Work Experience

My name is Hailey, I am 17 and go to St. Bedes 6th form College; from the 14th till the 18th of June 2010 I have been doing my work experience here at castle gallery Newcastle. During my week here I have had many tasks which I have enjoyed doing, from gallery presentation to stock take. On Thursday the 17th we re-hung the gallery which was my favourite part of this week as it gave the gallery a different atmosphere with a variety of different work which were all equally different but work well together too.

Within the gallery at the moment my two favourite pieces are Blondie by Simon Claridge and City icons – Ben by Neil Dawson. I normally prefer bright coloured pieces with as pop art style but the Blondie piece is black and white, I think this piece has drawn my attention more than what I normally prefer as this piece is part of the diamond dust collection, the background has a glittery effect which has made it more appealing to me. The frame for the Blondie piece is very ostentatious and as it is an old fashioned frame on a contemporary painting has given an even better outlook to the piece. The painting by Neil Dawson is another one of my favourites as the technique of painting has made the piece look in motion when looking at it from a distance and looking at it up close you can see the brush strokes and fine detail that has been added to get the outcome of the piece.

Overall my experience here this week has been very pleasant and I would advise anyone with an interest in art to come and either do their work experience here or come look at the gallery.

Last Minute Fathers Day Gift Ideas

Elephant Parade London 2010

The UK’s biggest ever outdoor art exhibition – The Elephant Parade - is currently in full swing in and around London with 258 brightly coloured life sized baby elephants adorning the streets of our capital city in aid of raising money to save the Asian Elephant from extinction in the wild.

Six of these wonderful elephants have been painted by our very own talented artists – Peter Smith, Louise Dear, Paul Kenton, John D Wilson, Alexander Millar & Jeff Rowland.

These elephants will be in 2 different locations from now until 3rd July 2010 for the public to see and enjoy so if you’re in London over the coming weeks why not go and say hello. You can also bid for any of these elephants and make them a permanent feature in your garden or house whilst helping a worthwhile cause.
To view all of our baby elephants or for further information on where to see them in person; or simply to see just how talented our artists are.  CLICK HERE

Alternatively work by these wonderful artists on canvas, rather than elephants, is available to view and buy from the gallery now.

The photo's of Jeff Rowland and his Elephant 'Lover' where taken here in our gallery in Newcastle.

New Original Artwork available from Castle Galleries Newcastle

Well it seems like the World Cup is on everyone's mind at the moment, including some of artists as you can probably tell by the image below. This fantastic piece has been created by our artist Peter Smith and has the very simple but apt title of 'Passion'! This England 'Impossimal' is certainly showing his team colours and will certainly be cheering on the boys!

'Passion' original oil by Peter Smith

Below is another adorable piece by Peter, featuring his more traditional 'Impossimals'. This piece is titled 'Parent and Child' and captures this tender moment beautifully. It is very much a caring and loving moment and plucks at everyon'e heart strings!

'Parent and Child' original oil by Peter Smith

Another of our artists who appears to have passion for England running through his blood is Paul Kenton. He has created an ode to England in his new work 'Jack Thames' with a Union Jack running through the heart of London. As always Paul's unique technique of painting with a screwdriver has helped create a striking and powerful image depicting our country's capital!

'Jack Thames' original oil by Paul Kenton

Paul certainly has a way of capturing London's impressive city skyline. His pieces can be so expressive and dominating even when he uses a basic colour palet of red, black and white! We love it when we get his original artwork here in the gallery, it's great to see all of his expressive 'screwdriver' strokes and feel the relief of his artwork!

'Dome Sunset' original oil by Paul Kenton

For those of you who are already fed up with the World Cup hype (and our British summer for that matter) how about warming things up with one of Hamish Blakley's Latin fused originals! The firey piece below is titled 'Cafe Bloero' and features our couple dancing the night away . This piece oozes passion and warmth  and is sure to be a focal point for any room!

Cafe Bolero - original oil by Hamish Blakely

Another piece sure to cause a fiery stir is this remarkable painting titled 'Let them Wonder'. It is very much an evocative titled, almost challenging with the way the couple are staring right into the viewers eyes. With the title 'Let them Wonder' it is almost challenging us the viewer to question them. Who are they? Are they Lovers? Is this a Lovers Tryst? Are they having an affair?

'Let Them Wonder' - original oil by Hamish Blakely

For those of you who prefer a more calming influence from your artwork you will be speechless at Lawrence Coulson's newest original artwork. His stunning almost photo realistic landscapes never fail to impress and can capture a tranquil moment in an instant!

All is Tranquil - original oil by Lawrence Coulson

If you prefer something more epic perhaps the piece below would be more up your street. The thunderous and brooding skies created by Lawrence Coulson never fail to impress. The elegant slope of the smooth beach is a delicious contrast to the rapturous skies!

'How Time Flies' original oil by Lawrence Coulson

For further details about any of these pieces or any other limited edition or original artwork, please do not hesitate to contact us here at the gallery on 0191 2332200 or email us on newcastle@castlegalleries.com

Castle Galleries and the Elephant Parade 2010

    During May, June and July, six life-size baby elephant sculptures painted by Washington Green artists will be on display in and around London as part of the Elephant Parade 2010 - the capital's biggest public art event.

  The Parade is the brainchild of the Elephant Family - a charity working to conserve the endangered Asian elephant - and will feature over 200 brightly painted elephants by over 200 artists. Its aim is to raise vital fuinds, as well as awareness of the elephants' plight, whilst showcasing fantastic art to an estimated audience of 25 million people.

  Louise Dear, Peter Smith, Jeff Rowland, Paul Kenton, Alexander Millar and John D Wilson will each have an elephant on display painted in their own inimitable style, set on a plinth and displaying their name. To round off the event, there will be a grand auction of all elephants, and miniature replicas of some of the orginal designe will beon sale.

All of our artists elephants are on sale at auction right now. To check out their progress you can visit them online at http://www.elephantparadelondon.org/.