Elizabethan Hall in Lancashire In this latest blog about inspirational places I’ve pulled together a few photos and thoughts on one of the finest historic country houses in Lancashire. Tucked away on the bank of the River Calder in the shadow of Pendle Hill, Gawthorpe Hall is a fantastic Jacobean Hall with a rich history. [...]
Early last month I managed to drop in at Lancaster City Museum to check out the portraits within their fine art collection. Living close to Lancaster, it’s a place that I really should visit more often and anyone with an interest in the military would find the King’s Own Royal Regiment Museum (housed in the [...]
As promised in my recent blog about the portraits at Buckingham Palace, here’s a few thoughts on the fabulous Queen’s Gallery. The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace Having undergone a significant expansion, the gallery was reopened in May 2002 as part of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations and now displays treasures from the Royal [...]
A few weeks ago I managed to get down to London for a day where I finally visited Buckingham Palace. I’ve wanted to tour the iconic Palace for a few years now and I wasn’t disappointed. I visited the palace with a Royal Day Out ticket which included access to the Royal Mews and Queen's [...]
I enjoyed a visit to Abbot Hall Art Gallery in Kendal last year in order to study the fabulous collection of George Romney portraits. Romney was arguably the leading portrait artist in 18th Century Britain and painted numerous members of society including Earls, Colonels, MPs and Doctors. He had a successful career in which he [...]
I am delighted to have been invited to speak at a special event being held by the Harris Museum and Art Gallery next month. Over the past few months the Preston Gallery has been celebrating 70 years since they purchased one of their most popular paintings – Pauline in the Yellow Dress by Sir James [...]
During a tour of Scotland last month I spent a day exploring the fabulous Stirling Castle and was delighted to discover the inspirational military portrait paintings of The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Museum. The Great Hall, Stirling Castle Perched high on top of Castle Hill, overlooking the city, the historic fortification is [...]
Military Hospital, Antique Treasures and Portraits I recently visited the fantastic Dunham Massey Hall in Trafford near Altrincham, Manchester. The moated Georgian house is set in a beautiful deer park and contains a superb collection of regency treasures including paintings, furniture and silverware. For 2014 the house has another reason to visit, with part of [...]
Portrait by Sir Herbert James Gunn at the Harris Museum & Art Gallery This latest blog looks at portrait paintings in Lancashire, highlighting one of the Harris Museum and Art Gallery’s best works of art. Described by the BBC as 'Preston’s most popular painting,' Pauline in the Yellow Dress is an enthralling portrait. Pauline [...]
Three Portrait Artists Shortlisted for 2014 Award The BP Portrait Awards have revealed the artists who have been shortlisted to win the annual portrait prize. The awards have reverted back to shortlisting three artists after only selecting two last year. Richard Twose from Bath, David Jon Kassan from New York and Thomas Ganter from Frankfurt [...]