[R]SPB Geltsdale Gallery is launching Impressions of the Wild a new programme of exhibitions and workshops which celebrate the mysteries and wonders of the natural world.
Over the next 16 months the gallery, which is nestled in the remote hills of the North Pennines, is hosting six exhibitions featuring local artists who take their inspiration from wildlife and the countryside.
Jill Jones from RSPB Geltsdale, said: “Impressions of the Wild is a celebration of Geltsdale’s dramatic landscape and the wildlife that calls Geltsdale home. The artists exhibiting are all exceedingly talented and range from emerging artists to those with a national profile. The inspiration for the programme comes from my personal love of nature and the arts. Impressions of the Wild aims to highlight the work of local artists and inspire the audience to engage with the natural world.”
The first exhibition in the series is Wingspan by Cumbria-based textile artist Helen Walsh, which runs from Sunday 26 February to Monday 21 May.
Helen is particularly interested in birds and their feathers and uses them in her work as symbols to explore the human desire to transcend the monotony of daily life.
Choosing to work predominantly with natural fibres such as silk and linen she often employs traditional textile skills such as embroidery, knitting and dyeing. She enjoys the connections with the often forgotten makers of the past that working this way gives her.
Helen is also a skilled and experienced workshop leader and will be running a session on wall hangings inspired by nature on Saturday 28 April.
The other artists with exhibitions in Impressions of the Wild are jewellery maker and visual artist Amanda Mudge (Monday 28 May to Friday 3 August); sculptor and painter Mark Gibbs (Monday 6 August to Monday 1 October), Carlisle Youth Zone (Monday 1 to Wednesday 31 October); printer Vega Brennan (Monday 5 November to Thursday 31 January 2019), and illustrator Katie Lock (Monday 4 February to Saturday 27 April 2019).
The RSPB Geltsdale Gallery is open daily 9am to 5pm. For workshop information and bookings contact the reserve by telephone on 016977 46717 or alternatively by email [email protected]
For more information on events and wildlife spectacles at Geltsdale visit www.rspb.org.uk/geltsdale.
