth Arts Festival in a future post/ s. If you want any more info check out the festival's website at www.holmfirthartsfestival.co.uk.


Secondly, another Holmfirth art event, the simply superb Holmfirth Art Week will be on this year between July 1st to 7th, every day 10am until 9pm (roughly- times vary a little!). This fantastic event has been going for 51 years and donates 20% of it's profits to Macmillian. It features a mix of professional and amateur artists, most local but some from further a field. As well as filling the beautiful civic hall for the week, tons of local businesses in the centre and surrounding areas of Holmfirth get involved too- shops, pubs, bars, restaurants, the tourism office etc. These venues are known as 'Fringe Venues' and you can easily spend the day visiting the main exhibit at the civic hall then touring the Fringe Venues.

Every year there is a 'featured artist' who gets a solo exhibit on the top floor of the civic hall and this year that privilege goes to the wonderful Rosalind Annis. I remember Rosalind from when she was just starting out and quickly she began going from strength to strength. Over the years she's had a number of works exhibited at Art Week Fringe venues and even a solo exhibit as part of the Fringe. Her art is lovely, colourful, positive and refreshing- she deserves this accolade.

Holmfirth Art Week really is one of the highlights of my year, I love it! And have been attending ever since I moved to the Holme Valley when I was around 8 years old.

Sadly I entered the amateur lottery to try and exhibit some work in this year's Art Week and didn't get picked- better luck next time hopefully. You can check out the website for my info at www.holmfirthartweek.org.uk.


Thirdly, in Chatsworth House's beautiful gardens there is currently an outdoor sculpture exhibit by Caro. This outdoor event, included in your garden admission ticket (pricey but worth it), runs until July 1st (I know what Chris and I will be doing over next week's bank holidays then!). The blurb goes-


The Chatsworth House Trust and the New Art Centre, Roche Court Sculpture Park, are proud to present 'Caro at Chatsworth'. This will be the first exhibition dedicated to the work of a single artist to be held in the garden at Chatsworth and will comprise 15 sculptures by Sir Anthony Caro sited around the famous Emperor Fountain, in front of the south façade at Chatsworth. 'Caro at Chatsworth' provides a once in a lifetime chance to see the larger work of Britain's greatest living sculptor in one of Britain's most famous historic settings.

If you attend this exhibit its sure to whet your appetite perfectly for Beyond Limits in September. For more information visit the Chatsworth House website at www.chatsworth.org.

(Phew- thought I said that was going to be a quick post!)

This weekend just gone Chris and I were away for 3 nights in North Yorkshire, staying in a small lodge just outside Thirsk in Carlton Miniott. As we were staying in the Thirsk area we popped in to the small market town for a wander around and a couple of nice meals, and decided to pay a visit to the local art gallery Zillah Bell, especially as the Thirsk tourist website highly recommends it. This, it turns out, was with good reason- the gallery was a delight.

The current exhibition is called 'The White Horse Revisited' and features paintings, etchings and ceramics all on the theme of 'The White Horse', primarily that of Kilburn fame but also Hood Hill and Lake Gormire. I thoroughly enjoyed all the differest artists varied interpretations of these striking landscape features- some were really imaginative, others symbolic, others really stripped down and haunting- there was great variety within this exhibit. It was such a pleasure to discover such a small gem of a gallery. 'The White Horse Revisited' exhibit finishes shortly on June 2nd, the next exhibit being 'Print Show'. If you'd like any more information on these exhibits or to plan a visit to the delightful Zillah Bell Gallery check out their website at www.zillahbellgallery.co.uk.

Then, on Monday, Chris and I had the pleasure of spending a sunny day in one of our favourite places- York. Again, we popped in to the city's Art Gallery, which is always a pleasure. On this occasion we just visited the guest exhibition 'Gordon Baldwin: Objects for a Landscape'. Baldwin is a sculptural potter who primarily works in clay but does also paint. This exhibit, which will be 'touring' other venues after York throughout 2012/ 2013, focuses on Baldwin's work from the mid 1960s to the present. I enjoyed it- Baldwin's work is simple and beautiful, very natural looking and familiar- I'm sure I've seen his work at the YSP before. This was certainly a large exhibit and showcased a whole manner of works from different periods of his career. I liked the more recent works best, with their dark colours and stone like appearance in rounded, seaside- object like shapes (think rocks smoothed into curves by repeated water lapping). The York City Art Gallery is free to visit (donations welcome) and the 'Gordon Baldwin: Objects for a Landscape' exhibit is on until June 10th. For more, or general visitor information, visit the gallery's website at www.yorkartgallery.org.uk.

I realise that in my review posts I didn't give much detail as to whose work I particularly enjoyed at Saltaire Art Trail and why I found the Palestinauts so thought provoking.

Artists/ craftsmen from Saltaire Art Trail I really liked-

WEFT Bespoke Design, Clare Caufield, Tasneem Kauser, Nicola Taylor, Emma Wilkinson, Ruth Wightman, Catryn Henderson and Hannah Nunn. All these talented people exhibited beautiful pieces of work and inspired me greatly.

And what thoughts did the Palestinauts provoke in me? That some nations have pursued space travel and some- like the Arab states- have not. Why is this? In previous eras Islamic cultures were at the forefront of all types of learning and advancement, but this does not seem to be the case in the modern world. To much in- fighting and squabbling? With their reserves of oil could they not be ruling the world by now? As so many nations are dependant on buying this from them? Why don't they put their differences- which seem like they'll never be resolved no matter how many civillians die- aside and unite and start becoming a force to be reckoned with? I don't get it..... (sorry if anyone finds that offensive!)

2nd part of review post-

As I was saying earlier, on the last bank holiday Monday I (dragged) Chris (my boyf) to the Cornerhouse to see the latest exhibit that's on there at the moment. It's called Subversion, and the Cornerhouse blurb says-

Curated by Omar Kholeif, Subversion brings together the work of eleven artists from across a range of disciplines including animation, video, installation and photography in response to the often histriographic presentation of Arab culture. It is a collection of work that frames Middle Eastern art in a post social media era instead of within the restraints of traditional geographical, political and ethnic preconceptions.

So, what did I think? Hmmmm....! I enjoyed some of the exhibits very much. I liked Gallery 1's Palestinauts, which were designed by Larissa Sansour. She also assumes the role of an astronaut in an intriguing pastiche of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001. I thought this was good and certainly thought provoking.

Gallery 3 is a ‘playground’ where visitors can ‘engage and tamper’; its open spaces and large installations are impressive. There's a Gaza Internet cafe set constructed by Kev Thornton to house Wafaa Bilal’s Virtual Jihadi computer game, which must be seen to be believed (who would you rather shoot- Bin Laden or Bush?). Finally, you come to a pop up cinema which houses the ironic works of Tarzan and Arab- which was the highlight of the exhibit for me.

All in all I enjoyed it, but I agree with a review of the exhibit that describes it as 'a question with no answers', and so you leave feeling a little unsettled. But maybe that is the point?

Subversion is on until Tue 5 June 2012. The Galleries are open Tue – Sun and are free to visit

Review/ opinion time

So, last bank holiday weekend I had a wonderfully cultural time of it.

Firstly I visited the superb Saltaire Art Trail

If you've never been to Saltaire I recommend you do so asap- its a wonderful place and a great day out. The parking is pretty decent- there's a few central car parks charging reasonable parking fees, ample parking at Salt Mill and street parking is free if you can get it.
There's a collection of wonderful bars/ cafes to refresh in, a number of vintage clothes and exquisite gift shops, the Mill is a haven for Hockney fans and shoppers, there's the round church, the Victorian park by the river and Mill, the canal to walk along and the architecture of Saltaire generally is stunning (in case your in to architecture like me!).
Anyway, the Art Trail features lots of activities for kiddies, the beautiful town hall and college buildings were open to the public featuring work shops and craft stalls and then you basically get to wander around the local residents properties looking at art work in their actual homes! and its all free!
I loved getting to see Art in such an informal, personal setting- not to mention the opportunity to nosey around peoples homes and see inside the wonderful terrace properties of Saltaire. I was so jealous, as a lot of the properties still had originally features- proper property envy :). The variety of art to see was brilliant and there were some beautiful pieces and names gathered to watch out for. I'll certainly be returning next May.

The website for Saltaire Art Tail is http://www.saltaireartstrail.co.uk and their blog can be found at http://www.saltaireartstrail.blogspot.co.uk/.

So, that was my Saturday. Then on bank holiday Monday I checked out the new exhibit at the Cornerhouse in Manchester. More on that in my next post- I've run out of lunch break!!!

In tonight's post I'd like to share some of my earlier art work with you.

This is a pencil drawing of my pet rabbit Jethro (actually a female bunny, but hey- I didn't know that when I named her!) done around the time I was 13/ 14. I mainly sketched with pencils or worked with watercolours in my teens. I do love sketching and drawing with pencils, maybe I should take it up again!

This is a much earlier pencil drawing, from my first year at high school, so I was 11 when I did this. Slightly spoilt by that overly big chair on the right!!

I remember doing this one weekend when I was around 14/ 15. I don't know what possessed me to do this picture (in felt tips, in case you hadn't guessed!) but its kinda cool so thought I'd share it.

This is a watercolor of Whitby, as viewed from the graveyard at the top of the infamous steps. Again, I was somewhere between 13/ 15 when I painted this. Whitby was a favourite destination of mine and my dads for a day out. I actual took my easel and watercolors to Whitby to do this from life- dedication :)

This is another pencil drawing from the 13- 15 years old era. Its of Bolton Abbey and I vaguely remember entering it in a Blue Peter competition of some kind! Again, this was drawn from life when my parents and I went there for an afternoon out.

This is a drawing of an ornament my parents had in their pub at the time, The Clothiers Arms, and ended up being the background to a poster advertising our Harvest Festival Pub Quiz one year. I think I was 14 when I drew this.

This is a color pencil drawing of the cover of a book I read as a young teen- John Gordon's 'Gilray's Ghost'. Nice and grisly!

And last but not least, this is my first ever acryllic painting- on normal artists paper- painted in June 2004.



I hope you've enjoyed seeing my older pieces. None of these are particularly up for sale but I am open to offers if there's something someone would especially like to buy. You can contact me via the comments or Twitter (@BekhaG). I will eventually get round to setting up a facebook page to accompany this blog which I can be contacted via also- its on my to do list!

I'm so thrilled that people have started to view my blog and have now made some modifications based on feedback I've already received- I shall continue to try and make the text of the blogger easier to read- I know its still not brilliant.
The new background is a picture I took of a lily pond at Chatsworth House a few years ago.

Yay!!!!! finally been able to upload the Juame Plensa pics from last year's YSP residency without my laptop crashing- 3rd time lucky! These pics are of my faverite pieces. If you get the chance to see Plensa's work then do, its fantastic.

Tried to post the pictures from Juame Plensa at YSP last year again last night and my laptop crashed AGAIN! Maybe that post isn't meant to be :) Will try one more time soon x

This is my latest painting. I'm currently in the middle of a self- portrait for my next. This is a view of Lake Windermere from Wansfell Pike, done from a photograph I took of this view in August 2011. The steep trek up Wansfell Pike was hard graft, but the views once at the summit were well worth the effort- Ambleside to the right, Windermere to the left.
We (my boyfriend and I) then descended the Pike and carried on to the lovely village of Troutbeck, then returned to Ambleside via Skelghyll Wood.
This painting is on a small canvas, using acryllic paint, measuring 7 inches in width and 5 inchs in height. It is for sale at £35 (inc p&p). If you would like to buy this painting please indicate this in the comments box or you can contact me via Twitter (@BekhaG).

As another weekend approaches I can't help thinking about my time at the Saltaire Art Trail last Saturday. I

absolutely loved it! And it inspired me to start this blog. A proper review is to follow and hopefully some pictures of my own Art work x

Also, decided to use my current Twitter account instead of setting up a new one. I'll try and remember to do blog- linked tweets on there as well as my normal stuff! Follow me @BekhaG xx

These beautiful pictures are of the first Juame Plensa piece I ever saw, at Chatsworth House's Beyond Limits exhibition in September 2008. I think this sculpture is gorgeous, I love that it is made up of words and depicts a man in such a vulnerable and child- like pose. A wonderful piece of art.

I was thrilled to bits when Juame Plensa had a massive residency at Yorkshire Sculpture Park all last year and got to see a lot more of his wonderful work (pictures to follow, trying to upload them now but laptop crashed twice so will try again another day!!!). If you've never been to Beyond Limits at Chatsworth House try and go this year- its a wonderful event. Not only do you get to see lots of wonderful sculpture, its all laid out within the House's stunning gardens. Truly not an event to be missed, I go every year and will be mentioning it a lot more in future posts. This year it takes place between 7  September and 30 October. Similarily, if you've never been to Yorkshire Sculture Park defo try and go sometime, its such a brilliant day out if you're an art fan. More on YSP in future posts.

Welcome to my blog! Please have a read of my profile/ the 'About Me' section to the left to get the jist of it :)

I will be uploading pictures and posts soon, then once my blog is up and running regular posts will be added on a two- weekly to monthly basis.

Comments are welcome, and I will shortly be setting up Twitter and Facebook pages to accompany this blog.

Thanks for reading and please come back again xxx