It's a hard act to follow

The Percy Kelly Little Gems lived up to the name and sold out. There was a stampede on day one and likewise on the last day (Monday May Bank Holiday).

The gallery has hardly been empty of visitors for 5 weeks and we could have sold many several times. I am so pleased that the catalogue gives a lasting record of the whole show because it is now disappearing in all directions and will never be seen together all in one place again. (we still have some catalogues left - 52 colour pages £10 inc postage as a lasting aide memoire)

And now we are hanging the Patricia Sadler exhibition which opens on Friday. If anyone can withstand following Percy (and is brave enough) then it is Patricia. Her landscapes and flower studies in acrylic on canvas as well as her pure watercolours are confident and accomplished. They are a joy to see.

She lives in the Scottish Borders between the Cheviot and the sea and draws on both for subject matter. She was among the first people I pursued in 1986 when getting an exhibition together to open the gallery in 1987. She was doing pale delicate watercolours which I loved.

Over the years we have moved on and grown up together. Her work has become stronger and more complex. Her development of acrylics on canvas using the fluidity of the medium is an interesting move.

Have a look at her exhibition in full on the web page www.castlegatehouse.co.uk/patricia-sadler-exhibition.html

Patricia will be in the gallery next Saturday 7th to talk about her work.

The weather is looking good. The garden is open with a mist of wisteria and blossom showing off the sculpture.

Come and see us.

Spring with Percy

It's definitely spring now in the Lakes. There are advantages in having a late Easter. The daffodils are over but there are plenty of lambs roaring around in the fields. The ospreys are back and it's warm. Come up and see us if you can.

The Kelly exhibition is proving very popular and there are still a few left. (not many though) look for the ones without red dots on our web site. We have just got a new one of Newlands Valley for sale from a family member. It's astonishing how these Kellys just keep turning up. Working on his biography has given me a deeper insight into his life - if he had a day without painting or drawing he was unhappy and depressed.

We are open throughout Easter; - Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday and also The Wedding Day and Bank Holiday Monday. No street parties for us!

We have a new collection of pots from William Plumptre and the garden will be open if fine where we have some new sculpture by Daniel Clehane in Portland stone and a new bronze - New Dawn - which greets the sunrise every morning in memory of Penelope Van De Havre, a client and friend who died last November and gave it to us for the garden...

Let's hope the sun keeps on shining.

April Fools' Day

A small group gathered at 0630 Friday morning outside the gallery. Driving rain was hissing down. The Percy Kelly 50 Little Gems exhibition opened at 1030 and everything exploded. Telephone and mobiles were ringing, e mails flying into the computer and the gallery was milling with wet intrepid people. In the first 10 minutes we had sold 21 paintings. - and so it continued relentlessly. It was an exciting day.

I had an intimation at the packed viewing the evening before that it was going to be a success. There was an enthusiastic buzz of anticipation. After everyone had gone, a group of us relaxed over a glass or three and thought up a few April Fools pranks like going round and moving the paintings or numbers about. Even worse we considered putting red spots on every one or announcing that a London dealer had bought them all. But that would have been too cruel. Sanity prevailed.

After all the mad stampede had ended, a friend strolled calmly in and made her purchase. She liked them all and found it impossible after the viewing to decide which one to buy - so she let the field narrow which then made it easier to choose.

There are a few left, have a look at the web site to see which remain un-spotted. I also kept back the 4 illustrated here which are now available to the disappointed. Ring or e mail us for details.

The whole exhibition is here intact until May 2nd so come in and enjoy. We are open every Friday, Saturday and Monday 10.30 - 5.00 including Easter Bank Holidays and weddings. Come and experience some of the Percy magic.

Found in a Shoebox

It was on top of the wardrobe in the spare room. It was covered in dust. The artist Percy Kelly had given it to her for safe keeping in 1983. He died alone in Norfolk ten years later. She had forgotten about it until I turned up asking questions because I was writing his biography.

The lid was removed in a cloud of dust to reveal shopping lists, addresses, recipes for marmalade and receipts for building materials - and an exquisite collection of small paintings hiding among the other things; The colours are bright and fresh and the subjects are landscapes of Cumbria where he lived for 50 years of his life, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and Norfolk.

This is real treasure and forms part of a new exhibition opening at the gallery on Friday 1st April called Fifty Little Gems. They are all shown on the web site. E-mail us for a price list.

This is not my first find in my last few months of research but it is the biggest and most surprising (so far!). Percy lost a lot of his precious work in his first divorce in 1970 so when he was going through his second divorce in 1983 he was paranoid about losing any more.

He parcelled up small collections and gave them to friends to keep for him and promptly forgot about some of them - and so did the friends. He was poor and ill and suffering from depression. He gave a similar box to his elder sister Sally who died in Workington just before he did in 1993 but this has never been found. It was probably destroyed in the house clearance.

Added together with my other recent finds I realised I had more than 50 of these little gems which would make a superb exhibition. There is a 50 page catalogue available in which each is illustrated. (£10)

We are having an evening viewing on Thursday 31st March 6.00 - 8.00 to which you are invited. The exhibition opens to the public at 10.30 next day - Friday 1st April. Nothing will be sold before then.

To make it fair we will accept sales by e mail and telephone as well as personal callers. We know there are collectors coming from Moscow, Norway, Edinburgh and London. Kelly has now grown way beyond his native Cumbria. After his exhibitions in London as well as at Castlegate House his reputation is now firmly set as a 20th Century British artist of some importance.

Maybe there are more little gems waiting to be discovered.

The biography will be published towards the end of this year - unless I find a lot more material, letters and people who knew him. Each discovery leads on to more. There is no end to this genius of an artist.

Come and see this breathtaking exhibition. Open Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays 10.30 - 5.00

The Lamb-eth Walk

Orange is the 'in' fashion colour this season filling the international cat walks and the like of Top Shop and New Look. We must have the most on-trend lambs in the country. Our local farmer has togged up the new-borns in little orange jackets and they are running about in the sunshine cheering everybody up.

The Literature festival is over. It was a good one full of stimulating ideas on literature, art, politics, philosophy and travel.

Our Curator's Choice exhibition has been enthusiastically applauded with plenty of red spots both at the theatre in The Friends' Gallery and at Castlegate House. This continues in both places until 28th March. Don't miss it.

My talk The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Gallery went down well and the strap line in the Keswick Reminder (our very own tabloid newspaper) was Anyone can run a gallery says Chris Wadsworth.

There you go - you know what to do!

Excitement is building for Percy Kelly's 50 little gems with catalogues winging their way across the world. We will send one to you post free for £10.

Curator's Choice

It is pure self indulgence - to hang an exhibition of all my favourite artists.

Angie and I had a great time yesterday hanging the gallery and I'm now off to Theatre by the Lake in Keswick to hang the rest there. It is proving to be a busy week.

The gallery is now back to Friday, Saturday, Monday opening after the winter break. Next week we are open Tuesday and Wednesday as well because of the Literary Festival.

This attracts a huge crowd of arts lovers who take a break from the talks for a walk by the Lake, in the town or a trip to the gallery. The Friends' Gallery at the theatre is open every day 9.00 - 21.00.

We have hung Blackadder and Rae, Kelly and Fell, Nicholson and Kyffin Williams and many more. Most of the works on show are for sale - there are just one or two I can't bear to part with.

For those of you within range, don't forget my talk A hitch hiker's guide to the gallery on Saturday at 2-15 at the theatre. You will find out how a commercial gallery works and sometimes how it doesn't.

I walked into this by chance 25 years ago and have 'hitch hiked' my way through with the help of artists, clients, friends and family and my worthy assistants.

Have a look at the web site and enjoy.

Chris

CHOICES

We'll be hanging the Curator's Choice exhibition next week and I am having a difficult time deciding what to choose being the curator of the title. Wonder who thought that one up then!
In 24 years I have seen thousands of paintings and hundreds of artists so it is hard to narrow it down. The Winifred Nicholson Lily of the valley at St Bees is very special. It is the Isle of man in the distance.
Of course I will include Percy Kelly possibly my favourite artist of all time and Sheila Fell who was born near by. Eliza andrewes was a great and beautiful elegant friend who died in 2009 and must be included and Karen Wallbank - now famous as The farmer's wife as well as The Bennetts (Michael and June) who have been with me from the very beginning - always loyal and supportive, and Marie Scott whose work has changed the course of my life and Mary Fedden a wonderful friend from my Bristol days and .......
Oh this is turning into a list. You will have to wait and see what goes up. Half the exhibition will be at Theatre by the Lake Keswick and the rest at Castlegate House. - only ten miles apart so you can get to both. It runs from 4th - 28th March in both venues. The theatre is open daily 9.00 - 9.00 and Castlegate House open Fridays Saturdays and Mondays. In addition we are opening extra days during the Literary Festival - 4 - 13th March. See our web site for details www.castlegatehouse.co.uk