We have a selection of art and crafts in our shop that is available for sale, celebrating local artists.    We only show a selection here, please drop by or give us a call to see more.

Art has always been an important part of Ian Russell’s life.  An avid pencil artist from an early age he later studied figure drawing under the late Robert Hyde at St Martin’s School of Art and Design.  Painting came much later after a chance meeting with celebrated watercolourist David Green, ROI, a patient and talented tutor, who unlocked the pain, pleasure and occasional sheer delight of watercolour painting.

Having retired from the world of advertising Ian continues to work hard to refine his skills for his own and other people’s pleasure and has sought further inspiration and guidance in the company of many leading artists including John Yardley, Steve Hall and Ray Balkwill.

Ian now also teaches and is regarded as a practical and engaging tutor. An ongoing love affair with Suffolk means that the Suffolk coastline is the source of inspiration for many of Ian’s paintings. Aldeburgh, Southwold, Pin Mill and Sizewell are all familiar scenes at Ian’s annual exhibitions at Aldeburgh and Southwold and his work is also on permanent display at the Snape Maltings Gallery. Ian is a member of the Maritime art group.

Neil is a  Bedford based artist who has been creating since 2013 as part of his recovery from a head injury and associated mental health issues. He is a self-taught artist that uses his recently found passion to get through the “bad days” and to help to illustrate his emotions. He uses mainly acrylic paint as his medium of choice on board as he feels the texture and strong use of colour are a true reflection of his mood.

Neil hopes that sharing his art and his experience with others will inspire more people to be honest about their emotions and that being creative can be a fantastic spring mechanism.