Spring into Summer

Washington Green and Castle Galleries are delighted to present to you our ‘Spring into Summer’ range which features eight brand new pieces from four of our most well know artists.

Nick Potter presents us with two exhilarating boxed canvasses this season, taking his inspiration from the sea and his love of lighthouses; whilst Paul Corfield takes us into his wonderful imaginary world away from the stresses of everyday life. John Wilson, on the other hand, amuses us with his whimsical images, leading the viewer to create their own narrative behind his pieces.

In complete contrast, Hamish Blakely has painted two stunning figurative pieces. The mood and tone of these pieces have been perfectly complimented by the use of a darker presentation, adding an air of mystery and intrigue to the picture.

These pieces will brighten up your walls this spring.

To order these pieces or for further information please contact us in the first instance on 0191 2332200.

A New Style, A New Collection by Paul Kenton

Paul Kenton lends his distinctive style of painting to a whole new subject matter close to his heart - cars. Car enthusiast Paul wanted to combine his love of painting with his love of cars and create what he calls 'an old classic in an urban style'. Keeping with his characteristic ‘drip painting’ style, Paul adds an extra dimension to his new images by combining the use of spray paint.

Paul has chosen three iconic cars that have earned themselves a place in history: the Bug, the VW Campervan and the Mini, which have a retro feel and are cult icons the world over. Using a limited palette for all four pictures they instantly create a ‘WOW’ factor upon viewing and will make a dramatic impact on any wall.

Sarah's Thoughts

Here at Castle Galleries Newcastle we strive to bring you up to date and innovative work from some of the country and the world’s leading fine artists. In this respect, we are making it our aim to bring to you some new and exciting originals from some of our leading fine artists.

At the minute I can’t seem to get enough of Derrick Fielding. It’s been a while since we had some new print releases from him but he’s been busy in the studio creating some amazing originals. It seems quite clear to me he has also been listening to one of my favourite group’s new albums, Elbow’s the ‘Seldom Seen Kid’ as he appears to be taking influence from their lyrics and song titles. This is much to my delight as I am already in possession of one of his earlier, musically influenced pieces, ‘But Soon Comes the Night’ which is based on the infamous classic, ‘Mr Blue Sky’ by Electric Light Orchestra’. I find his use of shadow and line work is integral in creating these dramatic images. We are hoping to have a number of his originals on display very soon so keep an eye out for them; I hope you find them as exciting as I do! (I also highly recommend buying the ‘Seldom Seen Kid’ by Elbow!!!)

‘Throw Those Curtains Wide’
Based on the song ‘One Day Like This’ by Elbow

‘Blinking in The Morning Sun’
Based on the song ‘One Day Like This’ by Elbow

I find it thoroughly refreshing when I find that artists take inspiration from such things as music or theatre, as I feel that it allows me to relate to the artist on a more personal level, it can also allow me to relate to the artwork on a more personal level, giving me a better idea of the inspiration for the piece and the inner working’s of the artist’s mind as they were creating it.

Another artist’s original work that is exciting me greatly at the moment is that of Lawrence Coulson. He is a much more traditional landscape painter who has been using a much more experimental use of colour as of late. His dramatic use of alternative colour and light helped create the breathtaking images below. I particularly like the image ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. The drama that has been created with the contrasting use of light and darkness of the clouds reminds me of what my Mam used to say to me when an almighty thunder storm was erupting, “the gods are bowling again!!”

‘My Kingdom’
By Lawrence Coulson

‘The Greatest Show on Earth’
By Lawrence Coulson

At present we have some remarkable originals in the gallery from Paul Kenton and Hamish Blakely.

Paul has been making light work of his screwdriver again in this spectacular image ‘Dockside Overview’. His work is reminiscent of that of Jackson Pollock with his use of free flowing dribbled paint, allowing it to fall from a height and harnessing its erratic behaviour. It is definitely worth a visit to the gallery to view this piece and how a delicate flick of red paint can highlight a mammoth crane and busy street cars. I also challenge people to pick out Big Ben!

‘Dockside Overview’
By Paul Kenton

The piece which we currently have displayed from Hamish Blakely is truly one of the most stunning we have ever had in the gallery and comes with a very apt title ‘Beaucoup D’amour’. As ever Hamish has managed to capture the raw passion between these two figures so that you can almost feel the heat radiate from the canvas. Words can’t describe the beauty of this piece so I urge you all to come and see it with your own eyes and keep popping in to see which new works we will be unveiling each week.

‘Beaucoup D’Amour’
By Hamish Blakely

Watch this space for more of Sarah's Thoughts (lol)

Up Close and Personal

Here at Castle Galleries we are often asked about the printing processes that are used on some of our artwork. Over the last few years printmaking techniques have become more advanced and ingenious. Giclee printing (pronounced zhee - clay and loosely translating as spray of ink in French) is a fine quality reproduction print.

Giclee printing is known for its deep saturated colours, minute details, subtle tints and blends resulting in a beautiful painterly finish. Giclee prints can often be hand embellished with extra layers of paint, gold leafing and a wide variety of items from the creative minds of our artists.

The limited edition work of John Myatt features stunning embellishment creating the look of the original work. Even John's "Genuine Fakes" were created ingeniously using household emulsion paint and KY Jelly to produce a technically accurate version of works by the great masters. Artists have always found clever and unusual techniques to create their work and now the publishers Washington Green are leading the way in reproducing their artists original work in new and exciting ways.

Caroline Shotton on the other hand produces original work embellished with sequins and even earrings which can be seen cleverly reproduced in one of her latest print releases "Diamonds are for Heifers"

For Simon Claridge's latest collection "The Diamond Dust Collection" his iconic beauties of the silver screen and popular culture have been given a sparkling treatment.

To view these ingenious pieces why not pop into the gallery and see them up close and personal.

Alexander Millar Painting Live

When Alexander Millar offered to paint in the gallery window we jumped at the chance to show off our very own North East based artist's talents. With only a few days notice we managed to bring together an impressive collection of original and limited edition work from across Alex's portfolio of styles.

Alex's model Peter 'The Gadgie' agreed to make an appearance in full flat cap and big booted apparel and together they charmed the crowd of collectors that had turned up to experience the artist's creative process.

We had a very enjoyable day chatting with many a collector, sharing their memories and stories of their own 'gadgies' be it fathers, grandfathers, brothers, uncles or neighbours, everyone has one.

Alex's work inspires nostalgia and humour, to view his full collection go to http://www.castlegalleries.com/ or pop into the gallery to see his 'gadgies' first hand.

New Artists Now In The Gallery

Spring has arrived and the nights are getting lighter. In keeping with the sense of new beginnings we are currently showing a selection of inspiring and fresh artwork from some of Washington Green's latest artists. From the vibrant cityscapes by Lesley-Anne Derks to the contemporary work of graffiti artist Ge Feng.

The night scenes featured in Lesley-Anne's work are inspired by the locations that have captured her imagination on her varied travels.

Rachael has formed a huge bond with Lesley-Anne's work due to the fact that they both hail from the Scottish town of Falkirk.

"I feel in order to paint these scenes you must see them first hand and travelling is an integral part of my work. I need to hear the sounds, smell the smells, soak up the atmosphere of a particular place. I also use my camera as a back up to these experiences treating it almost as my sketchbook. When taking photographs I know exactly what I am hoping to capture in my composition. The camera also allows me to play with movement, such as passing vehicles. I then work from a series of photographs and choose certain elements from each one bringing them together in one composition."

The work of Ge Feng is a truly refreshing and different to anything else in our portfolio utilising photography with stencil and graffiti techniques. Originally from China Ge now lives in England and has utilised characteristics from both cultures to create his imagery.


"Originally my photos were just a source of inspiration for artwork. Nowadays I am using the photographs more directly, blowing them up and printing them on canvas as a background for my graffiti. I enjoy the interaction between places and people. This is a major attraction of graffiti. I think of a character I would like to paint, then search out a perfect location. I photograph the location, bring it home to my studio and stencil my character in this new habitat."