ON REFLECTION : An exhibition of beautiful contemporary paintings by Rachel Heard

19th April to 5th May
(open everyday except Monday)

11am to 6pm

We are excited to welcome back artist Rachel Heard for her upcoming exhibition of original paintings inspired by walks in the local countryside.

Bewitched by the reflections of light on the surface of the water, induced to quiet contemplation, moments of feeling immersed in nature and being at one with the surroundings, her paintings, Rachel hopes “not only address literal reflection but also the metaphorical interpretation, and a process of introspection in the context of nature”.

We hope you can join us in the Gallery @ No 56 to immerse yourself in her calm, beautiful and enchanting works.

Prices start from £50 for drawings, with paintings ranging between £300 and £3000.

HIGH TONES, LOW LINES : A Michael Sutherland Exhibition

We are excited to welcome artist Michael Sutherland for his first solo exhibition of his original paintings in oil & acrylics as well as some limited edition prints.

Michael has a very successful TikTok series that has been viewed by millions all over the world, it catches moments in peoples’ everyday lives through the medium of portraiture. Visitors to Michael’s Exhibition – entitled ‘High Tones, Low Lines’ in Gallery @ No 56 have the chance to join this series by having their portrait painted by Michael and an accompanying video of the painting process posted on social media. All you have to do is, take a selfie in our dedicated photo booth set up in the gallery. The winner will be picked at the end of November.

Michael is a Corsham-based artist originally from Tain in the north of Scotland. He has previously exhibited at The Corsham Gallery, Gallery @ No 56 Summer Open Exhibition, The Peacock Arts Trail and the Pound Arts Open Exhibition (where he won the Peoples Choice Award).

His work was featured on the lockdown version of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year. Michael’s series of portraits of everyday TikTok users – Embracing positivity and diversity – went viral with over 15 million views in 2022. You can follow this series along with his 80K followers via his TikTok page.

‘High Tones, Low Lines’ represents a milestone for Michael. Having lost touch with painting for many years, he rediscovered his love in 2017, but it wasn’t until 2019 when he gave up drinking alcohol that painting came to the fore in his life. His work follows themes of discovery, reconnection and authenticity.

Michael is a painter of people and landscapes. Beyond the subject, any new work is rarely planned and often embraces punchy colours and fragmented forms. Through this free-wheeling and improvisational approach in the early stage,s his pieces evolve and find structure while simultaneously allowing the chaos of the beginnings to peek through.

Eats, Roots, Shoots & Leaves

Our latest exhibition of (mainly) photography exploring the natural world from the incredibly talented Matt Parker, Larry St Croix, Alun Crockford, Christina Cornish and Kathy Hutton.

We hope you are able to join us here at Gallery @ No 56.

Exhibit with us

Summer Open Exhibition

We hope you are able to join us for our first Summer Open Exhibition here at Gallery @ No 56

We have been overwhelmed with the incredible response from so many talented artists and craftspeople keen to exhibit with us and are pleased to announce that we have over 40 artists displaying over 150 original works of art.

Our impressive array of exhibited pieces include:
Paintings in oil, watercolour, gouache and acrylic

Drawings in ink, pen & pastels

Prints- lithographs, etchings, mono prints & lino cuts

Photography- silver gelatine & digital

Ceramics- slip build, wheel turned & hand sculpted

Stained Glass, Hand cut paper & Letter Press Printing

Sculpture in marble, wood, recycled plastic, clay & wire

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Meet the artist

Saturday 17th June 2-4pm

Join artist Rachel Heard at Gallery No 56 for an informal drawing session.

Rachel will be sketching in the afternoon and will be delighted to share some of her techniques & inspiration as well as chat about the works in her Tranquility Flows exhibition. Materials will be provided, alternatively feel free to bring your own sketch book.

Exhibit with us

Tranquility Flows

Thursday 1st June – Saturday 24th Jun

From Thursday 1st June to Saturday 24th June, Gallery No 56 on Corsham High Street is hosting “Tranquility Flows”: An exhibition of beautiful paintings by Rachel Heard.

Rachel is inspired by natural forms and phenomena and our human relationship with the environment. She uses a variety of paint and techniques and emulates organic pattern, often in an abstract way.

You can find out more about Rachel and her work at www.rachelheard.com

Exhibit with us Event Gallery

Gallery Preview Party

Thursday 1st June 2023 2-8pm

An opportunity to join fellow artists and explore the newly finished Gallery space in the heart of Corsham.

The new Gallery No.56, created by local Art, Antique dealer and interior designer Willow Bicknell, will be opening to showcase all forms of Arts and Crafts including painting, photography, sculpture, glass, ceramics, textiles etc etc. The Gallery will host numerous exhibitions throughout the year and the Artist Preview Party will be the perfect opportunity for artists to come together, see the space and explore the possibilities of holding individual and joint exhibitions.

Corsham based artist Rachel Heard will be here, test driving the Gallery space for us. She is currently producing an exciting new piece specifically for our front window.

We hope you can join us for a Summers drink on Thursday 1st June. Please feel free to invite any fellow artists you think might be interested.

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Feather and Fin

Saturday 16 October – Sunday 31 October

From Saturday 16 October – Sunday 31 October the gallery at No 19 Corsham High Street is hosting “Feather and Fin”: An exhibition of sculptures and prints of birdlife by Celia Smith, wildlife artist and “end of day” glass fish mostly from Murano, Italy.

Celia’s intricate sculptures of birds are full of life and energy. Celia uses wire as other artists use a pencil, collected and gathered wherever she finds it from the side of the road to scrapyards. Celia’s work will be on display together with Willow’s personal collection of nearly 100 “end of day” fish which he has collected during lockdown. Willow no longer has any room left on the shelves at home so it’s time for them to find new admirers!

Celia’s love of wire was inspired by a visit to Sophie Ryder’s studio, and although she is a huge fan of the iconic mobile kinetic sculptures of Alexander Calder, she often cites her father’s creative use of baler twine and mending gates and fences on the farm she grew up on as another subconscious influence.

Not unlike the glass blowers of Murano, using whatever pieces were left over at “the end of the day”, Celia’s careful choice of reclaimed wires and materials produce her intricate and ethereal pieces, animated, swooping and gliding, across sky and paper.

Celia’s sculptures and prints will be available for purchase throughout the exhibition. The glass fish will be on sale with prices from £30 – £100. All art works will be available to purchase from the gallery ONLY for the first week of the exhibition to encourage people to visit the gallery and other businesses in town. They will then also be available online.

Exhibit with us