IT’S five years since Janet Brook closed her New Hall Farm tea room and gallery at Grange Moor, but people still call there now and again expecting a late breakfast of ham and eggs!
Now, New Hall is re-opening, but just as an art gallery. “I’m still painting – I just love it”, Janet says. Racehorses are her favourite subject and she has dozens of oils of these animals on view.
The horses include some recent winners, like Monet’s Garden and Duke of Marmalade “I get the Racing Post”, Janet explains. “I love horses. My grandfather was in the Royal Horse Artillery and my daughter has been involved with racehorses for 25 years. She has worked for some top people, including Lester Piggott”.
Sheep and dogs are also to Janet’s liking, with Jack Russells and Border Collies often among her targets for commissions and other work. She visited Masham Sheep Fair this year and came back with some ideas. “I go to all the shows in the north”, she adds. She has also been to a horse fair in Spain.
After a successful first venture last year, she is producing a 2009 calendar, with colour reproductions of her animal paintings. Her other output includes some expressionist paintings of Dubai and Scottish scenes. She has painted a number of landscapes as diptychs and triptychs.
Janet has been painting since she was quite young and is completely self-taught. Her schoolteachers wanted her to go to art college, but her mother wouldn’t allow this.
When not at work with her brushes, Janet helps her husband, Alan in looking after New Hall Farm, where beef cattle are raised. “We have about 20 cows, a bull and some calves”, she says.
The gallery at New Hall Farm is open seven days, 10am to 4pm and Janet is looking forward to meeting plenty of former patrons.
