The question on everyone’s lips is “how’s the new gallery going?”
It’s the question I’m asked daily—and I’m so grateful people are asking.
The answer? Fantastically well.
The biggest comment I hear is how light and bright the space feels now. Many visitors remember the gallery from before and they delight in the transformation. It’s still a much-loved gallery space, just with a fresh new look, a bright energy and a wider variety of work on show.
People are really enjoying discovering artists they haven’t come across before, and there’s been lovely feedback about my focus on supporting creatives from within a 50-mile radius. Visitors are taking their time, wandering upstairs and downstairs and often popping back after a coffee because they couldn’t leave without buying a certain item! That, to me, is exactly what I hoped the gallery would be—a place to discover contemporary art and enjoy the experience. A place for friends to meet, explore and shop together.
And yes… the new French doors are getting almost as much attention as the art! A brilliant marketplace find, installed by my lovely husband, which with the central heating on, has provided a very warm welcome, literally!
Curating the gallery has been such a pleasure. I choose artists for the quality of their work and subject matter, always led by colour. Each month I build an exhibition starting with one of my own series, then invite artists whose work complements it while offering a diverse mix which sits harmoniously alongside each other. I like to include a mix of abstract, figurative, representational and more traditional pieces to cater to a wider audience as well showcasing ceramics, jewellery, glass, wood, resin, mosaics and textiles.
It’s been full-on, I won’t pretend otherwise—creating new exhibitions each month is both exciting and exhausting—but it’s also incredibly rewarding. The gallery is beginning to find its rhythm, and word is spreading. There’s a sense that it’s becoming a destination, a place people return to as it establishes a new identity as a bright contemporary art gallery with plenty of affordable art and home décor.
The second question I get asked often is whether I still have time to paint.
I’m always touched by that genuine concern from my collectors—and yes, I do. It was something I was determined not to lose. Mondays and Tuesdays are studio days while the gallery is closed and during quieter times you’ll often find me painting downstairs. This week especially, visitors have enjoyed seeing work in progress as they browse, which has been really lovely.
It’s taken a little while to settle after moving studios twice since September, but I’m getting there. In the past six months in Newent, I released Love Letters Series in soft pinks and ochres, followed by North Shores Series in deep blues. Now I can feel myself being pulled back towards brighter colours again and I’m hoping to have a new series ready in time for Open Studios in July. I’ve got one more exhibition scheduled in after Flourish closes, called Glow Up! then I’ll be switching it up for my own solo show during the farOpen Art Trail, venue 11.
If you haven’t yet been across to visit, please mark your diaries and make a day trip of it.
A new exhibition starts mid month each month with a late night opening evening of Bubbles & Browsing – a lovely chance to meet the artists and make friends. It’s becoming quite the social event!
The Runcible Spoon Deli around the corner serves delicious food and drinks, Erol’s Café provides heartier meals in the courtyard, there’s various shops to visit on the hight street and the sculpture trail around the lake which I highly recommend. Pop over to my website for directions and info on parking. Charlotte Keating Art Gallery & Gift Shop, The Shambles Courtyard, Newent, GL18 1PP.
I hope to welcome you soon,
Charlotte
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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
