Work on Paper

Gatepost has news about the artists and makers C&C showcase online and in our exhibitions. To receive notification of C&C's exhibitions subscribe to the newsletter using the sign up form by clicking here.
  • Open Studio at The Crypt

    Rosie Phillips meets with visitors to discuss her paintings
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Students from Writer's Bloc creative writing group Norwich School
    Students from Writer's Bloc creative writing group Norwich School
    Rosie Phillips began her residency at Norwich School on January 10th. She has welcomed pupils, teachers, school staff, caretakers to the studio and during this last week from February (5th to the 7th), Rosie has welcomed forty visitors, from the school's student groups like a creative writing class (Writer's Bloc), to visiting Norwich-based artists and collectors at a series of open days. She has talked about her work, what inspires her, how she selects her sitters, her interest in their background stories, and she has answered their questions to the best of her ability.
  • Spotlight: Nessie Stonebridge

    Capturing Raw Nature
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Nessie Stonebridge working in her studio
    Nessie Stonebridge working in her studio
    Nessie Stonebridge's paintings depict the explosive energy of rural Norfolk's avian splendor, where her studio is based. A flash of light, feathers, beaks; a vortex of vitality, blood, life and death!
  • Gallery Visit: Amanda Edgcombe at The Cut, Halesworth

    LOOP: An Exhibition of Paintings and Prints
    Paul Barratt, Director and Curator at Contemporary and Country by Paul Barratt
    Gallery Visit: Amanda Edgcombe at The Cut, Halesworth
    Amanda Edgcombe's current exhibition Loop presents new carborundum prints and gesso paintings where a closer relationship between painting and print making has been developed.
  • Spotlight: Liz McGowan

    Absence: Norfolk Chalk Reef
    Paul Barratt, Director and Curator at Contemporary and Country by Paul Barratt
    Absence: Norfolk Chalk Reef – No. 1, Liz McGowan
    Absence: Norfolk Chalk Reef – No. 1, Liz McGowan
    Liz McGowan is an artist who works with natural and found materials, creating responses to particular environments through installation, sculpture, drawing and conversation. She exhibits her work nationally and carries out creative interventions in the environment at locations throughout Norfolk.
  • Gallery visit: BIG WOMEN

    Firstsite: 20+ women artists curated by Sarah Lucas
    Paul Barratt, Director and Curator at Contemporary and Country by Paul Barratt
    Gallery visit: BIG WOMEN
    It is not without irony that the exhibition BIG WOMEN, including more than twenty leading women artists, is taking place at Firstsite, Colchester in the heart of Essex, the home of the misogynistic Essex joke.
  • Spotlight: Tassie Russell

    Revealing architectural space in paint and print
    Paul Barratt, Director and Curator at Contemporary and Country by Paul Barratt
    Spotlight: Tassie Russell
    After a career teaching in universities in the UK and Australia, Tassie Russell now works in her painting and printmaking studio on the Suffolk coast.
  • It all starts with a walk

    New drawings by Essex-based painter Simon Carter
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Simon Carter in his studio
    Simon Carter in his studio
    Like many of us at this time of year Simon Carter loves to walk. His routes ofter take him to the marshes of  his native Essex. Unlike us however, he makes this pilgrimage all year round and always with a sketch book in hand.
  • Living the Dream

    Preparing for the year ahead with all its challenges and opportunities
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Living the Dream
    We have witnessed fantastic night skies like this recently - this one painted by Norfolk-based artist, Claire Cansick. Work like this reminds us of the natural beauty surrounding us but also represents the opportunity to lift our gaze to see beyond the everyday. Can we really live the dream?
  • Compendia Guide 2022/23

    C&C are in on the inside track guide to Norwich and Norfolk
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Compendia Guide 2022/23
    Compendia is a new, comprehensive guide to independent businesses and organisations,that make Norwich and Norfolk so unique and such a great location to live. It includes Contemporary and Country. The guide features the best places to find culture, art, eat, drink, go shopping, for sleep and healing in Norwich and Norfolk.
  • Avant Gardeners Concludes

    End of season at Houghton Hall Stables
    Paul Barratt, Director and Curator at Contemporary and Country by Paul Barratt
    Avant Gardeners Concludes
    As the Dahlias tip over into each other, drawn down with the weight of their heads, and we de-install Andrew Jones's wonderful kinetic sculptures in the walled garden, we are thankful to have reached the end of the summer season at Houghton Hall Stables.
  • Gallery Visit: Liz McGowan

    The spirit wraps around me: nature as a second skin, 12 June - 25 August
    Paul Barratt, Director and Curator at Contemporary and Country by Paul Barratt
    Liz McGowan traversing the River Nar wearing one of her cloaks, detail of a photograph by Harry Cory Wright
    Liz McGowan traversing the River Nar wearing one of her cloaks, detail of a photograph by Harry Cory Wright
    Environmental artist Liz McGowan asks questions of us about how we may relate to our surroundings, in her current exhibition at Stapleford Granary, Cambridge.
  • Raising funds for international artist commissions

    Working with BALTIC Contemporary
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Raising funds for international artist commissions
    For C&C's summer exhibition Avant Gardeners, we have produced our first limited edition art posters of original paintings by Kate Giles and Linda Jamieson that celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Houghton Hall Estate. We're raising funds for two extremely worthwhile projects that encompass art and the national pastime, gardening.
  • Paul Barratt, Director and Curator at Contemporary and Country by Paul Barratt
    The Granary Gallery: It's All Happening Here
    We have put the final touches to our summer installation at The Granary Gallery this week. The seasonal refresh brings with it a selection of established artists based on the north coast to the second phase of the exhibition and several new artists we have introduced, showing with us for the first time. Alongside them are new examples of work from one or two of the artists we opened with for this ongoing project on the second floor of The Granary store.
  • Printmakers of East Anglia

    Landscapes that leave you with the right impression
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Printmakers of East Anglia
    We are counting down the final days of the River's Edge exhibition before we move on, and we still have wonderfully conceived prints of East Anglian landscapes, framed and mounted in preparation for framing.

  • Second week of River's Edge exhibition

    Showcasing artists and makers from East Anglia
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Second week of River's Edge exhibition
    This is week two of C&C's current exhibition River's Edge at BallroomArts, (Formerly known as The Peter Pears Gallery) - at 152A High Street Aldeburgh. Situated just back from the beach and off the main high street.
  • Exhibition opening for River's Edge

    C&C at BallroomArts, Aldeburgh, Suffolk
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Legend 13, Aldeburgh, by Ed Lee, River's Edge at BallroomArts, Suffolk
    Legend 13, Aldeburgh, by Ed Lee, River's Edge at BallroomArts, Suffolk
    A huge thank you to Ben of Fishers Gin and his team at @fishersgin and Claire and her team at Aldeburgh Outside Catering who made our private view @ballroomartsaldeburgh last night go so well, providing refreshing smoked gin cocktails and delicious canapés. Our River's Edge pop-up exhibition runs for the first two weeks of the Aldeburgh Festival @brittenpearsarts in Snape and throughout the Suffolk coast. The Courtyard Gallery at BallroomArts contains art and handmade items by artists and makers from across East Anglia, all have a connection to the East Anglian landscape.
  • River's Edge: Exhibition Launch

    Group exhibition at BallroomArts, Aldeburgh
    Paul Barratt, Director and Curator at Contemporary and Country by Paul Barratt
    River's Edge, Jack Wheeler's installation at BallroomArts
    River's Edge, Jack Wheeler's installation at BallroomArts
    C&C's latest pop-up exhibition at BallroomArts, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, is opening Tuesday 7 June at 10am, taking place in both gallery spaces. The Courtyard Gallery, at ground level contains a group exhibition comprising more than twenty artists who have a strong connection with the Suffolk coast and the landscape of East Anglia.The first floor ballroom houses bird sculptures by the late Emily Mayer, new sculpture by Jack Wheeler and Beth Groom.
  • Additions to the Houghton Hall Contemporary Art Collection

    New additions make a visit to Houghton even more memorable for 2022
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Tony Cragg installation at Houghton Hall 2021
    Tony Cragg installation at Houghton Hall 2021
    Making a day out rediscovering the wonders of the main house after being closed for two years due to COVID restrictions gives visitors an opportunity to fall in love with the art inside the house and outside in the gardens and parkland again.

  • River's Edge exhibition in Aldeburgh, Suffolk

    BallroomArts 7 to 19 June 2022
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    River's Edge exhibition in Aldeburgh, Suffolk
    Coinciding with the first two weeks of Aldeburgh Festival this year, is an exhibition of new paintings by Kate Giles, with sculpture by Jack Wheeler, Beth Groom and the late Emily Mayer. They are joined by artists and makers who have a strong connection to East Anglia and its coastal landscape.
     
    BallroomArts; The Ballroom / Courtyard Gallery, Aldeburgh, Suffolk: 7 to 19 June 2022

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    The Granary Gallery: C&C's pop-up in Norwich
    We are looking forward to welcoming you to C&C's Open Weekend of our pop-up event on the second floor Granary Gallery, The Granary, Bedford Street, Norwich this weekend, from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 April (10.30am to 4.30pm). The artists and makers in our spring installation "It's All Happening Here" have been selected for a capsule collection:
  • The Granary Gallery, Norwich / C&C – Spring 2022

    Norwich's newest pop-up art space opens April 1
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    The Granary Gallery, Norwich / C&C – Spring 2022
    We are delighted to be establishing a new space for showing art and the handmade at The Granary Gallery, Bedford Street, Norwich on 1 April.  The new pop-up art gallery has been established in partnership with Jarrold, Norwich's flagship department store.

  • Avant Gardeners

    New C&C exhibition will open 1 May 2022
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Avant Gardeners
    Our next exhibition Avant Gardeners will be in the Stables at Houghton Hall, from 1 May until 25 September 2022. It will celebrate the horticultural and cultivated landscape behind and beyond the garden wall.
  • Studio visit: Elizabeth Merriman

    An artist with green... amber, yellow, and cerise fingers!
    Paul Barratt, Director and Curator at Contemporary and Country by Paul Barratt
    Studio visit: Elizabeth Merriman
    In December 2021, before the spectre of another Christmas lockdown raised its potential, Paul and I managed to follow through on a number of long overdue studio visits. Among these was a quick visit to the North Norfolk coast to see a capsual collection of artist Elizabeth Merriman's recent pastel drawings of garden flowers adorning the ground floor of a clifftop cottage overlooking the North Sea.
  • Autumn Collection 2021

    Colin Self prints included among collection of art and the handmade from across East Anglia
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Autumn Collection 2021
    Autumn is upon us and I am listening to Marianne Faithfull and Warren Ellis' new album of orchestrated spoken poetry called "She Walks in Beauty" with sleeve and promo imagery provided by Norwich-based pop artist Colin Self. We are currently showing Colin's series of limited edition prints including some that feature on the album in our current pop-up exhibition at Houghton Hall.


  • Spotlight: Buckmaster and French

    Etchings that separate the wood from the trees
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Spotlight: Buckmaster and French
    We are currently showing a cleverly conceived series etchings of British native trees by Suffolk-based printmakers Buckmaster and French - all are printed on paper made from the leaves of the trees that they depict. Delicate and ethereal using natural materials, these beautifully framed works present the print between two panes of glass so the intricacy of the paper sheet can be appreciated. They are for sale in our pop-up in the Stables at Houghton Hall until 26 September.

  • Pop, Rock, Paper, Scissors

    Rowan Mantell of the Eastern Daily Press on our new pop-up at Houghton Hall
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Pop, Rock, Paper, Scissors

    Bringing pop artist Colin Self's collaboration with Marianne Faithfull who used his watercolours of local Norfolk landscapes around Brundell on the album cover for her new release "She Walks in Beauty"

  • Spotlight: Joni Smith

    Mapping the unseen landscape
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Joni Smith, paper cut artist, Norwich 2021
    Joni Smith, paper cut artist, Norwich 2021
    We are showing a capsule collection of Joni Smith's impressive paper cut artworks in our latest pop-up Rock Paper Scissors #rockpaperscissors at ther Stables Houghton Hall. Joni builds fictitious worlds using everyday printed material like maps and charts. Since the advent of digital GPS devices printed maps are seen as redundant, however not by Joni. She sees this devalued material as a rich source for inspiration, and uses maps and atlases cutting into them, reordering them creating new configurations, making landscape more fluid in its interpretation.

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    (left to rIght) artists Katarzyna Coleman and John Kiki and curator Sarah Lowndes
    (left to rIght) artists Katarzyna Coleman and John Kiki and curator Sarah Lowndes
    We made a much anticipated journey to Great Yarmouth yesterday to see the inaugural show in the new YARE GALLERY situated on the South Quay. Titled WEATHERING: NEW ART FROM EAST ANGLIA, it features  the work of the "Yarmouth 5", artists Katarzyna Coleman, Bridget Heriz, John Kiki, Emrys Parry and Brüer Tidman plus works by other artists from this side of the county of Norfolk. Including Molly Thomson, Esmond Bingham and others. We are currently showcasing the work of several of these artists in our pop-up exhibition Rock Paper Scissors at the Stables at Houghton Hall.

  • Rock Paper Scissors opens

    Art and objects produced with their making in mind
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Painting the gates at Houghton Hall by Elaine Pamphilon ©2021
    Painting the gates at Houghton Hall by Elaine Pamphilon ©2021
    We're opening the doors to our latest pop-up exhibition encompassing art and handmade objects fashioned with the process of their making in mind. We are welcoming visitors from Wednesday19th May, until September 26. Come and discover beautiful, dynamic and thought provoking works from more than 40 exhibitors.
    Visit the website for opening times and ticket prices to enter the Houghton Hall estate and to gain entry to the Tony Cragg sculpture exhibition:Houghton Hall Book Tickets
  • Marianne Faithfull's new album features artwork by Colin Self

    She Walks in Beauty has been produced by Warren Ellis
    Marianne Faithfull's new album features artwork by Colin Self
    Harriet Vyner of Cheerio, interviewed Marianne Faithfull about her recent launch of "She Walks in Beauty". Produced with composer Warren Ellis, this draws on her passion for the poetry of Shelley, Keats, Byron, Wordsworth, Tennyson and Thomas Hood and features extra special appearances by Nick Cave, Brian Eno and Vincent Ségal. Not to mention artwork created by Colin Self, a long-term friend of Faithfull. We are selling limited edition prints of these illustrations at our next pop-up at Houghton Hall Stables, Rock Paper Scissors - opening 19 May

  • The sea, the limitless skies

    Sarah Paramor's amazing basketry comes to Norfolk
    The sea, the limitless skies
    Sarah Paramor is the first basket maker that C&C have invited to showcase her work as part of our look at the cultural sector on a national level. Sarah lives and works in Applecross, on the coast of West Scotland and has exhibited nationally and internationally and is a regular contributor to Craft Scotland. See more of her work this summer in Rock Paper Scissors in the Stables at Houghton Hall, running alongside the exhibition of sculpture by Tony Cragg in the house, gardens and park.
  • Spring Salon - #1

    Living with art and the handmade
    Spring Salon - #1
    We are publishing a series of images from collections we are currently putting together for clients. Here is the latest Spring Salon installation showing new work by Norwich based artists working with paper (Joni Smith and Ruth Howes) as well as Molly Thomson who creates these delicious constructed boards that sing with colour through her use of multiple layers of poured paint.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    C&C's next exhibition will be Rock Paper Scissors
    Contemporary and Country’s exhibition Rock, Paper, Scissors encompasses art and handmade objects fashioned with the process of their making in mind. It will run alongside the exhibition by Tony Cragg, opening at Houghton Hall, Norfolk on 19 May and closing 26 September, 2021. Tickets to enter the Houghton Hall Estate are on sale from 19 April (entrance to the Stables will be part of the entrance fee)
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Creative moves for 2021
    We are delighted to continue to work with a selection of established and new artists and makers in 2021. We are also working hard in reaching out to new creative talent from our area, east of England. Some are struggling to keep up their practice under the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions but many are working on creative expressions of hope.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Happy New Year
    Many thanks to all the artists and makers we have worked with over the past year. We also send our best wishes for a creative year ahead with all the challenges we face together. Happy New Year to our supporters for a prosperous and healthy 2021.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Supporting fundraiser for East Anglia Children's Hospice (EACH)
    Having supported East Anglia's Children's Hospices for a number of years for the Nook Campaign, through to on-site fundraising during our 2018 season at Houghton Hall, we are delighted now to have been able to help source artworks from artists' C&C work with to donate towards their next fundraising auction to be held in February / March 2021. More details will follow early 2021.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Hoping for a great Christmas and a creative 2021
    Very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to all our friends, customers and those artists we've met and worked with over this past year. Join our mailing list and be the first to hear about our 2021 events or add something unique to your home from our Anglian Collection.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    All smoke, no mirrors
    We are delighted to be able to offer a small number of Maria Pavledis' "Owl Sanctuary" prints this year - from a limited edition of 100, all signed by the artist. The print is taken from one of her smoke drawings created by the transfer of carbon from the burning flame of a candle held close to the surface of the paper.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    On the first day...
    Pick up this limited edition set of laser cut decorations depicting the 12 Days of Christmas by Norwich based artist Ruth Howes. Ruth studied Fine Art, specialising in sculpture and over the years has shifted to painting and illustration in her work. All her work has the paper cutting process at its heart.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Revisit our recent pop-up's virtual walk-through
    Revisit our pop-up via our walk-through tour or view our "Anglian Collection" via our website - see link in bio. Pick up something to grace your home or delight a loved one this Christmas.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Marianne Faithful and Colin Self
    Colin Self has been a long standing friend of Marianne Faithfull since they first met in the 1960s. Colin has provided some of his wonderfully lyrical and dreamlike landscapes to illustrate the cover and booklet accompanying Marianne's next CD when she will be narrating verse by England's greatest poets.
  • Debby Besford's Roller Skaters

    Portraits in motion
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Debby Besford's Roller Skaters
    We are delighted to see this new series of work by Norfolk-based photographer, Debby Besford. Brought up in Great Yarmouth, Debby herself was a junior champion of roller skating as a teenager and knows all too well about the community of competitors seeking to excel at this sport.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    New works arrive at our Houghton Hall pop up
    We are delighted to present more new work in our pop up at Houghton Hall. From beautiful design for the home with Katharina Klug's ceramic creations; to amazing handmade paper cut works by Ruth Howes; to breathtaking large photographic art by Gareth Hacon and new painted landscapes from Kate Giles. We are also pleased to have installed new sculptures by Jonathan Clarke.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Peter Wylie at the Royal Academy Summer Show 2020
    Peter Wylie, currently included in our pop-up exhibition at Houghton Hall Stables, has had a painting selected by artist Jane and Louise Wilson, for their Curated Room at this year's Royal Academy Summer Show - October 2020.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Over 25,000 visitors and hundreds of sales later...
    As we expand our work with artists and makers from East Anglia we are entering the second half of our pop up event alongside Anish Kapoor at Houghton Hall, Norfolk - open until November 1.  At the time of writing there have been over 50,000 visitors on site and we have secured over 300 sales for local artists and makers. As works are purchased and taken away we are able to fill gaps to keep our exhibition fresh - making sure that any return visit will not disappoint!
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Putting paint to canvas
    The painters we are showing in A Fine Balance at Houghton Hall Stables, capture the splendor of the natural landscape; depict the beauty of coastal reaches; open fields, fens and woodland. Some work in an abstract style while others are more figurative in representing the landscapes they see and wish to convey.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    What and where is Springs Fireplace Road?
    Springs Fireplace Road is the title of the group of etchings by Colin Self and printed by master printer Maurice Payne at Editions Alecto between 1968 and 1971. We are showing this incredible print edition at A Fine Balance, in the stables at Houghton Hall. Payne has printed for Hockney for over 40 years and it was at a chance meeting with Self in the 1990s at a David Hockney private view, that reconnected them.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Take a walk-through tour of our exhibition A Fine Balance
    We would love to see you in person to show you the works by local artists in A FINE BALANCE - running alongside the Anish Kapoor exhibition at Houghton Hall this summer. You can visit us online too… take a virtual tour of our exhibition with hot spots that link through to each artist on our online shop, so you can see each work that interests you in detail.
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Treasures of the heart
    Each of the painters featured in our latest newsletter capture the splendor of the sea and landscapes of our region, depicting the beauty of coastal reaches, open fields, fens and woodland. All examine aspects of familiar places now distant and yearned for as we observe lock-down conditions. Read on to discover more about Kate Giles, Will Cutts, Natalie Odile Lang and Pandora Mond

  • Looking at the world afresh

    The works of Zarya Austin Fell
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Zarya Austin Fell
    Zarya Austin Fell
    Zarya Austin-Fell is a multi-media artist whose work explores the relationship between everyday life and the objects that accompany it. Like many of us and from an artist's persepctiveexperiencing this unusual period, Zarya is looking at life from the inside out.
  • From the Hamptons to the Norfolk Broads

    Colin Self collaborates with master printer Maurice Payne
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Springs Fireplace Road Edition by Colin Self and Maurice Payne
    Springs Fireplace Road Edition by Colin Self and Maurice Payne
    Springs Fireplace Road is the title of the group of etchings by Colin Self and printed by master printer Maurice Payne at Editions Alecto between 1968 and 1971. We are delighted to be offering this immaculate limited print edition consisting of six individual images created by Self. They are presented here in beautiful painted wooded frame and protective UV glass.

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Deep and lasting connections
    Our latest e-newsletter presents more about some of the artists we are showcasing in our online showroom. Colin Self is born and bred in Norfolk while painter and printer Peter Wylie was born in Lowestoft and continues his fascination with the Suffolk landscape and the North Sea. Katargyna Coleman and Roger Hardy moved from London to Norfolk and Suffolk respectively. All find ways of articulating a sense of belonging and have uncovered and maintained a deep connections with our region.

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Undercut II by Kate Giles
    Undercut II by Kate Giles
    Many of the artists we are showcasing online at the moment have long held concerns about climate change and the environment. All four of the artists in this post record the beauty and fragility of the natural world. View works by Kate Giles, Liz McGowan, Pandora Mond and Paul Wolterink.

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Changing our outlook towards the 'great outdoors'
    Read our latest e-newsletter about our hastily re-arranged season for online only exhibits. The selection of artists and makers in this edition have been preparing work for A FINE BALANCE for several months so we wanted to give you the opportunity to see this body of work and to support artists and makers during these newly compromised times.

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Getting Through this Together
    Amidst this current crisis we are all trying to find a positive way forward. Whether you, your friends and family are working from home or just trying to catch up with family matters, we hope our e-newsletters will help make things during this extraordinary time feel just a little bit better. Join our mailing list to keep in touch as we reveal more about our showcase online.

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Taking A Fine Balance online
    As some of you will already know, our showcase #finebalance will not open at Houghton Hall until this current health crisis has abated. However you can still support our artists by viewing and buying their work online to nurture the cultural talent across our region.

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    2020 Vision - our Works on Paper collection
    As we move into 2020 we invite you to take another look at the wonderful collections we have put together covering the artforms of painting, print, sculpture, drawing, photography and design for the home.

    More to come later this month but we begin with a look at WORKS ON PAPER

     
  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    A Creative Weekend in Norwich
    Join us at Art Fair East - St Andrews Hall, Norwich. From 29 Nov to 1 Dec 2019 (PV on 28 Nov) See website for opening times and details of all the exhibitors we will be showcasing at this event. Drop an email via the website if you want to come to the Private View on Thursday 28 November (6pm-9pm)

  • Birdflight Books Return to Houghton Hall

    Judith Ellis' evocative books are handmade and bear witness to teh beauty and fragility of birds
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Birdflight Book by Judith Ellis
    Birdflight Book by Judith Ellis
    Oystercatchers fly along a beach, and Swifts swoop over rooftops. Gannets fly fast over the sea and Redshanks call over the marshes. The Birdflight series of artistʼs books can each be made to commission, they are all individually hand painted no two will ever be quite the same. See more of Judith Ellis' work in our pop up at Houghton Hall until September 29

  • Taking inspiration from the natural world

    The paintings and prints of Pandora Mond
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Seas- woodcut prints by Pandora Mond
    Seas- woodcut prints by Pandora Mond
    Educated at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford Pandora Mond has painted all of her adult life. She lived for many years on Exmoor before returning to her roots in Norfolk. We have a number of her framed works for sale during our "Festival" pop up at Houghton Hall. Open until September 29. Check opening times and charges to enter the Houghton Estate here.

  • The Cutting Edge

    New work by Joni Smith and Ruth Howes
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Ruth Howes installation at Houghton Hall, 2019
    Ruth Howes installation at Houghton Hall, 2019
    We are showcasing the work of artists who employ paper cutting at the core of their practice. Both are Norwich based. Joni Smith bases her work on mapping and topography and has produced intricate cut town scapes of Wells, King's Lynn as well as Italy and Spain incorporating knotted ropes. Ruth Howes cuts paper plans of buildings - Holkham and Houghton Halls feature strongly and her cut schematic of the Houses of Parliament features paper figures jumping off the terrace into the Thames.

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    On the Road to Gayton, 2019 by Kate Giles
    On the Road to Gayton, 2019 by Kate Giles
    On this Easter weekend we are marvelling at the Henry Moore "Nature and Inspiration" now in its final stages of installation at Houghton Hall. We are busy building our exhibition featuring local artists in the stables, alongside this great event. With just 10 days left before we open to the public - on May 1st. We have been taking in works from exhibitors including the vital Kate Giles ... take a look.

  • Ruth Howes showcased at FESTIVAL 2019

    Paper cut artist Ruth produces precise and breathtaking work for our Houghton Hall Pop Up
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Houghton Hall Cut out by Ruth Howes, 2019
    Houghton Hall - detail of cut out by Ruth Howes, 2019
    Ruth Howes is taking part in FESTIVAL this year. Her paper cuts are made with an absolute economy of materials and an intricate cutting process. The results are finely detailed and deftly finished.

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    The Ploughman by Colin Self
    The Ploughman by Colin Self
    We are delighted to be showing a selection of work by Norwich resident Colin Self. As Calvin Winner observed: ‘Perhaps the most striking element of Self’s art is that his entire output remains remarkably current and contemporary. His concerns are our concerns, and he continues to reveal and expose art as the essence of life.’

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Collections
    Take a look at our "Collection Guides". If you have someone who is particularly difficult to buy for, a Norfolk by Design Gift Voucher may be the answer - our Gift Vouchers are redeemable online or at our forthcoming pop up events throughout 2019.

  • Putting Pencil to Paper

    Introducing Norwich based artist Andrea Girling
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Untitled by Andrea Girling
    Our forthcoming pop up exhibition, Ordinary Worlds, at Creake Abbey will show a selection of new and recent paintings and works on paper by six Norfolk artists, from 10 to 23 August, 2018. Andrea Girling studied fine art at Norwich University of the Arts and gained MA in 2016. Her practice addresses concerns relating to the increasing pace of technology and its impact on humankind. Girling’s research is a process-led (thinking through making) enquiry into the relationships and dualities of the fast and slow, machine and handmade, digital and analogue.

  • Introducing Joni Smith

    Paper cut art
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Joni Smith - Formosa, Formosa
    Formosa, Formosa by Joni Smith
    Joni Smith is one of six women artists we are showcasing at Creake Abbey (August 10-23) entitled "Ordinary Worlds". This is an exhibition of six women artists who share a common interest in representing landscape and interpreting the topographic in their work – each artist shows how we might compose landscape to suit our outlook rather than merely reflect upon a visual likeness or land use. Between them, what they depict is anything but ordinary.

  • Finding our place

    Ordinary Worlds: A new exhibition at Creake Abbey this August
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Ordinary Worlds, August 2018 at Creake Abbey
    Ordinary Worlds, August 2018 at Creake Abbey
    Our forthcoming Pop-Up exhibition, Ordinary Worlds, at Creake Abbey will show a selection of new and recent paintings and works on paper by six Norfolk artists, from 10 to 23 August, 2018.

  • The Colourful Byways of Norfolk

    New works by Cornelia FitzRoy
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Cornelia FitzRoy
    We are showing the wonderful paintings and chalk pastel pictures of Cornelia FitzRoy at our pop-up at Houghton Hall. These memorable studies evoke many journeys along the lanes of Norfolk and capture the wonderful colourful landscapes that await those of us who momentarily find ourselves 'lost' among these beautiful lanes and byways.

  • Inner and Outer Landscapes

    A partnership: the work of Margie Britz and Liz Mcgowan
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    We are showing the work of Liz McGowan for the second time and are delighted to show works produced as part of her Will-A-Wix series. In addition we are also delighted to show more of her collaborative work completed with another Norfolk based environmental artist, Margie Britz.

  • All Up In Smoke!

    Maria Pavledis and her smoke drawings
    Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Maria Pavledis creating a drawing from smoke
    Maria Pavledis creating a drawing from smoke
    Maria Pavledis is interested in the qualities of fragility and destruction both in nature and in the printmaking process itself. She explores this in her unique drawings made with fire and smoke. She works with the dream-like world of fairy tale and narrative, including its darker and uncanny elements.

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Norfolk Line, Richard Long at Houghton Hall, 2017
    Norfolk Line by Richard Long at Houghton Hall, 2017
    Our next pop up event opens in the Stables at Houghton Hall this spring and continues throughout the summer. We will be featuring a selection of Norfolk’s finest artists and craftspeople to coincide with a solo exhibition by renowned British artist Richard Long located within the gardens and park.

  • Paul Vater, Director of Contemporary and Country by Paul Vater
    Into the Woods, December 2016
    Into the Woods, December 2016
    INTO THE WOODS
    2-4 December, 2016
     
    We are delighted to announce the dates for our forthcoming showcase of Norfolk’s finest artists, designer-makers and craftspeople. The exhibition is a pre-Christmas survey of work produced or sourced from Norfolk and the eastern region. Thank you to our sponsor, Norfolk Country Cottages.