Ilkley Arts Open Exhibition 2025

I’m pleased to share that Lancashire Rich Jam Cake has been jury selected for the Ilkley Arts Open Exhibition 2025. The exhibition is part of the 2025 programme to support Bradford’s 2025 UK City of Culture event.

The exhibition on the theme of ‘Connections’, takes place at Ilkley Manor House, Castle Yard, Ilkley, West Yorkshire LS29 9DT, 6th September – 12th October 2025, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm.

“From human connectedness, kinship and alliances, to physical bonds …. ‘connection’ as a concept is worthy of our consideration. In this spirit, The Manor House Ilkley and Ilkley Arts are working together to produce an Open Exhibition in2025 exploring this very theme and building on the success of the Ilkley Arts Open Exhibition 2023.” ~ Ilkley Arts Open.

Please follow this link to view the complete list of exhibiting artists.

Lancashire Rich Jam Cake - part of the Ilkley Arts Open Exhibition 2025
Lancashire Rich Jam Cake – part of the Ilkley Arts Open Exhibition 2025

“Food and memories are closely interwoven connecting the present with the past. This cake recipe evokes warm memories from my early childhood. Lancashire Rich Jam Cake were a firm favourite at every school or church event I went to as a kid. Folk would make it to sell or cut it up and share it with a hot brew. This crowd pleaser were perfect to cut into little squares; or as my aunt used to do – cut it into pie slice wedges and arrange it on a big flowery China plate for an afternoon treat.” ~ Catherine Hill.

The hand embroidered panel measures 23.5 x 11.5cm. 

Lancashire Rich Jam Cake - part of the Ilkley Arts Open Exhibition 2025
Lancashire Rich Jam Cake – detail

Thank you to the selection panel – made up of a number of experienced exhibiting artists, gallery owners, curators, art critics and collectors – for selecting my work for exhibition.

Calderdale Open 2025

Calderdale Open 2025

I’m pleased to announce that Summer 2022 Part 1 has been selected for the Calderdale Open 2025.

The exhibition’s theme is ‘Nature’ and takes place at the Smith Art Gallery, Halifax Road, Brighouse, Yorkshire, from the 5th July – 6th December 2025.

Calderdale Open 2025

Summer 2022 Part 1

In September 2022 I was invited to an art event at Touchstones Rochdale and took the opportunity to record the thoughts and memories of the people of Rochdale about how they had been affected by the summers’s heatwave.

When I returned home I realised I had enough information to create two artworks – ‘Summer 2022 Part 1 & 2’. These pieces document how everyday lives were afected by the extreme heat, lack of water and the war in Ukraine.

The artworks cover a timeframe from mid-summer through to the 10th September 2022 with the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Summer 2022 Part 1 - part of the Calderdale Open 2025
Summer 2022 Part 1
Summer 2022 Part 1 detail - part of the Calderdale Open 2025
Summer 2022 Part 1 detail

Calderdale Open Judges

Kate Lycett – “My textile design background is always present in the way that I paint, and interpret what is around me. I see patterns in everything; the hills adorned with houses and washing lines, rows of flower pots and stripes of brightly painted drain pipes. Lines of gold thread trace lines through the landscape, and gold leaf changes the surface of my pictures with the changing light of day. I want to paint beautiful pictures of the places that I love. There are never people in my pictures but they’re full of life and warmth.”

Associate Professor Dr Marianna Tsionki – University Curator at Leeds Arts University heading up the Curation and Library department. She is responsible for strategic and operational planning of libraries and curatorial programmes, collections management and research development……Marianna is a curator, researcher and educator working at the intersection of contemporary art, ecology and technology. She is concerned with the role of curatorial and institutional practice in a time of ecological crisis, with particular focus on methodologies of alter-institutionality and critical pedagogy.

Mike Baggs AC Art & Framing – “AC Gallery began life as an art shop in the 1950’s and is now in the 3rd generation of the same family. The business has evolved over the decades, from its early days as an arts and crafts supply shop, to the AC Gallery we have today selling framed prints and originals alongside our expert picture framing service… Now with seven galleries across the north, it’s a long way from the art shop of the 1950’s but the core values have never changed. We are a family business where every customer and every job matters.”

Thank you to curator Eli Dawson and the judges for selecting my work for the exhibition.

Stitch Magazine Issue 155

Stitch Magazine Issue 155 has a brilliant article featuring the 2024/5 Embroiderers’ Guild Members’ Challenge winners.

In this year’s Challenge I was delighted to be awarded the Artistic Directors Award for Innovation for my piece ‘Flowers, Leaves and Berries’.

Flowers Leaves and Berries awarded ‘The Artists Director’s Award for Innovation’
Flowers Leaves and Berries awarded ‘The Artists Director’s Award for Innovation’
Stitch Magazine Issue 155
Flowers, Leaves and Berries

Stitch Magazine Issue 155

It’s a beautifully curated article.

Alongside each artwork you’ll find a paragraph or two written by the artist, describing how they created their designs based on the theme of ‘Colour Rhythms’.

Stitch Magazine Issue
Stitch Magazine Issue
Stitch Magazine Issue 155
Article in Stitch
Stitch Magazine Issue 155
Article in Stitch
Stitch Magazine Issue 155
Article in Stitch

Thank you to the Embroiderers’ Guild for organising the Challenge and to Stitch Magazine for the feature.