Frame Up

Everything you ever wanted to know about framing pictures (almost). Read more on our web site about picture frames.

Vince,
Love Your Art

Support Your Local Artist

Buying art from local artists is an interesting and worthwhile way to build up a collection. Read more on our web site about supporting local artists.

Vicky and Vince,
Love Your Art

The Pink Wall Project

Be prepared for a bit of a shock this week, we've hung some pictures on one of our walls - after painting it bright pink! You can visit our web site to read about our pink wall project.

Vicky And Vince,
Love Your Art.

Bargains Galore!

If you've not considered the benefits of buying second-hand art from charity shops we've written about the whys and wherefores this week. You can visit our web site to read the article on buying art from charity shops.

Vicky And Vince,
Love Your Art.

Tell Me More

The picture in the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle is called Darkness Falls from the Wings of Night. It was painted in 1886 by Robert Jobling (1841 - 1923). Its size is around 4ft by 3ft and it's displayed in a heavy gold frame. That's about all we could have told you without digging around in a library or on the Internet. But as we were visiting the gallery on a day when a talk was being given about the picture, we learnt so much more than we otherwise would.

The speaker, Jean Scott, from the Friends of the Laing Art Gallery, gave us some fascinating background and historical context that helped us to understand more about the picture. The first thing we found out was that the title is from The Day Is Done, a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The scene is set on the beach at Cullercoats, a small fishing village on the Northumberland coast. The village can be seen in the distance with fishing boats lined up along the sand. The women of the village are carrying the catch from the shoreline to the village for preparation. The picture depicts daily life but with a romantic interpretation, avoiding the harsh reality of life in the mid 19th century.

We also heard about the artist, Jobling. He lived in Cullercoats for some time and was involved in the arts in Newcastle and the north east for much of his life. In fact he was one of the people who was involved in the establishment of an art gallery in the city. This initiative came to fruition as the Laing Art Gallery at the turn of the century.

The series of talks are held each Saturday morning and a different picture in the gallery is described each month. On the day we attended there were over twenty visitors listening to the talk, and we were told that people sometimes come from as far away Amsterdam (using the local overnight ferry) to visit the gallery and hear the talks.

Here is the list of forthcoming talks about paintings at the Laing Art Gallery.

Vicky And Vince,
Love Your Art.