Staunton Harold & the Ferrers Centre for Arts & Crafts

What do you do when you need a change of scene but can't afford a holiday? Last week Mitch and I headed out to Staunton Harold near Ashby de la Zouch, to a stately pile not far from the Derbyshire border, long time home to the Shirley family who belatedly became the Earl Ferrers. Hence the name of the very interesting Ferrers Art Gallery located on the site.

The Gallery occupies the Hall's large old red brick stable yard, every corner of the four-sided, three- floored area now taken up with exhibition space and shops selling contemporary British artware, mostly original work and much reflecting the glorious natural world around the Gallery.

Mitch doesn't walk well so sadly she wasn't able to see half of what was on offer, including the upstairs gallery space. But downstairs we found everything from textile work to very high spec jewellery and metalwork, glassware, crockery, fun gifts and ornaments including animals and birds in a variety of mediums and forms. And several places to sit and try delicious cakes!

We were particularly fascinated by the Victorian Model Workshop making and selling mechanical puppets, worked by levers & pulleys and designed for private collectors and commercial customers world-wide. I particularly enjoyed the little faeries with their moving limbs and beating wings and it was no surprise that these were best selling items. Mitch admired the boxed mechanicals for home assembly - DIY animation. Genius! For a glimpse into this animatronic world, see www.modelworkshop.co.uk

The full title for this stimulating corner of creative enterprise is the Ferrers Centre for Arts and Crafts. It is owned and run by Rachel Chambers, who is also contemporary craft editor for craft&design magazine. With Rachel's enthusiasm, an exhibition runs continually at the centre, taking up all of the second and third floor space. 

There's little practical help for the disabled in such a building, well, not at present, so it was as well that Mitch was entranced with the craft pieces on display downstairs, some very reasonably priced, while I ventured upstairs to the Gallery proper to view excellent and varied works by the region's best known artists and sculptors. 

Interested in visiting Staunton Harold? The Hall is privately owned but there's a well-stocked garden centre plus cafes and plenty of parking. (Paid parking at weekends). And it's all located in the National Forest.

Nearby is Calke Abbey, a National Trust property well worth a visit, together with the rather special Staunton Harold Church and the Severn Trent-owned Staunton Harold reservoir (with boat club!) Go on a sunny day and see the lot, only wear sensible shoes as there's a lot of walking.

www.ferrersgallery.co.uk 
Tel 01332 863337  
LE65 1RU



Shown are a selection of the art and craft works to be found in Ferrers Gallery.

'Clueless' commission collected!

From BBC Radio Leicester, Tony Wadsworth & Julie Mayer collect their commission, 'Clueless'

So here it is, the commission I've been working on for so long! Called 'Clueless' after their BBC Radio Leicester clue-based treasure hunt show which each Sunday takes listeners to various locations around Leicester and Leicestershire, the painting was commissioned by the programme's broadcaster / presenters, husband and wife team, Tony Wadsworth and Julie Mayer. 
Tony and Julie are pictured above with their commission at Leicester's West End Gallery, where they collected my painting this week.
Once framed, I'm told the work will be on public display at BBC Leicester following which it will be hung in pride of place at Tony and Julie's home.
A complete departure from my usual style, featuring as it does the better known sights of city and county, I think it fair to say the painting was a challenge! But with its bright primary colours and apparently mystical landscape I succeeded in making the artwork completely different from everything else I've ever created and that's been quite an achievement!

'Clueless' by Lizzy Hewitt, 2013, commissioned by Tony Wadsworth & Julie Mayer.

A Charitable Medley of Chart-Toppers

The UpBeatles got the crowd dancing at Rothley for MND, 27 April.

You're going to think I go out a lot. And when I'm not working to a deadline I suppose I do!

On Friday my step-dad John put on a charity concert at Rothley village hall to raise funds for the Leicestershire & Rutland branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

It was a fun affair too, as you can see, featuring local band-alike, The UpBeatles, who played a 'medley of 60s chart-toppers', or so I was told. Plus James Aaron King, Elvis tribute act. People talked and danced differently then man. Oh yeah! (Loved the wigs!)

Photographing the LOROS Twilight Walk

LOROS Twilight Walk & balloon release

One of the benefits of taking photos for the Leicester Mercury is having the opportunity to attend a variety of events; last night I was at the football stadium for the annual LOROS Hospice fundraisers' Twilight Walk and balloon release.

LOROS fundraisers are a hard working lot. I see them a number of times through the year but the Twilight Walk is always colourful, particularly with this year's Hawaiian theme.

Cancer effects many people and touches so many lives that it's good to know volunteers can have fun whilst raising money essential to keep our Leicester & Leicestershire hospice doing its valuable work. 
I'm only glad I was there to take photos and not to run six miles around the city centre!

Loughborough's Anti-Smoking & Anti-Paan Chewing campain launch

With Zahida Niazi & Bilkis Hussain from the NHS.

I've had a busy time with photography jobs lately but midweek, dressed for the cold weather, Max & I drove to Loughborough for the launch of the most recent NHS Anti-Smoking & Anti-Paan Chewing campaigns. 
Considering the limited turnaround time (I blogged about getting the contract on 4 Jan), the finished artwork looked pretty good on display at the Moira Centre.
With me in the pic are Zahida Niazi, Smoking Cessation Specialist (left), & Bilkis Hussain, Smokeless Tobacco Expert (centre) from Leicestershire NHS.
The health campaigns are targeting Loughborough's Bangladeshi community & the posters & pamphlets are already available in GP surgeries & community centres across the town.