FAR OPEN SPRING EXHIBITION
- Jan 16
- 18 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
SIXTEEN GALLERY | 19 MARCH – 1 APRIL
AN UPLIFTING SPRING EXHIBITION SHOWCASING A DIVERSE SELECTION OF ARTWORK BY THE FarOpen ARTISTS.
This exhibition is a special preview ahead of the Open Studio Art Trail in the Forest of Dean and along the rivers Severn & Wye from 4-12 July 2026. (ceramics, mixed media, painting, photography, mosaics, jewellery, printmaking, dried flowers, textiles, sculptures, stained glass)
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
CHARLOTTE KEATING
Charlotte Keating is a contemporary artist based in the Forest of Dean, known for her dreamy abstract paintings with soft, expressive brushstrokes in vibrant colours. Through acrylic paint and oil sticks, she explores a mindful, meditative approach grounded in healing and self-expression, creating pieces which resonate with emotional depth and beauty. While each series varies in theme, her distinctive sea of colour, mark making and layering embodies a unique and writing, balancing uplifting energy with a sense of tranquillity.
Her distinctive style reflects a deep understanding of colour, texture and form, honed through years of working in fashion. Taking a series-based approach, she draws inspiration from curated colour palettes and themes to create visually compelling narratives. Charlotte’s work is held in collections both locally and internationally, celebrated for its ability to transform interiors with sense of calm and uplifting energy through dreamy layers and colour.
JANE FOOT
Pockets of insight into landscapes and life moments which have shaped me. My paintings emerge from the inside out - they come from what’s in my head - snapshots of memory, places I’ve been, people I’ve known, feelings, family, sights & sounds. I often use words which resonate - from song lyrics, letters, favourite poems or novels - or an unconscious familiar landscape, emotion or experience to trigger the flow. Photographs of buildings, landscapes or previous works are scattered around the studio when I work, these help with composing shapes. I work intuitively reacting to the marks which have been laid down, but words and photographs can also rescue me when I’m stuck.
Although my base medium is oil paints mixed 50:50 with cold wax medium - this gives the finished works their distinctive matt finish - you can also discover a wide range of mixed media (encaustic, crayons, oils sticks, collage) amongst the layers. My finished paintings are characterised by depth, texture, bold shapes, motifs & intrigue.
MIKE PENNY
Has lived in the Forest of Dean since the early 1980s and feels creatively at home there. He ‘discovered’ clay while studying architecture in Cheltenham in the late 1960's, and has been 'making' ever since. In 2007 he joined Clay Hill Potters near Newnham on Severn. Continuing to make both wheel thrown and slab built ceramics. More recently his work has been inspired by the continuously changing colours of the river Severn which passes under his window every hour of the day.
ANGELA GREAVES -- EARTH TONES CERAMICS
With a love of plants and influenced by the natural environment of the Forest of Dean, Angela enjoys creating decorative ceramics for inside and out. Planters for sedums and alpines to creep through, vases for displaying flowers and bowls for birds to bathe in.
“I love experimenting with forms and glazes, readily embracing imperfections. Some pots are thrown on the wheel and dappled unevenly with glaze, while others are slab and coil built into organic shapes.” Organic planters, bowls and bir baths reflect the colours of weathered forest stone, as well as bark and pinecones using matte glazes and oxides.
“Forest Trails” vases are thrown on the wheel and gas-fired to bring out a deep brown hue in the unglazed clay and speckles of iron in amongst the trails of overlapping glazes.
LISA COLES
I am an artist working with kiln-formed glass, creating two-dimensional freestanding pieces. Each work is built by hand-cutting and layering glass sheets, chips, and powders to form depth and texture, often requiring several kiln firings lasting more than 14 hours.
Light is central to my practice, with reflective materials such as silver leaf, mica, dichroic coatings, and 24ct gold used to enhance movement and atmosphere.I aim to create pieces that catch the light in unexpected ways and evoke an emotional response. I also offer fused glass workshops from my studio in Bridstow.
ALISON TUTTON ROBINS
Alison is a designer, photographer, and artist exploring perception, light, and the ways we see the world. Rooted in deconstruction and reconstruction, her practice begins with photography as a foundation for broader artistic exploration. With an established career as a Graphic Designer and Art Director for London publishing houses and the music industry, Alison seamlessly blends traditional and contemporary design processes. Her work is deeply informed by years of industry experience, drawing on past techniques while embracing new creative directions. In her studio, she is expanding her personal artistic practice, exploring encaustic wax and mixed media. This evolving work reflects a balance between structured design and a more experimental approach, leading to new and exciting artistic discoveries. The sea is a constant source of inspiration—a place for reflection and creativity. While her workspace, The Sea Shed Studio, is not by the water, it remains a fluid and ever-changing hub for exploration and artistic growth. Alison holds an MA in Communication Design from Kingston University.
PAULA LEACH
Paula is an encaustic artist whose mini landscape bud vases explore the relationship between memory, place, and the natural world. Inspired by the Forest of Dean and the subtle shifts of colour throughout the seasons, her work reflects the changing light, erosion, and quiet transformation found in nature. The shifting colours, temperatures, and atmosphere, shape the way she builds and layers wax, translating these quiet transformations into tactile objects that feel both intimate and enduring. Each bud vase becomes a personal keepsake, a miniature landscape that holds a moment in time, inviting reflection and connection. Both functional and contemplative, her bud vases are designed to hold a single stem or remain as stand- alone objects, bringing a sense of calm, nature, and timelessness into the home.
MARIETTE VOKE
Mariette is an artist working in The Forest of Dean, painting colourful still lives, using oils or watercolours and loving both mediums for their very different qualities.
Favourite things and everyday treasures are Mariette’s constant source of still life subjects, along with clothing. Mariette is fond of items that often get overlooked, spoons, cotton reels, old tins and teacups. The artist collects and wears 1950’s vintage dresses and jackets, loving the way they can connect with objects in a painting to depict stories and memories.
An interest in natural history and a love of wildflowers as well as gardening, means that plants and flowers often make an appearance in her paintings. Mariette works in her studio shed in the cottage garden, enjoying the whole process of oil painting, stretching canvases herself in a traditional way, using raw linen, and zinc tacks.
The watercolours use the contrast of a precise and careful pencil drawing which is then painted with loose and fluid colour.
CATHERINE VAN GIAP
Catherine Van Giap of Freshwater Mosaics is a UK-based contemporary mosaic artist working primarily with stained glass, mirror and ceramic. Her practice explores light, reflection and perception through geometric compositions and organic shapes that with the use of glass shift as the viewer moves.
Her work centres on themes of light as presence, fragmentation and wholeness. Reflection is important both materially and metaphorically where hopefully the viewer becomes part of the piece. In recent plant-based works, organic forms introduce a sense of growth, movement and renewal.
Working slowly and intuitively, Catherine hand-cuts and places each fragment, recently creating diptych forms that explore tension and balance. The process itself mirrors ideas of reconstruction and integration allowing light to remain an active element within the work.
She works from her studio and home in Ross-on-Wye, open by appointment, from where she also runs weekly and one day workshops.
CHRISTINA MACDONALD
Christina is an embroidery artist who also works in printmaking. The two disciplines shape each other in her practise. She also combines embroidery and printmaking. She is currently working on a series of pieces to bring vulnerable dog breeds back into the public consciousness. The pieces capture the fragility of the future for these breeds, as their numbers continue to decline.
DEREK A. LAMB CERAMICS
My work shown at Gallery 16 is very different to my mainstream domestic wares. Ever since I began throwing, I was always drawn to the plasticity of Clay and the fact that this could be frozen in a moment of time through the action of fire.
Many years of throwing have allowed me the freedom of making a form quickly whilst ensuring the clay retains life. This then allows me to manipulate it into a semi sculptural form without it collapsing. I call this work my ‘Functural Ware’ as it represents informal, semi abstract and near sculptural forms which still retain functionality.
My love of this treatment of plasticity leads me to literally place the form ‘on a pedestal’. This creates a tension between the informal and the formal with some forms tilting and I am happy with this contradiction as it is part of my essence as a Potter.
Each piece is always individual and is of that particular moment when I am sitting at the Potter’s wheel. Each decision I make in changing the shape is intuitive, based on years of practice and experimentation. Certain themes of shaping have evolved as common elements from small to flowing movement. Each change of form happens very quickly to capture the spontaneity of the moment and the freshness of the clay’s plasticity in response to my actions.
SHARON HARVEY
Sharon Harvey is a painter living and working in Gloucestershire, England. Her paintings are inspired by memory and the concept of a contemporary landscape genre. Sharon studied at Winchester School of Art, graduating with a First-Class Honours degree in Fine Art. Sharon has attended residencies with both Brison Veo and Allenheads Contemporary Arts and was shortlisted in 2016 for The National Graduate Prize run by Herbert Smith Freehills.
In addition to her commercial painting practice Sharon has taught both adults at the University of Southampton and secondary school pupils both in life drawing and contemporary art history. Sharon opened The Sanctuary Gallery, a new contemporary art gallery in Newnham in December 2022. Providing 7 curated exhibitions yearly featuring painting, ceramics, jewellery and textiles from both emerging and mid career artists.
KATH PRIDDIS -- DOMESTIC STONEWARE AND FIGURINES
Kathy was taught by David Leach to make glazes from exclusively organic material, for which she sources local clays from Herefordshire or the Forest of Dean. Used either as pure clay slips or as the dominant ingredient in her celadon glazes, they interact to create spontaneous opalescent Chun effects.
The ceramic horses on display are semi-abstract, and made in sections on the wheel. Acer Racer is decorated with sgraffitto acer leaves, and glazed with a Red Devonian clay slip-glaze from Yazor, to the west of Hereford. Oak Royal is first glazed with a blue celadon, wax resist oak leaves, then a second, white glaze. Both are fired to 1220C.
What buyers say about Kathy’s work: ‘The most beautiful horse I’ve ever bought!’ (stud farm, Ross on Wye) ‘I use your pots daily and I’m always happy to come back for more’ ‘I love your earthy glaze colours – literally rooted in the ground’
DAN BRIGHT
Dan Bright is a mixed-media artist and printmaker who takes inspiration from the wildlife and countryside around his home in the Wye Valley on the border of England and Wales.
His practice involves spending as much time as possible in the field, sketching, building understanding through close observation and capturing fleeting interactions between creatures and their environment. These moments are further explored in the studio using mixed-media and printmaking techniques, striving to find balance between a purely representational approach and a more abstract expression of how it feels.
Concerned with the beauty and fragility of our world, his work aims to show people how he sees it, to help them feel the beauty that is all around us, inspire them to look deeper and take better care of our shared world.
CHRIS CHAMPNESS
Chris is a self-taught, innovative knitter and crocheter with over 25 years’ experience. Based in Ross-on-Wye, she discovered knitting with wire 15 years ago and is constantly intrigued with its versatility. She loves to experiment and investigate the interplay between the wires’ rigidity and flexibility whilst using tools designed for traditional knitting and jewellery making. Her items are delicate, durable and easy to wear.
GRACE ENGEL ARTS
I find myself creating art in a variety of media, acrylic mixed media and oils, semi abstract dreamscapes, on found wood and canvas, formed as a visual and visceral expression of my moving body, my work has a poetic narrative with both figures and references to nature. I channel my depth of feeling and vision allied with nature, into my commissioned portraits also working from both life and photos.
I have been creating art all my life and I’m inspired by the wonderful qualities of nature and the globe’s people, I’ve spent time in the city of Bristol, where I studied art at University in the 90’s and raised my children and created and taught a variety of arts in inner city community organisations and after school clubs.
I’m now Living in Lydney ,one of the gateways to the Forest of Dean, having returned to find the heart of the countryside I remember from my youth.
My inspiration comes from wildlife, organic forms, the elements and textures found in nature, and layering of individual histories and journeys, the living breathing life of it, connecting my own experience of being a living being with that of others I have been touched by. There’s always a story to tell.
JO SNOWDON
My work is inspired by the beautiful Forest of Dean. I primarily work using the copper foil (Tiffany) technique, which allows for finer detail than traditional lead came construction. This method enables me to work beyond the constraints of a rigid frame. I enjoy layering and overlapping the glass, producing a multidimensional effect.
My designs often develop throughout the making process as I need to give careful consideration to the structural integrity as well as the balance of the piece. My aim is to create some that feels organic and delicate.
GINA NELL -- GINA NELL CREATES
Gina Nell is a photographer with a relaxed, natural style that feels calm, expressive and instantly recognisable. Blending warmth with a strong sense of storytelling, she captures landscapes, equine personalities, pets, families, commercial projects, products and events in a way that highlights their character and beauty. Her work is crafted to stand out—transforming real moments into striking wall art, premium prints, cards and calendars. Whether drawn from the local scenery or travels further afield, her images are designed to elevate homes, inspire customers and bring a touch of artistry to everyday life. Gina wholeheartedly understands the emotional feeling a photograph can give you; spending time getting to know you, your family and pets to ensure everyone feels at ease and the camera becomes less obtrusive and off putting. She loves to keep everything natural and relaxed in an environment best suited to you as the client, to include candid shots alongside posed to give you a varied and super selection. Residing in the Forest of Dean but happy to travel to accommodate you and your photography requirements..
LISA DEAR ARTWORKS
Lisa is a contemporary painter based in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley whose work is inspired by nature, colour, shape and texture. Moving beyond literal realism, her paintings explore memory, emotion and the energy of landscape, plants and seasonal change. Working in oil and acrylic, often applied with a spray air-gun, Lisa allows paint to interact freely with the wood panel, grain surface, building layered textures that enhance light, depth and movement. Her work creates immersive compositions that balance sculptural marks with expressive colour.
Her featured painting Bayonne Balcony is a bold 80cm square work created after travelling along the French coast. Although only a single day was spent in Bayonne, the sight of vibrant pink geraniums cascading from balconies left a lasting impression. This memory is explored on a grand scale through layers of delicate colour that unfold like petals, capturing both the radiance and fragility of summer blooms. The painting is a statement piece full of light, energy and generosity — a celebration of flowers at their most vibrant.
As well as an active member of farOpen, Lisa exhibits widely across the region, including at the Boat House Gallery Tintern, Herefordshire Art Week, Canwood Gallery in Herefordshire and Forest Markets Fairs, which work with promoting workshops and local art markets around the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean. Recent highlights include an artist residency at Brison Veor in Cape Cornwall and participation in a landscape-inspired project with the Dean Heritage Centre.
JO STERRICK CERAMICS
From my workshop in rural Herefordshire, I create natureinspired ceramics carved freehand to reveal flowing patterns and sculptural detail. My practice spans functional homeware including lamp bases, platters, vases, bowls, and cups alongside decorative works including woodland characters and seasonal ornaments. Each piece is unique, crafted with precision and care, reflecting a commitment to artistry and craftsmanship.
WENDY MURPHY
Wendy is an established jeweller and tutor living in the Forest of Dean, for thirty years. She started her journey by making beaded jewellery using precious beads and silver wire, progressing on to silversmithing and goldsmithing after attending various specialist courses but also from self-study. Wendy works predominantly with sterling silver and gold using eco, upcycled and reclaimed materials. Her favourite techniques include etching, reticulation and structural pieces, producing a more organic, random style.
As a qualified teacher, with ten years’ experience of teaching in the education sector, Wendy niched into teaching public and private workshops and regular courses predominantly at her dedicated studio at Taurus Crafts, Lydney in the Forest of Dean, but also in other parts of the country when invited by third party organisations. Wendy maintains a popular base range but her styles are constantly evolving to reflect changes in fashion and demand and flourishing ideas! She makes many bespoke pieces for her customers to fit a specific design idea.
LISA DEETH
I am a retired creative arts therapist and have also worked in theatre and music. As a self-taught artist I draw on the creative arts and my own experiences in nature. I love the effect colour and texture can achieve to create atmosphere and a sense of connectedness to the environment. I take inspiration from the beauty of landscapes with their changing moods of drams, solitude and mindfulness.
JO SCOTT
“I wasn’t expecting a huggable painting”
Jo is an award-winning artist and illustrator.
Studied Art & Design in York, graduated Middlesex University, BA History of Art, MA Visual Culture Selected to exhibit in Selfridges in 2025. Published by The Art File
Travelling the UK and Europe. Dog Lover since she fell in love with Snoopy aged 5. Author of The Travelling Artist, on Substack, telling stories in her sketchbook and sticking her nose in other artist’s studios.
MICHAEL LAWRENCE
Michael studied Fine Art Sculpture at the University of Wales and is now based in Gloucestershire where he works from his studio in the Forest of Dean.
In recent years Michael has created wooden sculptures for public and private spaces, blending traditional carving techniques with a contemporary approach.
In smaller pieces Michael explores the human form with every piece capturing a moment or movement imbuing the wood with a lifelike quality, ultimately striving to create sculptures that go beyond their material presence, evoking a sense of connection.
SARAH DELAHOY -- PRINTMAKER
I am a printmaker working from my studio in the grounds of my home on Harrow Hill in the Forest of Dean, where I also run printmaking workshops. I first discovered a love of printmaking while studying for a GNVQ Adv in Art and Design at Hereford Art College and a Decorative Arts Degree in Nottingham during the 90’s. I returned to it back in 2016 while attempting to find balance with my day job as a freelance Art Teacher and a need to get back to my own creative practice.
During my training I worked with many different printing techniques, but my focus is now mainly with linocut, collagraph and drypoint and I love to teach these processes on my workshops too. I enjoy the endless possibilities of creating a printing block or plate and the magic and excitement of pulling the first print never fades.
My most recent work is a collection of multi-block linocut prints inspired by all the birds that visit our garden here in the Forest of Dean. I love the strong design element that the linocut process encourages with its bold graphic lines and considered mark-making. As well as limited edition original prints, I also print my designs onto cards, gifts and homewares.
SHANNA LUDWIG -- HAREBELL & BEE
A self-taught floral artist specialising in dried flowers based in Lydney. I love creating designs that celebrate the stunning natural colours and forms found in dried flowers, and it brings me so much joy to design with beautiful, natural materials that were grown in my own garden. It's of the utmost importance to me that the florals I work with are grown using earth-friendly practices that also contribute to the wellbeing of the plants and animals who share my garden space. From my dried flower harvest I create a range of floral art including flower mobiles and hanging installations, bouquets, flower
fairies, wreaths, bell jar displays, headdresses, flower clouds and garlands.
SADIE COPUS
I design contemporary and unconventional glass jewellery and funky objects that draw inspiration from nature, art and textiles. Each of my glass beads is a distinctive piece of art, produced by melting glass rods onto metal mandrels, allowing me to mould, drip, and pull the glass into an array of shapes. By layering, melting, and mixing different colours, I create distinctive and stunning effects on every bead, making each one unique.
USCHI ARENS PRICE
My path to jewellery making evolved from a deep interest in art and crafts. I discovered silversmithing, was amazed by the tools, hammers, saws, drills, files and more and fell in love with the material and process. I enrolled in a silversmithing course at the School of Art and Design in Bristol and learnt the many different techniques for making jewellery.
My favourite techniques are fusing and reticulation, using heat and layers of silver to pattern and shape. To create shapes, I draw flowers and leaves, to learn their details, then search for interesting lines. I am passionate about texture and colour and use dichroic glass to enhance my patterns. Colours and sparkle seduce me into making flamboyant pieces of jewellery: neckpieces, brooches and cuffs. Each piece is unique and exuberant, and clients say, when worn, empowers them.
I have been an elected member of the Gloucestershire Guild since 2000. Over decades I have exhibited in many galleries and exhibitions and regularly show new work. Passionate about supporting creativity, I am also chair of farOpen, including responsibility for membership website and brochure production.
ELIZABETH HEATHER ENGEL
Elizabeth Heather Engel is a Welsh artist based in Gloucestershire. She works with both textiles and mixed media. Her chosen materials and use of colour in her work evoke both a sense of gentleness and strength. Her subjects reflect her love of nature, her concern for the planet we call home and all that inhabit it.
RACHEL SHILSTON
Scandalous Shards is the brainchild of Rachel Louise, the owner of Rachel Shilston – Inspiring Creativity, who is better known for her family-friendly and public facing mosaic projects in schools and in community spaces. Scandalous Shards is her after-dark alter ego - a space where she trades her polished for the provocative and dives into themes that don’t normally make the classroom wall.
Rachel’s piece ‘Queen Bee‘, is part of her Name Calling series, which is made up of 18 female torsos that explore the impact of name-calling both playful and derogatory, on women’s identities. Each torso in Name Calling, embodies a label, from Man Eater and Gol Digger to Old Bag - exposing the weight of the stereotypes imposed on the female body.
VANESSA BURLEY -- NESKI CERAMICS
Vanessa graduated in 1994 with a degree in 3D Design from Manchester. She moved to Herefordshire from Berkshire 2 years ago and now lives in Bishopswood, in the Forest of Dean where she also has established her ceramics studio.
About my work: My ‘Shipwreck’ pots and vessels are made from stoneware clay. Thrown on the wheel, then textures are added before reshaping each pot using heat and additional clay. Unintentional holes, slits and uneven edges give each pot its individuality. The glaze layers then create crystalline surfaces, crawling effects, lava-like eruptions. Evoking the sense of a once-beautiful pot lifted from the seabed after many years
JOHN SHERAHILO
Alcohol Ink, Acrylic and Mixed Media painter of rural and cultural landscapes and nature. Alcohol inks are vibrant, fast-drying inks that can be used to make stunning paintings on a variety of non-porous surfaces. These concentrated inks are alcohol-based and waterproof. They'Re semi-transparent which means they can be layered and combined together to create
gorgeous effects. It’s a fluid medium that can be used in many different ways.
LISA MORGAN -- BOSSY POTS
I am a ceramic artist living in the Forest of Dean, I work from my studio in my garden and take inspiration from the natural world and daily life.
I like to experiment with different glazes, textures and mark making, I hand build, throw and sculpt my pieces.
I currently have a permanent space to sell my work at The Spirit of the Green Man at Abbey Mill, Tintern.
JO ROCKLEY
Jo Rockley is an artist and illustrator living and working in the beautiful Forest of Dean. She graduated from The University of Central England with a BA Hons in Illustration and has since enjoyed work experience at Aardman Animations, been a finalist in The Broadway Arts competition and most recently came second in The SAA Artist of the Year City and Landscape section and has had exhibitions in London and throughout Gloucestershire.
Jo works with a scalpel and coloured paper and card to create layered portraits and landscapes for commissions, exhibitions and for sale. Her bold style is concerned with creating layered, colourful, thoughtful work, which when captured by the light shows texture and form.
JOANNE CALLAGHAN
I make Colourful, Expressionist and often surreal style art pieces that show the inner workings of my over active imagination. Being both physically and visually impaired does make you see the world differently but even before this I was always told I was a little strange, especially in my writing which unfortunately I am no longer able to enjoy; that’s when I turned to the paint brush.
I Create and Tutor arts and crafts in many mediums through observations of what is happening to, or around us and can be forever inspired by the beautiful surroundings here at the studio in Tibberton. As well as offering workshops/tutorials/use of facilities and gallery space here in Tibberton, I work for various art charities and organisations, being a trustee on various boards. I chair the disability arts alliance. I've exhibited at various venues over the years including Artist Events, Festivals,
Theatre: throughout the UK, Gottingen, Germany and Barcelona. I exhibit at some Gloucestershire galleries on a more regular basis such as, Circular Art Space(Bristol), Made In Ross and Gloucester Contemporary Artists.
My Studio, grounds and facilities were all made with the following aims, to share an inviting, friendly space with disabled access, available to anyone from practising Artists, to those who would like try something for the first time whilst having fun along the way. All would of course get copious Cuppas. of their choice and an array of various vegetarian snacks. Workshops available: Batik, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Collage, Printing & Much More
STEPH BOOCOCK
Steph Boocock is an accomplished artist and professional ecologist whose work reflects her love of the natural world. A graduate of Hereford Art College in 2002, Steph has spent her career exploring and celebrating the beauty of nature through various mediums, including 2D and 3D forms (most recently working with steel), poetry, and music.
Steph's work is a testament to her deep appreciation for the environment, drawing attention to the often-overlooked beauty that surrounds us. Through her art, Steph inspires others to see the world through a lens of wonder and respect.
DEBORAH PHELPS-GANE
I am an semi abstract painter working in acrylics and oils. I enjoy using the landscape of the forest to inspire my work. My studio is in the lovely valley of Lydbrook which is located at the top of the Forest of Dean.
Find out more about FarOpen and the trail here.
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