Opening Reception & Exhibition – Thursday 12 March, 6–8pm
A fresh new art gallery and gift shop is opening in Newent this month, bringing contemporary art, handmade gifts and a welcoming creative space to the town’s much-loved Shambles Courtyard.
Local artist Charlotte Keating has taken on the premises following the departure of The Secret Gallery. The decision to move from her adjacent working studio into the space happened quickly but felt like a natural step.
“When I heard the gallery was becoming available it simply made sense,” Charlotte says. “It felt important to keep an art gallery and gift shop presence here in the Shambles and help maintain this creative corner of Newent as somewhere people can come to explore.”
The new Charlotte Keating Art Gallery & Gift Shop will showcase work from more than 16 artists and makers alongside Charlotte’s own tranquil, expressive paintings.
The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of preparation. “It’s been an incredibly busy two weeks,” Charlotte explains. “There’s been plenty of hard graft – decorating, sourcing furniture and display cabinets, liaising with artists and preparing the first exhibition, all while finishing my own new series of paintings. I’m really looking forward to the opening and finally being able to relax and enjoy the space.”
The gallery is already looking bright and vibrant, filled with a wide variety of artwork and handmade pieces including paintings, prints, cards, jewellery, textiles, stained glass, wood and resin pieces.
Many of the artists are local, drawing on Charlotte’s links to the Forest of Dean’s farOpen Collective, the Gloucester Contemporary Artists Collective and Cheltenham’s Sixteen Gallery Collective, alongside a few carefully chosen makers from further afield whose work Charlotte has long admired.
“I’ve always loved bringing together interesting work from different artists and introducing people locally to makers they might not otherwise discover,” she says “I’ve been part of the team curating and hanging the very popular farOpen Group Art Exhibitions for the past 5 years so I have plenty of experience in this area which will stand me in good stead”.
Charlotte credits friends and family with helping bring the space together in such a short time. “They’ve been amazing – painting walls with me, ripping up carpets, fitting new doors and signage and being there emotionally too. It’s been a real team effort.”
Opening the gallery is the realisation of a long-held dream. Charlotte has been building her art career locally over the past seven years actively supporting the regional arts community. She has helped promote local art trails and exhibitions, curated group shows and mentored fellow artists developing their creative businesses.
“Opening the gallery feels like a natural next step,” she says. “I’m passionate about supporting artists and creating a calm, welcoming place where people can experience art in an unhurried and meaningful way.”
Charlotte will continue working from her separate studio on the premises where she can concentrate and deep dive into her own painting on Mondays and Tuesdays. Visitors to the gallery will also often find her painting in the shop space during quiet opening hours, offering a glimpse into the creative process behind the artwork.
“The local community and businesses have been incredibly supportive since I arrived in Newent,” Charlotte says. “It’s such a thriving market town where people genuinely care about shopping locally and supporting independent businesses. I’m really pleased to be part of that.”
The gallery’s opening reception takes place on Thursday 12 March from 6–8pm, with drinks and nibbles to celebrate. The evening also coincides with pre-Mother’s Day late-night shopping in the Shambles Courtyard, alongside neighbouring independents including Toadstools Indie Bookshop and The Museum of Board Games.
The celebrations continue the following week with Newent’s Spring Fair on 21st March, when The Shambles will host live music, book signings, art exhibition, book binding demonstration and a Monopoly Hunt with lots of activities across various venues in town for everyone of all ages to enjoy.
The gallery’s first exhibition, “North Shores”, is inspired by the coast and the quiet power of nature. Charlotte’s new series explores the quiet power of nature through depth and movement in deep blues and greens, echoing windswept skies, northern seas and lochside landscapes.
Alongside Charlotte’s paintings, visitors will find a rich mix of complementary work from fellow artists and makers, including ocean-inspired wood and resin pieces, lino prints of estuary birds, inky female figure studies, felted puffins and Highland cows, coastal ceramics, silk artwork and handmade jewellery.
Artists featured in the exhibition include:
Charlotte Keating – Contemporary Painting
Ania Bond – Printmaker & Painter
Megan Pugh – Felting & Illustration
Katie Sanderson – Enamel Jewellery
Sarah Delahoy – Printmaker
Sadie Copus – Glass Jewellery
Florrie & Wren – Candles
Derek A. Lamb – Ceramics
Jane Clowes – Ceramics
David Kenworthy – Wood & Resin
Uschi Arens Price – Jewellery
Angie Keating – Textiles
The gallery offers a wide range of pieces, from affordable art and gifts to larger collector pieces.
Opening Reception
🥂 Drinks & Bubbles
Thursday 12 March, 6–8pm
Pre-Mother’s Day Late Night Shopping in The Shambles
Alongside Toadstools Indie Bookshop & The Museum of Board Games
Charlotte Keating Art Gallery & Gift Shop
Unit 12 The Shambles
20 Church Street
Newent GL18 1PP
what3words: ///initiated.brightly.profile
Opening Hours
Wednesday – Friday: 9.30am – 3.30pm
Saturday: 10am – 4pm
The gallery sits peacefully within The Shambles Courtyard, a cluster of independent shops and cafés in the heart of Newent’s historic market town, continuing the long-standing tradition of an art gallery presence there while creating a fresh, welcoming space for contemporary art and handmade work.
Comments will be approved before showing up.
“How’s the new gallery going?”
I’ve been asked this a lot lately… and honestly, it’s going so well. The biggest joy? Hearing people walk in and say how light, bright and full of life the space feels now ✨ Same location, fresh new energy, and a beautiful mix of artists to discover. If you haven’t visited yet, I’d love to welcome you in.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who braved the wet and windy evening to join us for Bubbles & Browsing at the Charlotte Keating Art Gallery opening
