 |
| the gallery entrance inside the Fleetville Vintage Emporium © Teresa Newham |
Last week I made my first visit to Gallery 32, a new art collective which has been set up in the roofspace of the Fleetville Vintage Emporium by resident local artist Debbie Knight. I'm one of the artists within the collective, and I was keen to see what was going on!
 |
| top of the stairs 1: art on the staircase © Teresa Newham |
Just climbing the staircase is a treat, as every inch of space has been utilised for contemporary art. From the landing, the visitor gets a tantalising glimpse of even more:
 |
| top of the stairs 2: peeking into the gallery © Teresa Newham |
Once inside, there is a wonderful range of pieces large and small: canvases, framed items, glass and ceramics - something to entrance every art lover and suit the pocket of those who come to buy.
 |
| smaller works on the gallery shelves © Teresa Newham |
The gallery is a welcoming space with a distinct 'studio feel': there are canvases stacked against the walls at floor level, the odd browser, and vintage boxes used to display greetings cards. I found my two pieces on a cleverly-positioned gridwall which provides even more hanging space:
 |
| my work (alongside others) with the studio in the background © Teresa Newham |
Art lovers are welcome to take a look in Debbie's studio if one the artists is there - she had been working on this large canvas when I did my shift, and each of us will be taking the opportunity to make our own art when we are covering for her:
 |
| visitors are welcome to the studio if somebody's there! © Teresa Newham |
Of course, I couldn't resist taking a look round the emporium itself. All sorts of different items are displayed, from books to clothes to furniture and ornaments:
 |
| the ground floor 1: some stalls in the Fleetville Vintage Emporium © Teresa Newham |
This stallholder had laid out their display to resemble a living room; there was a new delight round every corner. So I'm sure I'll be coming away with something every time I do a stint at the gallery!
 |
| the ground floor 2: my favourite vintage stall © Teresa Newham |
Artists showing work at the Gallery32 collective currently include: Sandy Andrews, Sandra Berti, Jannah Britt-Green, Anne Hignell, Elspeth Keith, Debbie Knight, Judith Moule, Teresa Newham, Clive Patterson, Opal Seabrook, Graham Saunders, Morag Saunders, Linda Smith. If you are a participating artist and would like your name displayed here, please let me know. The Fleetville Vintage Emporium is open daily from 10am - 5.30 pm (Sundays and Bank Holidays 5pm) behind the site of the former Emporium premises at 221 Hatfield Road, St Albans AL1 4TB.
What a wonderful space - a real treasure trove! Hope it gets a lot of business.
ReplyDeleteApologies - I thought I'd posted a comment on this. It looks a wonderful and unusual space that you hope would see a lot of footfall and a lot of business.
ReplyDelete