One of the parts of the business that we enjoy is working with local artists, and there are so many talented ones out there. The initial appointment where they bring their work in is exciting, as we get to see a latest commission or original piece of art that no one else has had the privilege of viewing yet. We get to advise and guide them on what frame might be best to really show off the artwork.

Prior to lockdown one vision we had (and still hope to have one day) is to offer local artists some wall space to display their work and hopefully sell some pieces. We will keep you posted, as and when this comes to fruition – certainly not viable in today’s challenging environment. Instead, over the coming months we hope to feature a few local artists on the website.

One of the artists we work with, who is well known in the local area, is Ophelia Redpath. We have worked with Ophelia for the last 5 years and it has been great to part of her journey as an artist. From book illustrations, to exhibitions and original one off commissions, there is great variety to the work she produces.

In more recent times, we have even seen other customer’s coming in with prints that they have brought from her:

We worked closely with Ophelia at the end of 2019, to bring together an exhibition held at Stapleford Granary in January 2020.

It was possibly one of the last exhibitions we were fortunate to be part of before Covid-19 dramatically effected the art industry.

A large number of the original pieces were all framed with the same linen slip and grey natural wood moulding. The chunkiness of the frame that Ophelia chose really enhanced the images, and then, when we were fortunate enough to see them on display, were able to really see how much the wide frames brought the paintings to life in the high ceilinged space at the Granary. The day we visited, Ophelia was there and it was great to catch up with her and be together to see the hard work we had all put in.

It was also great to hear feedback from other people that were there, visiting the exhibition.

It appears, in spite of the lack of exhibitions and art fairs last year, Ophelia has managed to keep busy. We received an exciting email from her this week to let us know she will be taking part in the Sky Arts Competition, Landscape Artist of the Year. There are nine episodes in the series, starting on Wednesday 13th January. Ophelia will appear in the third episode which takes place on the 27th January. In Ophelia’s own words she said “The experience was fun, gentle, and, to the point, about art.  I have to say I enjoyed every moment of it”.

We can’t wait to see Ophelia and her work on TV!