Snow snow snow

Just like everyone else in the North East of England, we have had our fair shair of snow over the past week or so - however, from the news coverage it looks as though we've missed the main falls and only have about 30cm on the ground. But, as we live here, we have no problem getting to work! So we're still open to all who venture out to see us.

Very glad we took delivery of 5 tons of woodchip a few days ago - with temperatures dipping down to minus 10 C the boiler has been earning its keep. And it's been a perfect chance to throw some large logs in that we collected in 2009 from some of the branches down around the farm. The boiler seems to work better when it's firing on all cylinders, really seems to burn the wood down to very little ash...

Following a very busy month - courses from Celia Smith and Peter Wray, and opening TWO shows - Debbie's own show in the main gallery and a show featuring Hilary Angle and Barbara Wood in the Tractor Barn - we now have only a few weeks left before closing the doors for Christmas. It's been great to have the gallery bursting with people and creativity, but it will also be pleasant at the end of the month to take a deep breath and enjoy a few days to ourselves!

Steve's week off..

I've taken a week off work and had a 'staycation' in the truest sense of the word - stayed at home. And it's been great - once I managed to get my head into the 'holiday' groove... Playing with chainsaws and fallen trees, piles of wood, mowers, cars, bikes... anything to be outside in the fresh air (occasionally tinged with exhaust fumes and wood smoke) - and playing with our son.

Wednesday was a special day - Debbie and I packed up our rucksacks and headed for the hills -our first real walk on the moors together since the boy came along. A day in glorious sunshine up above Hawnby, with the ever present Bilsdale mast towering above us.

Debbie took sketch book and pencil along for the day - it will be interesting to see if any of the walk ends up in future drawings... On the topic of Debbie's drawings, we spent a morning with the framer last week in the very pleasurable task of discussing how to frame Debbie's newest body of work due to be exhibited in November in Lund Gallery. There are some interesting 3D blocks and multiple image works - can't wait to see how they will look when framed up...

Autumn on the Lund

The past few weekends have been wonderfully busy ; the opening of our 5th anniversary show, followed by a woodblock printing course from Jo McChesney and a stone carving course from Dominic Hopkinson. The creative buzz that comes with hosting courses makes the whole Lund come alive...

The sculpture yard has been bursting with colour - could not believe how the borders have flourished...

... and the White Horse of Kilburn has been repainted in the last few weeks, and it seems to jump off the hillside on a sunny day...

Steve has been trying to work out what veg to plant over the winter - this year we will mostly be eating spinach and spring onions.. I know it's a cliched picture, but I could not resist a snap of the fork in the vegetable plot that I saw the other day... They say that much of the pleasure of food is in the anticipation - well we'll be anticipating these for several months!

Almost Five!

Lund Gallery is rapidly approaching its fifth anniversay! In may ways it seems 'just like yesterday', but then again there are times when it feels like more than five years - there's a lot of hard work behind the scenes!

In these last five years we have built up a considerable mailing list to which we send out invitations to our featured exhibitions and events, and it has grown to quite a size - a little bit too large in fact. So in order to save some trees we have decided to make sure the list is up to date. So, if you are currently on our mailing list and would like to continue receiving information from the gallery in the future, please let us know by e-mail, 'snail- mail, or in person when you next visit the gallery.

Peter Humpherson's Pots

A short blog entry just to say how much we like Peter Humpherson's pots.


He has a selection in our current show, including some new forms on wooden bases one of which required a little last minute work before display...

On yer bike...

I took some time away from the chocolate factory and loaded up my bike with a tent and loaded the bike onto a train up to Berwick upon Teed (what a fantastic thing to be able to do - take a bike on a train for free!). The following days were then spent ambling back through the Cheviots and the Pennines roughly following Sustrans route 68. Revisiting many of the places I have not been on a bike for over 20 years - absolutley fantastic. One of the highlights was an old railway up Tynedale to Alston; I think Sustrans deserve a warm pat on the back for having opened up some fantastic cycleways.

I would also like to take the opportunity to praise Anna Whitehouse, an up-and-coming ceramicist from Harrogate who has helped us out in the Gallery over recent weeks - including photographing much of the current work in the Gallery and setting us up with some 'business pages' on Facebook : thanks Anna...

Summer at the Lund

The Summer show has opened at Lund Gallery, and the gallery has come alive...

In June, Debbie held a drawing course, Dominic a stone sculpture course, and Celia Smith a wire sculpture course - accompanying the opening of her show. The courses took place throughout the Lund - in the barns, fields, gallery, courtyard and Tractor Barn - a real buzz...

We finished the courtyard in time for exhbiting works by Chris Lewis, Nigel Edmondson and Sarah Walton:

And on top of all this, Debbie has been putting a body of work together for a show coming up in Harrogate next week. A busy time for all...

Summer show...

Chris Lewis delivered some amazing woodfired ceramics to us a couple of days ago, and it's been like Christmas unpacking the work. We now have a selection of huge pieces sitting outside in our courtyard waiting to be arranged - something we have been waiting for for years...

Following the film showings last weekend, it's all change for the Tractor Barn - out with the chairs and carpets and paintings, in with the easels and mounting some simple shelving to hold drawing boards - all in preparation for Debbie's first drawing class. Dominic will be holding a stone carving weekend at the same time, so there will be a real buzz about the place over the weekend...

Then I'll be taking a week off work to repaint the gallery - ensuring the walls are crisp and clean as a backdrop for Celia Smiths long awaited return to the Gallery with her wire sculptures... the Lund Gallery Summer Show..

Dawn to Dusk - Peter Hicks

Lund Gallery hosted it's first film preview on friday evening - and it was a privalge for us to be able to do so. Film-maker Nick Turner spent 5 weeks with an artist who both Debbie and I have a strong admiration and respect for, Peter Hicks, recording Peter taking inspiration from the changing light in the landscape of the North York Moors. Nick then distilled this down to around an hour of footage, complete with dialogue from Peter, that held the undivided attention of two sell out audiences over the weekend. It was wonderful for us to be able to host such an inspirational film for people who are as much in admiration of Peter's work as we are...

During the Friday show I had gated the sheep into the back field to free the front field up for parking. But, sheep being sheep, they managed to find a way through (- the grass is always greener.... ) So I spent a fair part of Saturday patching up the hole in time for the second film showing. As with everything else in life, it's the unexpected 'extras' that keep you busy, no matter how well planned things are in advance...

It might seem like something small

... but it's very big for us

Part of our 'grand plan' has always been to be able to throw the doors of the tractor barn open during the summer months, to let the fresh air and sunshine in, and the people out... There is a (potentially) beautiful south facing enclosed courtyard that is waiting to be filled with sculpture and guests. Unfortunatley this has had to wait while we have saved our pennies to put some steps in. And the time has come! As you can see from the photo, a very hand man (Steve from Hawthorne Landscapes) is building a fine set of steps. It might seem like a small thing, but it will hopefully mark the beginning of a 'new space' for the gallery...

Goodbye to our space rocket

We have lived with a feed silo outside our kitchen window for the last year, and I've grown very fond of it. I've had dreams of painting it stipes of red and white - to look like the space rocket from the frint of one of the first TinTin books. But, instead, we sold it off. A man came with a big lorry and took it away at the weekend. A fond farewell (- if one can be fond of a feed silo...)

Spring is here - so it must be 'end of year'

As spring takes hold, activity on the farm is picking up. The muck collected over the winter has been spread on the fields and harrowed in to fertilise the grass for the next year. Daffodils are just about to burst forth, and the lambs will soon be in the fields. A magical time – and looking forward to sharing it with our son!

Random picture – a wonderful multicolour trailer parked up in a neighbours field. I’ve always been drawn in by the overpainted depth of colour…
I’m waiting on the lawnmower coming back from servicing. It’s a small ride-on, and I think I pushed it too hard last year, poor thing. It’s been in lawnmower hospital for a couple of weeks now; hope it’s let out soon, as it’s about time for the first cut.

Financial year coming to an end in the next few weeks – deep joy. Trying hard to chase up on the paperwork (remember remember - always get an invoice…). It has been a very ‘steep learning curve’ over the last few years, but with some explanations from some very patient accountants I think we are starting to get the hang of it.

Celia Smith’s wire sculpture course has already been booked up for this year. It’s a great feeling to be getting the ball rolling on the courses and putting the extra space at the gallery into a ‘creative’ use.

Tractor Barn coming to life

When we expanded the gallery we converted the old barn where we kept the tractor into 'flexible space' with the aim of using it for meetings and workshops. During 2009 we were so busy (thanks son) that we weren't able to dedicate the time to get the ball rolling. This year, things are starting to take shape; it feels good to see the space filled with people.

Last week the Moors and Coast Tourism Partnership held a networking meeting, and we have our first 'corporate clients' renting the space in a few weeks. Debbie has arranged course and workshops throughout the year, many by makers who are showing at the gallery (if you would like a place on Celia Smith's wire sculpture course you'll need to hurry - only 2 places left...)

It's a good feeling to be linking up with other businesses in the area - with the catering being arranged by Fine Foods of Yorkshire - the award winning deli in Easingwold. The more excuses I have sample their fantastic food the better!

Art of chocolate

Last week I headed out to Switzerland to visit an historic chocolate factory in the mountains north of Lake Geneva. A new centre dedicated to developing artisanal chocolates has opened in the top floor of the old factory and I am lucky to work with this team as part of my 'day job' as a chocolate scientist.

While there I had the chance to take part in a tasting session. What struck me most was not the flavours or textures (which were indeed sublime) but the amazing appearance of the pralines, truffles and chocolates. As part of my work I've made a few basic chocolates, but their creations showed a level of appreciation of form, combined with a mastery of the raw materials that goes beyond simply 'making chocolates'. Depsite being artistic creations, they were still designed to be eaten - and this touches on the long running form vs function debate. (I valiantly put such a debate to one side while sinking by teeth into yet another chocolate creation...)

Farewell to Spike...

The Lund will have a very different personality in the future, as last week we said our final farewell to Spike – our collie/whippet cross. He was out faithful friend for 14 years, and visitors to the gallery have been welcomed by Spike since we first opened four years ago (more enthusiastically in the last few months as he gradually became hard-of-hearing…).

He had a wonderful life, moving from the wilderness of the North Pennines, to rural Bedford, and finally having free range of Lund Farm into his old age. He will be greatly missed.

Northumberland Beach Holiday

Just back from a wonderful weeks holiday in Northumberland; our first holiday with our son. The back door of the holiday cottage opens out onto a wide expanse of sand, with the waves crashing close to the back door when the tide is in. Most days were spent drifting from breakfast to coffee to lunch and on through the day while watching the tides drift in and out. It was a very welcome break. Debbie spent time with sketch book, pen and paint, with the view from the kitchen being a continuing source of inspiration.

While we were away, I tried the boiler out on pellets (rather than wood chip) with the hope it would burn for a whole week on one hopper. As we pulled in back at the Lund following our week away there was a thin stream of smoke from the chimney – a big relief. We’ve also taken a bulk delivery of freshly chipped pine, still trying to find the best fuel for the burner. A balance between price, moisture content, chip size, and whether it’s in bags, bulk bags or tipped. This was tipped, and I still can’t get my head around how the driver managed to get such a huge tractor and trailer into such a small space.

We open the doors to the gallery again on the 6th Feb. The timing feels right; we’ve had time to redecorate, bring in some new and exciting work, have a family break and a ‘breather’, and return refreshed and ready to head into 2010.

… and the cabbages seem to have made it through the winter. Amazing.

Snow and a New Lick of Paint

Like many people across the country, we’ve been out with the camera capturing some images of the amazing snow and ice. This is our first Christmas living at the Lund, and it’s magical to have such a dramatic snowscape.

A lucky escape for Debbie… shortly after walking out of a shed next to our house, the shed roof collapsed with a suitably dramatic creaking, crashing, thud. The weight of snow was just too much for its old wooden frame – it was second hand when it arrived here many decades ago, so it's had a good life. Looking on the bright side, we’ll have a cracking view out of our front room when the carcass is hauled away…

We’ve taken the plunge with the roller and paintbrush over the last few days. Following four years of a white and grey ‘neutral’ gallery space, we’ve decided to warm things up with a bit of colour. White was the easy option when we opened, and of course it’s very traditional ‘gallery’ colour – but it feels great to be adding some warmer tones on some of the walls.

As for my veg - I am trying to be optimistic, but it will be a hardy cabbage that lives through this:

The snow might look nice, but as for many people it can also be an inconvenience. I was hoping to head on a roadtrip – picking up new work from the south coast, Bath, and Cumbria. But with the next wave of snow and ice heading in, it’ll be on hold for at least a couple of days.

With such a cold spell, I’ve been keeping fit by feeding the boiler with woodchip; it’s eating a full hopper every day. So I may be buying in some high energy density wood pellets for the next few weeks to make life a little easier.