Sean WIlliams - Oak Park to Meadow View

10 February - 9 March

Artist Talk

Thursday 7 March, 6 for 6:30pm start.

All welcome. Booking not required but encouraged as places are limited. Call 0114 2852665 to reserve a seat.

PLEASE NOTE: the talk will take place upstairs in the long gallery, so we ask that anyone with mobility issues gets in touch to see how we may be able to help.

‘Over the last few years I have produced a collection of paintings based on a walk around a fictional English town.  The walk takes place on the edges of the town, highlighting the places that, while containing both urban and rural elements, are neither quite one thing nor the other. There are signs of life, of building work and farm animals, but no people.  It includes views of parks, those essential oases of relative calm within the bustling conurbation, and farms – buildings which mark where the town ends and the countryside begins. There are also views of the curiously manufactured, artificial terrain of golf courses.  The walk occurs across the year, encompassing all weathers. 

The paintings themselves are a painstaking meditation on the subject, constructed by thousands of tiny dots of paint.  The intention of this adapted pointillist technique is to create a surface that shimmers slightly.  It also allows me to introduce a number of colours, in the manner of Seurat.  From a distance they can be relatively photo-realistic but close inspection reveals the technique and subtle shifts in colour.' Sean WIlliams 2024

Under The Bed Sale 2024

Saturday 13 January - Sunday 4 February

The gallery is open every day during this extremely popular sale.

Opening times:

Monday - Saturday 10-6pm

Sunday 12-4pm*

Once the sale has closed the gallery will no longer open on Sundays.

Cupola's now famous 'Under The Bed Sale' It is important that artists understand this is NOT an exhibition - it is a SALE. Work is unselected. ALL WORK SUBMITTED WILL BE ACCEPTED* *We reserve the right to not display work that might cause offence. As long as the pieces sent to Cupola are original - not reproductions form unique works - then they will be part of the sale.

To submit to the sale please complete the paperwork in the links below and ensure ALL works are clearly labelled with you NAME, Title and PRICE. Then please contact us either by email or telephone to arrange an appointment to deliver.

All artworks must reach us no later than the 10th January.

Every year artists and art lovers unite in their delight of Cupola’s Under The Bed Sale. A concept which allows artists to route out from storage no longer loved or early artworks that they would not exhibit and sell them off at bargain prices. As prices start at under £1 and are capped at £350, art lovers get the chance to find original art works for absolutely bargain prices. And who doesn’t love a bargain?

The concept originated many years ago when the gallery owner, Karen, visited an artist friend, Lyn Hodnett, who proceeded to pull out a load of original art work quite literally from under her bed. She was showing it as examples of older and early works. When asked if she would exhibit it, she said no as they were out of date and no longer relevant. However, when asked if she would sell them, she answered enthusiastically in the affirmative! Therein lay the problem, how on earth could she sell them if she didn’t want to show them? So after a bit of discussion, between them, they came up with the concept of The Under The Bed Sale. And it has been a riot every since!

There is a maximum number of works per artist:

100 x unframed (mounted or unmounted)

20 x framed (please call if any are larger than 1mx1m in any direction)

50 x 3D pieces (please call if any are larger than 1mx1m in any direction)

All work needs to come labelled with the artists name or code (including the artist's initials) the retail price and title if relevant. A delivery/consignment note needs to be delivered with the work that lists all items delivered with the artists full contact details including a phone number and the retail prices.

The retail price is worked out as follows:

wholesale/artist's price x 2.2= retail including VAT which the gallery has to charge.

EG: £10 x 2.2=£22 retail (£10 for the artist, £10 for the gallery and the VAT gets £2).

It is essential that artists understand that the work is delivered to the sale entirely at their own risk. Although the gallery will do all it can to keep work safe, due to the sheer number of pieces we get, occasionally accidents happen and the gallery does not accept liability for any work damaged or lost in this sale. Also the artist is responsible for transporting the work to and from the gallery. If any sale work remains uncollected one month after the end of the sale (March 8 2024) it will be disposed of/given away to charity.

Cupola’s annual Christmas Exhibition

Cornucopia

18 November - 6 January 2024

Christmas Opening times: Monday – Saturday 10-6pm, Sundays 12-4 up to December 17
Christmas Eve: 10-2pm

‘Cornucopia’ also known as the horn of plenty arrives to spread its bounty at Cupola Gallery.  In classical antiquity, the cornucopia, also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment. Taking this as our starting point Cupola aims to celebrate the breadth of creativity seen in the arts. We have selected submissions of the wonderful and fantastic, feasts for the eyes, nourishment for the soul, a joyous celebration of the human spirit of generosity.

We are not only showcasing work that responds to the theme but also work that is affordable and accessible.  It is very important that the feel of the show is not only opulent but is open to all and will have something everyone can take home from our bounty.

We have selected a broad selection of work across media from the vibrant and energetic to the deeply meditative and minimal, including figurative and abstract works; painting, sculpture, printmaking, glass, ceramics, textiles, jewellery, photography, digital print and hand made gift items. Textile works are well represented including a contemporary ‘Persian rug’ i.e. a rug made by an Iranian artist, hand embroidered ‘paintings’, a large wall hanging, contemporary woven mixed media panels, textile sculpture ‘books’, stitched and collaged mixed media assemblages and stunning silk scarves. The exhibition is shared across all four gallery spaces plus our sculpture garden which means a complete rehang of the entire premises energising and reimagining each space.  

We encourage visitors to look and enjoy the wealth of diverse creative talents on show and children are always welcome.

“We are always excited by the diverse nature of submissions from artists and it is a joy to be able to share everything from small ceramic Goddesses, to large abstract paintings, through to exquisitely constructed bird sculptures, quirky brooches, striking glass, decorative and functional ceramics for interiors and exteriors, stunning silver jewellery, hand made Christmas decorations and unframed and framed paintings and original prints of every conceivable style and content. We are humbled to be able to represent and support so many artists and makers. Work has even arrived for the exhibition from as far away as Australia this year. We look forward to welcoming you to the gallery.”  Karen Sherwood, Director.

Artists taking part include:
Alison Edmonds, Ama Menec, Amanda Crump, Andree Adley, Anne Menary, Carly Gilliatt, Carol Pairaudeau, Caroline Lowe, Cath Dunn, Catherine Clark, Catherine Morris, Colleen Penny, Corinna Button, Daniele Marzeddu, David Beedall, David Lucas, Elin Isaksson, Emelia Archer, Emma Yeomans, Fumi, Gemma Whithorn, Georgia Peskett, Gill Gathercole, Jacqueline Hilson, Jane Blake, Jennie McCall, Jenny Marshall, Jessica Briggs, Joanna Hart, John Brokenshire, Jonathan Oakes, Julie Cole, Justine Wake, Karen Sherwood, Kathryn Watson, Kerry Bennett, Klaus Pinter, Leslie Wilson, Lyn Hodnett, Mariel Borst Pauwels, Myfanwy Williams, Nadia Thompson, Nima Javan, Octavia Inns, Pea Restall, Penelope Hayes, Rhiannon Robinson, Richard Gee, Roger Nowell, Ruth Claydon, S Amarajyoti, Sabine Jeanne Bieli, Sarah Dewhurst, Sean O'Farrell, Simon Dobbs, Stephen Todd, Sue Ripley, Tabby Gammer, Tania Holland, Viv Owen, Yuka Jourdain

Work is for sale with prices starting from £10 to £2500 plus. Unique and hand made cards are also available from £2.50

Cupola Gallery is a proud supporter of the ‘Just a card’ campaign which champions independent shops, artists and makers.

Connections & Associations

Exhibition dates: 7 October - 11 November

Talk - Sat 28 October, 2pm

‘My work, my process, my inspiration’ -

Cupola is delighted to present Lin Cheung, an abstract artist, author and teacher who is interested in the unique individuality of experience, metaphor and symbol, for her first solo show at the gallery.

Connections and Associations is a series of new, contemporary, abstract works for the viewer’s imagination to explore.

Lin draws on her experience as a psychotherapist and understanding of metaphor, symbolism and unconscious associations and meaning. Some of the key ideas in her work are about nature, archaeology and time, juxtaposed with the continuity of place and human experience. They emerge in the way she makes use of texture, paint handling and line.

Lin works in mixed media, including acrylic paint combined with pencil crayon, oil pastel and sometimes collage. She begins with intuitive mark-making, allowing the painting to evolve from the process of the work holding her central themes in mind.

Karen Sherwood, founder and director of Cupola Gallery, said:

"We are delighted to host Lin Cheung's first solo show with the gallery. She has a wonderful ability to create structured, simple compositions rich with layers of interesting marks made using various media. The images are clearly built up over time, which creates both depth and intrigue with colours and marks softened and highlighted, covered and revealed. Each piece uses a limited colour palette in order to heighten our emotional response to each work. Her palette varies from quite cool yellow, blue and grey tones through to rich reds and browns. A bold use of black often adds a dynamism to individual pieces. Drawn lines cut through and intersect the surfaces of broader painted blocks of colours. Your eye is encouraged to wander and explore the surface but from a distance the effect of the whole evokes an unconscious emotional response or association. Paintings to spend time with. " Karen Sherwood, Director

Amanda Crump creates ceramic animals which appear to have stepped out of a Lewis Carol novel. Dressed in their finery her highly detailed pieces are bedecked in all manor of attire. Walruses, poodles, mermaids, rabbits, a whole menagerie of fantastical beasts are on display.

“We often anthropomorphise the creatures with which we share our world. There are many lessons to be learned from an animal’s innate sense of dignity and pride that we, as humans, can often lose at an early age.” Amanda Crump

Amanda’s creatures have an inscrutability about them, sometimes unsettling and dark, sometimes genial and warm. The artist questions the way we treat the creatures we share our world with – using them as symbols of legends and folk tales, attributing blame for things we don’t understand about our world or, even demeaning and anthropomorphising them in the name of love.

Karen Sherwood is presenting her latest body of work under the title ‘Escape to the sea’. Ms Sherwood describes her work as expressive landscape paintings.

“My paintings evolve through the process of painting. They all start as completely abstract marks and colours and slowly decide what they want to be. The mood and content of the images seem to reflect how I am feeling about the world resulting in often quite turbulent or moody images, unsurprising in our rather unsettling times. I am fascinated by the fact that, despite my love of the Yorkshire moors and the landlocked nature of this city in which I live, Sheffield, I am constantly drawn into depicting images of the sea. Over the last few years these landscapes very often take on the appearance of real places although I have no idea what places they might be. I am often asked ‘where is that?’ about my paintings but I can honestly answer ‘I don’t know.’. I like the fact that people will tell me my paintings look like this or that place as I really enjoy the way that connects the painting to the viewer. I use colour to evoke mood and recently I have been using a lot of blue, to the point where one of my customers remarked “It’s Karen Sherwood blue!”

I was inspired to start painting again after a hiatus of around 12 years after my children were born, by the kind offer of a stay in Seahouses on the north east Yorkshire coast. Although none of my images are now directly related to that area, I continue to be inspired by that wonderful stretch of coastline.” Karen Sherwood

All works are painted in oil and are for sale. They vary hugely in size from tiny miniature works, on paper, measuring only 5x7cm up to a large 150 x 80 cm oil on linen.

Beans and Menhirs

Hanne Westergaard

28th April - 26th May

HANNE WESTERGAARD

“Clay has been my medium for over 40 years. I have been potting since I first discovered ceramics, and have gone through different viewpoints about my work.

I am influenced by Modernism. While at art school in Copenhagen I was taught that there are strict rules about what should and should not be made. I have mellowed over the years and can now allow myself to experiment with works I previously would not have considered making. But I feel a responsibility to be careful about what I make. The world is full of objects, and I do not want to add to that multiplicity unless I feel I have something worthwhile to say in doing so. I do not make as many pots as I used to, but perhaps I put more thinking into them.

A vital part of my life is my ceramics, and I get much of my inspiration from nature: walking on the moors and by the sea, looking at the ever-changing light and the rhythms in the patterns of nature.

I enjoy the making process and the firing; the excitement after a firing and the wait before the kiln opening, where it is revealed which ideas have worked and which have not. There are many disappointments, but in-between I may get something out that ‘shines’, and that is what makes me want to carry on being a maker.”
Hanne Westergaard

Hanne Westergaard graduated in Ceramics from Kunsthandvaerker Skolen, Copenhagen in 1964 and further studied at North Staffordshire Polytechnic in 1987. Hanne has taught and lectured and continued her practice for over 40 years. She has work in public collections in Denmark and the UK and in private collections internationally. Hanne lives and works in Sheffield.

Under The Bed Sale 2023

“The Under The Bed Sale is without question the most eagerly awaited event in Cupola’s exhibition Calendar’. We do joke that should we cancel it, there may well be a ‘riot’!” Karen Sherwood, Director

Every year artists and art lovers unite in their delight of Cupola’s Under The Bed Sale. A concept which allows artists to route out from storage no longer loved or early artworks that they would not exhibit and sell them off at bargain prices. As prices start at under £1 and are capped at £350, art lovers get the chance to find original art works for absolutely bargain prices. And who doesn’t love a bargain?

The concept originated many years ago when the gallery owner, Karen, visited an artist friend, Lyn Hodnett, who proceeded to pull out a load of original art work quite literally from under her bed. She was showing it as examples of older and early works. When asked if she would exhibit it, she said no as they were out of date and no longer relevant. However, when asked if she would sell them, she answered enthusiastically in the affirmative! Therein lay the problem, how on earth could she sell them if she didn’t want to show them? So after a bit of discussion, between them, they came up with the concept of The Under The Bed Sale. And it has been a riot every since!

“Artwork for the sale is totally unselected and open to all. The sale is open to amateurs and professionals across all media. The youngest contributor we’ve had to date was 8 years old and the eldest, we know of, was 97 years.

Unlike a traditional sale we do not reduce the price of works on display in the gallery, as we don’t own them. All Under The Bed Sale items are sent or delivered just for the sale. Therefore, the items on show may not have ever been on display either in the gallery or elsewhere. The sale was once described by a visitor as a ‘salon jumble sale’ and I think that is a fair description.

The sale is only on for three weeks and when it’s gone, it’s gone. So, come and enjoy a good old rummage and see if you can find a bargain priced treasure!” Karen Sherwood, Director.

Painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, glass, ceramics, textiles, jewellery, experiments, slight seconds, sketchbook works, drawings, collage, cards, digital artwork and objects that defy description. All will be on show and for sale.

Please note: The images in the video are of last year’s sale. We will upload a video from this year when we get chance! Thank you.

These are images from this year’s sale. 2022.

Under The Bed Sale

Prices from £1 to £350 for original artworks only.

Cupola's Under The Bed Sale is the most popular event of the gallery calendar. It brings hundreds of people to the gallery, many of whom are visiting for the first time, to see if they can find a bargain! The concept behind this event came about many years ago when an artist friend of mine invited me to her house and pulled out rather a lot of work from, quite literally, under her bed. When I asked if she would show it, she replied that she wouldn't because it was old and out of date work. However she also said she didn't want to throw it away. When I asked her if she would sell it, she, unsurprisingly said, "of course!" This was how the sale was born. This is an opportunity for artists to put older and out of date work on sale at bargain prices. Work does not need to be either framed or mounted, although that is, of course, fine too. Sketch book work is fine, old life drawings, samples, tests, maquettes, slight seconds, misaligned prints, work that's currently stored in the garage, hidden in the attic, stored at your mum's, etc.