Yorkshire Artists You Need to Know
These are the Yorkshire-based artists you need to know now
Alex Ash Artwork
LIVING NORTH CHRISTMAS FAIR EXHIBITOR
Inspired by both the stormy seas of North Yorkshire where she was born and now lives, and the sunny climes of Dubai where she grew up, Alex creates abstract seascapes. She primarily uses watercolour, acrylic, resin and gold leaf and displays her work in galleries across Yorkshire.
Living North loves: Songs of the Sea painting, £245
alexashartwork.co.uk
Amanda Mercer
LIVING NORTH CHRISTMAS FAIR EXHIBITOR
Amanda’s ceramic designs are handcrafted from fine porcelain in her Carlisle home studio. Her unique technique of using lace to imprint designs into her pieces ensures each one contains a personal touch. Through her online shop, she sells homeware, jewellery and gifts.
Living North loves: Beehive decoration, £8
amanda-mercer.co.uk
Andrew Stratford
Based in Harrogate and working in a range of mediums including acrylics, oils and charcoal, as well as recently exploring silk screen mono printing, Andrew Stratford draws much of his inspiration from the Northumberland coastline and the area’s mining and fishing past. He sells his original works on Etsy.
Living North loves: Nevermore print, £14
stratfordart.co.uk
Anna Cook
Anna Cook first started cutting paper five years ago, and found that she loved it. Now, she captures the beauty of the natural world in scenes inspired by old botanical drawings, all made from delicate coloured paper. On her website, she sells prints, cards and even lanterns.
Living North loves: Aye, Aye Captain Magpie layered paper art, £340
annacookpaperart.co.uk
Clare Haley
The ever-changing sky is the focus of Clare’s work. In her landscape paintings, which depict the dales, moors, lakes and coastline of Yorkshire, clouds threaten to burst upon the fields and beams of light offer soft dawn illumination. Some of her oil paintings can currently been seen at the Chantry House Gallery in Ripley.
Living North loves: True North painting
clarehaley.com
JBT Glass
LIVING NORTH CHRISTMAS FAIR EXHIBITOR
This Leeds-based mother and daughter team create contemporary glass work for display in your home. Inspired by the Yorkshire countryside, both their smaller flowers and larger landscape pieces celebrate the translucency of glass and its colourful ability to transform and manipulate light.
Living North loves: Screen-Fused Glass Autumn Tree, £34
jbtglass.co.uk
Freya Horsley
Freya’s paintings capture a moment of pause, as well as the journey to find that pause, in both a natural and modern world. The work begins with expressive build up of fluid paint layers, which grow and evolve as the painting is completed.
Living North loves: Casting Back canvas
freyahorsley.com
Jo Garlick
Jo works in soft pastels, using them to create vibrant pictures of British wildlife and a broad spectrum of landscapes inspired by the character and heritage of North Yorkshire. She loves the flexibility that pastel offers and enjoys experimenting with different techniques and ideas to portray texture, movement and light. Although Jo enjoys painting landscapes, her main love is for the wildlife within them, and she loves exploring the varied habitats within the Yorkshire Dales. Alongside her original work, Jo stocks a range of limited edition prints and cards.
Living North loves: Barn Owl in Flight 3 painting, £39
jogarlick.co.uk
Kate Tempest Pottery
LIVING NORTH CHRISTMAS FAIR EXHIBITOR
From her hilltop studio which overlooks the Yorkshire Dales, Kate works with stoneware clay and her own handmade glazes to produce lovely pottery, from bowls to egg cups. Each of her pieces is each unique, forged from a mix of skill and luck in the fiery kiln.
Living North loves: Trinket dish, £16
katetempestpottery.co.uk
Laura Pennell
LIVING NORTH CHRISTMAS FAIR EXHIBITOR
Painting since 2019, Laura began with pencil drawings of animals and pets. Now, she creates colourful, abstract landscapes with free brush strokes. In 2022, Laura was asked by the Fell Pony Society to create a gift for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the result of which was a silk headscarf featuring Her Majesty’s own fell pony.
Living North loves: The Waders acrylic painting, £450
laurapennell.com
John Crewe
Largely self-taught, John’s contemporary seascapes and landscapes capture the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales and North East coastline. He is also adept at portraits and life studies, working from his Darlington studio and welcomes private commissions.
Living North loves: Bamburgh canvas, £2,100
johncreweart.com
Rosie Bramley
Rosie’s abstract acrylic paintings explore her connection to nature. She often begins outside, working against the clock before the tide or rain arrives, to capture the moment in hues of blue, red and orange.
Living North loves: Away at Sea canvas, £695
rosiebramley.com
Luke Horton Art
Luke’s work aims to make people smile, containing Yorkshire slang we all know and love. He opened his first shop in Sheffield in 2022, containing all of his work from originals to merchandise such as cards and apparel. He also does personalised artwork, from people and pets to words.
Living North loves: Yorkshire Slang collage, £15
lukehortonart.co.uk
Olivia Beau
Olivia only discovered her painting ability post-pandemic, yet she quickly became a full-time artist. Now, she uses her intuition and acrylic paints to produce gorgeous paintings of the Yorkshire coast, the Dales and the Lake District.
Living North loves: Filey Bay canvas print, £290
oliviabeaustudio.com
Rachel Grace Art
Rachel Grace is a coloured pencil artist who creates joyful prints and products, specialising in pet portraits. Working from a studio at the bottom of her garden, she creates bespoke commissions and sustainable, country-style homeware which will surely bring a smile to your face. She also offers online art courses so you can hone your own skills under her expert guidance.
Living North loves: Book Lover’s gift set, £23.50
rachelgrace.art
Lori Hanson
Lori first fell in love with impressionism as a teenager, taken with the dreamy way the colours melted together. Every painting of her’s begins in nature, with an outdoor sketch forming the base, before she completes the work with oil paint in her studio. Her peaceful works use soft colours to capture much-loved Yorkshire landscapes. She takes commissions, and sells both prints and originals of her work on her website.
Living North loves: Welcome Me Home oil painting, £497
lorihansonart.com
Rebecca Appleby
Investigating balance and structure through sculpture, Rebecca’s work focuses on both natural and man-made structures. She sees the making process as a transfer of energy from the body into the vessel.
Living North loves: Stela sculpture
rebeccaappleby.com
Rosie Smith
Rosie’s artwork not only looks pretty, it also spreads an important message about conservation. Aiming to raise awareness about endangered species, Rosie creates oil and watercolour paintings of animals. She was a finalist in the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year competition, and an auction of her work was held in aid of charity Helping Rhinos.
Living North loves: Lord of Dawn oil print, £45
rosiesmithartist.com
Sarah Brabbin Sculpture
LIVING NORTH CHRISTMAS FAIR EXHIBITOR
Sarah started her career as a photographer, but soon realised that screens were meaning she was missing a connection with the wildlife she captured. So, she decided to start using clay, sculpting with her hands to form animal sculptures with soul. She sells them on her website, and also takes commissions.
Living North loves: Curious Ceramic Hedgehog sculpture, £60
sarahbrabbin.com
Sarah King
LIVING NORTH CHRISTMAS FAIR EXHIBITOR
Specialising in pet portraits, Sarah is a self-taught pastel artist who aims to capture the unique personalities of animals from hamsters to horses. She mostly does commissions, though also sells prints and gifts featuring woodland wildlife.
Living North loves: Moo limited edition print, £40
sarah-king-art.co.uk
Sarah Garforth
Sarah specialises in impasto and sgraffito techniques, mixing oil paint with marble dust for a thicker consistency. She layers the paint using spatulas, scraping and re-applying to create her Yorkshire landscapes.
Living North loves: Low Sun on Ramsgill Waterfall painting, £995
sarahgarforth.co.uk
Schiewe Ceramics
LIVING NORTH CHRISTMAS FAIR EXHIBITOR
Sarah Schiewe’s fairytale ceramics are inspired by stories and the people who tell them. She offers bespoke ceramic sculptures to help people tell their own story and, despite only becoming a ceramic artist in January this year, her Smôl Vikings sculptures are sold in the Jorvik gift shop in York.
Living North loves: The Jewel of York sculpture, £445
schieweceramics.org
Sue Wood
LIVING NORTH CHRISTMAS FAIR EXHIBITOR
Sue’s multi-textural pieces layer a range of natural and synthetic textiles using embroidery, needle felting, slow stitching, printing, weaving and even paper making. The results are wonderful works of art depicting natural scenes inspired by wildlife and objects that Sue collects on daily walks with her dog, Willow.
Living North loves: Batik painting
suewoodartist.co.uk
Vicki Davidson
Experimental artist Vicki Davidson works in a range of mediums – really, anything she can get her hands on to make a mark. Her favourite animals to draw are hares, though she also does portraits and, more recently, landscapes. Her work is displayed in local Yorkshire galleries, and available to purchase on her website. She also sells greeting cards, coasters, magnets and bags.
Living North loves: Amber Hare prints, £29–45
vickidavidson.com
