Jan 20th - Feb 24th

We are so pleased to be involved with the curation of the Harry Ousey abstracted landscapes exhibition in January! Make sure you stop by!

“One needs more than paint”

Harry’s restless drifting saw him elude broad recognition and led to a final move to France where he remained until his death in 1985. 

Recent re-exposure of his work has seen his reputation rise and his work described as “very important in the 20th century British art scene”. 

His body of work runs to several hundred pieces and includes oil, watercolour and collage.  

Fragments are to be found in the Whitworth Gallery, Falmouth Art Gallery, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Macedonia, The Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth House, Buxton Museum and Art Gallery, Central Art Gallery Ashton-under-Lyne and the Salford Museum and Art Gallery.

This exhibition sees selected works that articulate Ousey’s extraordinary gift for creating marks that are sparing yet wonderfully expressive.

A number of the works are for sale.

Born in Longsight, Manchester, Harry Ousey’s life story is one of a bohemian drifter who created truly great art, but who found the machinations of commercial art distasteful and the politics and posturing of the art scene a source of disillusionment.   

A Life Immersed in Art

He spent time living in the Peak District where he began his love affair with landscape.

His life was lived to create and Ousey’s paintings convey his experience of the landscape, physical, emotional and visual.

He believed that it was possible “only in the abstract to fully express the effect of landscape”.

Ousey was by no means unknown - he worked in St Ives and was a contemporary of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson. He lived in swinging London in the sixties where his work saw success in the commercial galleries of the day.

Supporting Events

An illustrated Talk: "One Needs More Than Paint"

2pm Saturday, 27th January, 
Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery

Sue Astles, Harry’s niece and custodian of his legacy, is holding an illustrated talk about his life and work.
Sue will also share her  experiences from inheriting Harry’s work and how she set about reintroducing his name to the British Art scene after an absence of over 30 years.

 

Textile Workshop

Saturday, 3rd February, 2018,
11am - 4pm. Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery

Glossop Embroiderer’s Guild is holding a Textile Workshop based around the textures and colours of Harry Ousey’s paintings. Shown left is a multi-panel piece recently exhibited alongside Ousey’s art at the Nicholson Gallery, Leek.
Information available on Stockport MBC website or Glossop Embroiders Guild website.

To read more about Harry Ousey's story at Elephantstones click here!

To Vist the harry ousey website click here!

Illustrated Christmas Cards!

We have a selection of NEW Christmas card designs created by our resident artist Eve Bridges. But don't worry! We still have all the Christmas classics!

Our small cards are inspired by Hayfield and its landmarks. They feature local scenes Twenty Trees, the Shooting Cabin, the Kissing Gate, and Hayfield's skyline.  

We also have a selection of large cards featuring festive things... a robin, mistletoe, a reindeer and a Christmas angel! 

Who made them?

You can read all about the creatives at Elephantstones on our homepage.

You can also follow our facebook, instagram or twitter to keep up to date with what we are up to and what's new! 

Click here to get our social links.
 

CHRISTMAS OFFERS!!
Make sure you visit the gallery to see our great Christmas offers on our entire range of cards.   

 

We have a large selection of NEW gifts at Elephantstones!

Hand carved and hand painted wooden gifts and wobbly ceramic homeware, our selection of gifts are perfect for presents OR as a treat for yourself - all in the knowledge that your gift has been responsibly sourced and beautifully crafted. 

WHERE DO I COME FROM?

All our products are from local craftspeople, are made in the UK or sourced responsibly and sustainably from around the world. We care about the impact of what we sell! 

As an example, our East of India products support artisan families across Asia and only use wood from trees it plants and replants. 

We do not buy anything that does not hold true to the above! :)

Browse the full collection by visiting us!

OR

View a taster of the collection by clicking here!

HARRY OUSEY AT THE NICHOLSON MUSEUM & ART GALLERY!

We visited the Harry Ousey exhibition in Leek on it's opening day. There are some inspirational pieces on show with some never seen before Ousey works being exhibited! 

2nd September - 7th October 2017

To find out more about where to visit Ousey's exhibition, see the 'What's On' section of the Visit Leek website. 

www.visitleek.co.uk

To read more about Harry Ousey, visit his website!

www.harryousey.co.uk

For more information on Harry Ousey at Elephantstones click here!

Ron and Sue (Harry Ousey's niece) visiting the exhibition. 

THANK YOU FROM ELEPHANTSTONES!

Its been a busy year so far at Elephantstones! We would like to thank everyone who came to our 3rd birthday celebrations - the Harry Ousey exhibition was a fantastic event. You can read about the exhibition here!

Don't worry, we still have a collection of Ousey's work so make sure to pop in!

All the works are for sale, so owning an original work is within reach! 

READ ABOUT HARRY OUSEYS STORY AT ELEPHANTSTONES! 

Click here to read about Ousey!

OR

Visit his website! 

www.harryousey.co.uk

We're celebrating the gallery's 3rd Birthday with an exhibition of Harry Ousey's abstracted landscapes!

The Exhibition

The exhibition will run throughout the May Bank Holiday weekend (27th-29th) , until Friday 2nd June. 10am - 4pm

If you come along to the gallery you'll find a time-line
of Harry's life and a wide selection of his works. All the works will be for sale, so owning an original work is within reach! 

PREVIEW EVENING

We will be having a celebratory preview night on Friday 26th of May
6-9pm. If you would like to come, pop us an email to whato@elephantstones.co.uk or call in and we will give you an invite! Drinks and nibbles will abound! 

See you there!!!!

The Hayfield Connection

Harry and his wife Susie lived at Hill House Farm from 1947 -1950 and it was here that his time surrounded by the landscape inspired much of his future work.

Harry's "edge movement" draws upon elements of landscape - drystone walls, drifting clouds and the horizon of hills and simplifies them into abstraction. The picture here is a great example of landscape distilled into a few sparing lines and bleeding colours.

Harry Ousey?

Harry Ousey, born in Longsight, Manchester, has been described as "very important in the 20th century British art scene".

His life story is one of a bohemian drifter who created truly great art, but who found the machinations of commercial art distasteful and the politics and posturing of the art scene a source of disillusionment.

When he did come into contact with the art establishment, his work was lauded and exhibited, but the art world doesn't chase and Harry’s restless drifting saw him elude broad recognition.

A Life Immersed in Art

He was at the International Surrealist Exhibition of 1936 where Salvador Dali turned up in a diving suit. He worked in St Ives and was a contemporary of Wilhemina Banks-Graham, Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson. He lived in swinging London in the sixties before a final move to France where he remained until his death in 1985 in Marseilles. At every point he was making art and his work developed along similar lines to other artists such as Rothko yet, whilst he acknowledged the parallels, his isolation gives credibility to his assertion that his creativity was independent of direct influence.

His body of work includes oil, watercolour and collage and fragments are to be found in the Whitworth Gallery, Falmouth Art Gallery, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Macedonia, The Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth House and the Salford Museum and Art Gallery. 

To Vist the harry ousey website click here!

To read more about Harry Ousey's story at Elephantstones click here!

 

We have lots of exciting things going on at Elephantstones! 

Our Easter window display is up and full of lots of little fluffy chicks! (and some great new pieces of Scandinavian homeware and artwork.)

We have also been making a few changes to our website. 

You can now view a selection of our cards and a taste of our Scandimania collection! 

Click here to see cards!

Click here to see Scandimania!

We also have a new addition to our homepage! 

You can read about Harry Ouseys story at Elephantstones! 

Click here to read about Ousey!

OR

Visit his website! 

www.harryousey.co.uk

SUNDAY 5TH MARCH FROM 11.30AM AT THE LAUGHING BADGER GALLERY

HARRY OUSEY  1915-1985

“SOME LANDSCAPES CANNOT BE EXPRESSED IN WORDS, ONLY IN PAINT.”

 Sue Astles

 

Harry Ousey's niece, Sue Astles, will be giving a talk on Ouseys artwork from the Peak District and beyond! 
 

Make sure you stop by, it would be a shame to miss such a special event!

See poster to the right for more information.  

To find out more about where to visit Ousey's exhibition, visit the Laughing Badger Gallery Facebook page! 

www.facebook.com/laughingbadgergallery 

To read more about Harry Ousey, visit his website!

www.harryousey.co.uk

For more information on Harry Ousey at Elephantstones click here!

 

 

 

 

HARRY OUSEY AT THE LAUGHING BADGER GALLERY!

We visited the Laughing Badger Gallery on the opening day of the Harry Ousey Exhibition. 

There were some beautiful pieces of Harry's work on show!

To find out more about where to visit Ousey's exhibition, visit the Laughing Badger Gallery Facebook page! 

www.facebook.com/laughingbadgergallery 

To read more about Harry Ousey, visit his website!

www.harryousey.co.uk

For more information on Harry Ousey at Elephantstones click here!

We are delighted to be mentioned in the December edition of Derbyshire Life alongside the array of great shops and pubs to visit in Hayfield.

The article is titled 'From Twenty Trees to Bowden Bridge'!

Written by Mike Smith, the journey begins on Highgate Road and makes its way down through the village and just so happens to stop and have a chat with us!

Make sure to pick up a copy to read all about what Hayfield has to offer! 

Alongside Simon and Elephantstones Gallery, Harry Ousey gets a mention too!

To read more about Harry's story at Elephantstones click here!
OR
Visit www.harryousey.co.uk

To read more about Simon at Elephantstones visit our creatives page click here!

In the publication you can also spot our print '20 Hoar' on the opening page of the article. You can view this print in our collection by visiting our collections page!

Click here to see the collection!

You can take home a copy of Derbyshire Life from most newsagents or visit their website!

www.derbyshirelife.co.uk

 

 

Illustrated Christmas Cards!

Its that time of year again and as promised our new range of Christmas cards has arrived!!

We have a selection of cards to choose from.

Our small cards are inspired by Hayfield and its landmarks.

They feature local scenes Twenty Trees, the Shooting Cabin, the Kissing Gate, and Hayfield's skyline.  

We also have a selection of large cards featuring festive things... a robin, mistletoe and a Christmas candle.

Who made them?

You can read all about the creatives at Elephantstones on our homepage.

You can also follow our facebook, instagram or twitter to keep up to date with what we are up to and what's new! 

Click here to get our social links.
 

CHRISTMAS OFFERS!!
Make sure you visit the gallery to see our great Christmas offers on our entire range of cards.   

Elephantstones in Copenhagen! 

Copenhagen... ...very cool, very flat - the biggest hill was the new footbridge over to Cristiania. Biking is big. 

Level with Glasgow, the weather was perfect for sitting outside with a blanket and a beverage, the favourite Danish way to watch the world go by.

Nørrebro is where the vintage shops were to be found, north west of the centre of Copenhagen, just over the lakes. We rooted around in shops that ranged from the neatly curated to those piled impenetrably high with all the things we love. We bought lots of suitcase friendly wonders.

We saw... great art from Yoko Ono, Ragnar Kjartansson, Bruce Nauman and an amazing installation by Carsten Nicolai at the Copenhagen Contemporary to Ibrahim Mahama's powerful transformation of Nyhavn with 12x120m of jute sacks. The Copenhagen Design museum laid out the masterful restraint of great Scandinavian design. 

We ate too much... we embraced new Nordic cuisine at 108 (a now permanent restaurant arising from a "pop up" at Noma), caramelised milk skin and pineapple weed... We did not make it off the waiting list to dine at the worlds best restaurant, Noma... but we did manage to enjoy traditional open sandwiches at Restaurant Schønnemann, washed down with schnapps and beer. The drinks menu gave these descriptions of the schnapps sizes: small/embarrassing ca. 2 cl. normal ca. 4 cl. large/reasonable ca. 6 cl. We went with normal. Breakfast at Atelier September, eggy dip has never been so good.

We ran... well, one of us jogged along the waterfront from the Mermaid to Cristiania Freetown, a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood - you are now leaving the EU.

See you next time Scandinavia, here's hoping the exchange rate is more friendly :)

Lots of exciting things are happening at Elephantstones Gallery...  

We have new framed prints, new pieces of Scandinavian ephemera and new pieces of art! 

And all just in time for the festive season. You're welcome! :) 

Our window is full of all things new at Elephantstones. Don't forget to have a look if you're passing by.

There are still lots of exciting things to come! Keep up to date with what's happening at Elephantstones by following us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Facebook: @elephantstonesgallery

www.facebook.com/elephantstonesgallery

Twitter: @elephantstones6

www.twitter.com/elephantstones6

Instagram: @elephantstonesgallery

www.instagram.com/elephantstonesgallery

The big cheese and Sue Astles.

 

HARRY OUSEY AT THE BUY ART FAIR

We visited the Buy Art Fair on the preview night and aside from Harry Ousey, we saw works by Grayson Perry, Damien Hurst and Tracey Emin (great if you have a few thousand burning a hole in your pocket :))

There is still time left to visit the fair and Harry Ousey's work. The fair runs from the 22nd to the 25th of September.

There are some truly great pieces on show so make sure you pop in if you can.

There are still some tickets available on the Buy Art Fair website.

www.buyartfair.co.uk

To find out more about Harry Ousey and his work go to his website!

www.harryousey.co.uk

See Harry Ousey's work at the Buy Art Fair in Manchester! 

Come along and join us!

Tickets are available on the Buy Art Fair website!
www.buyartfair.co.uk
See you there! 

You can find more information about Harry Ousey and his work on his website! 
www.harryousey.co.uk

We have joined Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! 

Facebook: @elephantstonesgallery

www.facebook.com/elephantstonesgallery

Twitter: @elephantstones6

www.twitter.com/elephantstones6

Instagram: @elephantstonesgallery

www.instagram.com/elephantstonesgallery

Harry Ousey  1915-1985

“Some landscapes cannot be expressed in words, only in paint.”

Sue Astles, who lives in Glossop, called into Elephantstones Gallery, shared the story of Harry Ousey and we immediately connected with Harry’s art. Making a space to hang these pictures is a great way to bring into the light works of such strong resonance with the landscape that surrounds Hayfield. 

Harry lived at Hill farm in Hayfield from 1947 to 1950 where he walked the moors in all weathers making sketches and learnt to build dry stone walls. These walls that stretch across the landscape were the beginning of his idea for Edge Movement, a concept he explored throughout his painting life.

His assured paint handling and a freedom to simplify and indeed abstract from natural landscape motifs characterise his work.

Harry moved to Cornwall to become part of the St.Ives art scene in 1950 and was a contemporary of other notable artists of the day. Later, Harry moved to France and died in Marseilles. His wife Susie brought what work she could back to England and it remained stored in the attic of a house until discovered by their niece Sue Astles.

The works are for sale - if you’d like to purchase we’ll put you in touch with Sue.

Call in and see the original works! 

To find out more about Ousey and his work go to www.harryousey.co.uk

We are sponsoring the Cenotaph Well Dressing! 

This year Elephantstones Gallery is sponsoring Hayfield Well Dressing, this runs from the 9th of July.

Update:

Funnily enough we went on holiday and missed the whole thing! Sorry for the lack of photographs. 

If you have one please send it our way!  

whato@elephantstones.co.uk

2nd Place!

Our best result yet in the May Queen Best Window Display category.