Hope Valley Climate Action is delivering Hope Valley’s first-ever Art Trail by Rail. To celebrate the 200th Anniversary of modern Railway, we invite you to explore local art and culture by using sustainable travel.
18 Artists are taking part this year across 9 venues throughout the Hope Valley. Below you can find a bit more about their work:
Artists Bios:
Hope Station’s Pop-up Gallery
Hope Valley’s Young Artists: We’ve been working with the pupils at Hope Primary School, and we’re showcasing some of their creations at Hope Station for the day. You can also see highly talented pieces by students from Hope Valley College, which are permanently on display at the station.
Sara J Cooper
I paint dramatic sky and seascapes in oils; capturing the energy and mood of the ever changing horizons.
Sarah will be opening her studio at 2 Castleton Road, Hope
Find on Instagram here.
Jayne Hatt
Wheel-thrown stoneware with food-safe glazes. See pottery demos & work-in-progress in a cosy back garden studio.
Jane will be opening her own studio at Tor View, Buxton Road, Castleton
Lee Waterman
I am an artist working in clay and glazes who has a small business based in the Hope Valley garden centre in Bamford where I have handmade pottery and contemporary ceramics for sale and display. In the studio I offer workshops,lessons and experiences to people who are interested in developing their knowledge of pottery making and artistic practice. Demonstrations are welcome on the day – just let me know!
Lee will be opening his studio at the Hope Valley Garden Centre in Bamford
Website: here
Mike Spoor
My work ranges from wheel thrown functional ware to Handbuilding more abstract forms based on the inspiriation of landscape and geological textures. I’m experimenting with combining thrown parts with freely constructed textured slabs achieved by stretching and beating the clay then using plaster moulds to form these into vessels.
Mike will be opening his studio at the Hope Valley Garden Centre in Bamford
Website: here
Becky Pytches
I love to paint our landscape. The more I paint it the more I love it. In each painting I try and capture something of how the place makes me feel. I hope to convey my sense of wonder and joy. I like movement and stillness. I like paths and distant horizons that take you somewhere beyond. I never bore of painting the sky and its infinite compositions. In my tree paintings, I try and capture the weather and how our friends, the trees, stand steadfast and together.
Becky will be at the venue: The School House, Jaggers Lane, Hathersage
Instagram: here
Kay Ford
Working from my studio nestled in the Peak District National Park, I create unique, handcrafted ceramics from durable stoneware clay. Each piece, from mugs to vases, is functional yet beautiful. I look forward to welcoming you to our Open Studio event! This is a shared event with renowned local artist, Becky Pytches, in a beautiful garden setting.
Kay will be at the venue, The School House, Jaggers Lane, Hathersage
Mary Pettit
I sketch, paint and photograph the beautiful Hope Valley. My work is usually semi abstract using oil, acrylic and watercolour to capture the rocky edges, moorland and local flora and fauna. I also collage photographic images which I print on acrylic and aluminium surfaces transferring some into earring and pendants. I am happy to explain these processes.
Mary will be at the venue: Hathersage Methodist Church
Instagram: here
Lisa Harris
Lisa at Little Missy Glass designs and creates colourful pieces of stained glass art which are inspired by her local area of the Peak District, places she has travelled and nature.
Lisa will be at the venue: Hathersage Methodist Church
Instagram: here.
Theo Rogers
My name is Theo Rogers, and I will be exhibiting a range of acrylic seascapes and landscapes in an impressionistic style, many inspired by local views. I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. Even now at university I use art to take a break from my studies. I like using thick quantities of paint, which I feel creates a layered, atmospheric style. I hope you enjoy the exhibit as much as I enjoyed making them.
Theo will be at the venue: Hathersage Methodist Church
Instagram: here.
Emily Gait
An illustrator specialising in hand-drawn artwork using pen and ink, and a spot of gouache. My illustrations are inspired by the changing seasons and stunning landscapes across the UK as well as my love for food growing, cycling, and swimming. I transform my original illustrations into high quality Giclée prints, greeting cards, postcards, notebooks and coasters.
Emily will be at the venue: Hathersage Methodist Church
Website: here.
Karen Perkins
I paint from my studio in Bradwell & digitally online, My love of photography, art & hiking was re-kindled by the Peak District. l love drawing & painting local landscapes & yummy food, l create artwork for local businesses too. Just ask!
Karen will be at the venue: Hathersage Methodist Church where she will also be running a sketch in the garden at 10:15 (materials provided). See our EVENT BLOG [insert link here when the event blog is published] for more information.
Instagram: here.
Brigitte Soltau
In 2006 I began a full-time MA, using clay to explore my memories and visual record of the demolition of the Hulme Estate in Manchester, where I had lived and worked. I continued developing this project alongside part-time work and ceramics teaching. After a long gap I have recently returned to ceramics and new work, this time with the inspirations of my Peak District surroundings and travels in Australia. I am drawn to the evocative qualities of clay and to rugged textures and dry surfaces. I am experimenting with a fresh palette of slips and glazes, and new forms.
Brigitte will be at the venue: Padley Mill Cottage, Upper Padley, Grindleford where she will also be running clay workshops throughout the day. Visit the Eventbrite page to book your free place in advance.
Website: here.
Anton Cannell
I aim to create functional ceramics that are sculptural in form with an emphasis on tableware. All work is made in Grindleford using a kick-wheel and sometimes modified by hand to achieve the desired forms. My preferred decoration technique is to uses glazes, that create simple effective patterns by overlapping when dipping. Work is fired using a gas kiln and a reduced atmosphere to enhance the glaze colours and bring out the qualities in the clay on unglazed surfaces. Firing the work in this way is, in part unpredictable, and can create surprises which maintain a freshness to the work.
Anton will be at the venue: Padley Mill Cottage, Upper Padley, Grindleford
Jon Gardner
‘Flotilla’: These small sculptural works, created in collaboration with ceramicist Tom Heller, combine recycled clay, glass, and fragments of metal. Emerging from an experimental process, their forms gradually began to resemble buoys adrift at sea—markers of navigation, survival, and connection. Clustered together, they evoke a fragile flotilla, carrying both vulnerability and resilience. The use of salvaged materials echoes themes of endurance & renewal, suggesting objects recovered, repurposed, and set afloat with new meaning. At once humble and symbolic, the pieces stand as quiet witnesses to the sea’s dual role as both a place of danger and a source of strength.
Jon will be at the venue: Padley Mill Cottage, Upper Padley, Grindleford
Instagram: here.
Maggie Norman
Abstract expressionist paintings exploring the places where abstraction and representation meet. My work is based on walks and wanderings primarily in the Peak District, also my love of coastal holidays. I work mostly with acrylics on canvas, using oil sticks and other media to develop texture and look for the light. I have cards and work in a range of sizes, welcome commissions; 50% of all sales go to ASSIST, supporting asylum seekers in Sheffield
Maggie will be at the venue: 1 Midland cottages, Upper Padley, Grindleford
Instagram: here.
Sarah Cook
The ceramic sculptures that I make are inspired by local rock formations. Studying the rocks silhouetted against the skyline connects me with nature and ancient history. More than 315 million years ago massive movements of water and tectonic plates deposited sedimentary rock in our area. Over time the softer rocks eroded, leaving the gritstone structures dominating the landscape. In the process of sketching and sculpting I see faces or animals in the rocks. I reflect on how these ‘mimetoliths’ survived and I wonder what they may observe about our current ecological struggles and threats to the earth.
Sarah will be at the venue: 1 Midland cottages, Upper Padley, Grindleford
Website: here.
Anwen Fryer
I create jewellery from mudlarked pottery and glass from the Derwent river and semi precious gem stones.
Anwen will be at the venue: 1 Midland cottages, Upper Padley, Grindleford
Instagram: here.
To book onto our Art Trail by Rail and receive all of the updates and where to collect your map for the day please reserve your free place through Eventbrite.
If you’re an artist and would like to take part next year please sign up to our monthly newsletter where you can receive information for future events and activities.
