Pleasant setting for this wide-ranging show

Feb 29 2008 by Sarah Bull, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THE BARN AT Oakwell Hall, Birstall, makes a pleasant setting for a large art exhibition featuring work by 60 artists, and more than 150 paintings.

The range and variety of the work is wide and the overall quality is high.

But be quick; the exhibition ends tomorrow!

The pieces range from Arthur Hyde’s Venetian watercolours to Bernard Ryan’s racing horses.

Alix Hardbottle works in contemporary vein with faces and figures and there’s a suitably professional performance from Richard Gawthorpe, with contrasting works; an industrial scene at Honister Slate Quarries in the Lake District and a sunlit scene in Greek Island Paradise.

Among the Dales painting David Leek gives a 3D effect to the Limestone Pavement above Malham Cove, while there is excellent realism in Barbara Clough’s pastel of Clapham.

Savatori (H Shelley) shows imaginative handling in watercolours of Holmfirth at Night, Huddersfield Parish Church and the Lawrence Batley Theatre by night. Still on the local scene, Jenny Cooper contributes three miniatures of the Narrow Canal at Slaithwaite while there’s a dark, atmospheric pastel of Castle Hill by Tony Burton.

There are some fine examples of encaustic art (hot wax painting) by Eddie Dean, of Colne Valley Art Society.

Nicely lit and characterful portraits are the work of Maureen Pritchards, and there’s a delightfully human touch about Jennifer Hastlewell’s Girl on Beach, She also contributes a pleasing female nude.

Farmyard pictures include the geese and free range hen paintings by Betty Leverton and John Elliott’s well-posed piglets.

Still more contrasts come in the shape of David Scott’s realistic war paintings of Halifax and Lancaster bombers and Bristol Beaufighters in action.

Beryl Conroy has submitted a large and successful painting of Shibden Hall, Halifax, and Sandra Sheard shows us the controversially disappearing hostelry, Almondbury’s Castle Hill Hotel.