Welcome to Gallery of the Giants – a tiny gallery created by Louisa Fitch at the foot of an ancient by way in the village of Aldbourne in the heart of rural Wiltshire. During the pandemic I missed visiting galleries and museums and seeing Art so I made this little space for all my fellow locked down Art Lovers to walk past and visit online. As we move forward into 2022 and hopefully out of the pandemic – the gallery will continue to keep spreading joy and creativity for all in our community and beyond. Please contact me if you’re an artist – big or small ! – and would like to install a tiny show here and help share our love of art and artists everywhere. Coordinates to find the gallery are: What3Words mysteries.obstruction.cape or Google Maps 51°28’54.4″N 1°37’14.0″W
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OPENING NIGHT 14th JUNE !
A Gallery of the Giants installation in the foyer at the Chelsea Theatre, King’s Road, London.
The artists have now been chosen by the Chelsea Theatre judges – standby for announcements on confirmed participating artists.
We are collaborating with the Chelsea Theatre to bring five new galleries to a new urban audience, to be installed in their foyer on the 14th JUNE 2024 as part of their “Storytelling for a social purpose” programme of events and part of their HUSH Festival which runs until the 24th June. On the 14th of June from 5-7 pm – myself and some of the artist will be talking about the Gallery of the Giants and the works that are on show. Do come along and share in the joy of art in a vibrant community.
Chelsea Theatre is an independent studio theatre located on the Kings Road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. It presents, commissions, and produces material and works with the local community. The foyer at the theatre regularly hosts Art exhibitions and events that are open to all.
We hope this collab gives a unique opportunity to see some original works on a small scale displayed and seen by a large audience in central London – Works will be glass, ceramic, installation, paintings and photography.
current exhibition
DIANA HENRY
“If you stop…”
(archive paper photographic prints)
If you stop…
A few years ago as I hurtled through pretty much every aspect of my life, a friend made a simple but powerful observation.
If you stop, he said, you will see more.
Those wise words adorn my studio wall and I’ve worked hard on that notion. In the process, I have discovered the joy of landscape photography.
The transient and often transcendent light, the diurnal patterns, the weather, the seasons, all shaping the outcome. Waiting and waiting for that perfect moment. Trying again and again. Constantly learning. Constantly discovering. The camera has become an integral part of my way of seeing.
If you stop… captures the tranquility of pausing in a series of long exposure seascapes taken on the Dorset coast, my childhood home, in March 2024.
Diana Henry, lightsheds May 2024
Diana is a visual artist who explores the patterns, movement and sensory element of light. Working with natural and projected light she considers how it can affect spaces and those within a space. She is also a creative producer specialising in content creation for large scale digital/media installations and mentors emerging talent in the creative industries.
Please feel free to DM Diana directly http://@lightsheds_diana_henry or me Louisa @galleryofthegiants if you have any works you’d like to exhibit here or please just follow me or get in touch to support this project.
past exhibition
ALEX AMELINES
“THE MOTHER OF SKULLS”
(pen and ink on paper) 35 x35 cm
Alex Amelines is an British / Columbian animator and artist based in Hertfordshire. He has created this work specifically for the gallery this summer and we are SO proud to present his Tryptich here. His work reflects his animation skills as he creates these drawings kinetically in one go. Head over to @alexamelines for more of his fabulous work where you can also see how these pen and ink drawings are created.
Please feel free to DM me Louisa @galleryofthegiants if you have any works you’d like to exhibit here or please just follow me or get in touch to support this project.
past exhibition
INTERIM SHOW
ADAM TAYLOR
“SPRINGTIME”
(oil, bitumen on board) 24x15cm
Welcome to the new gallery that has been made for the summer ! After a long dark wet winter. the first mini gallery space, made out of an old LP cube shelf – has had to be dismantled and replaced.
While we wait for the next artist to show – this is the first of three abstract mini works from my own collection that I wanted to share. This first painting is by a wonderful British abstract painter called Adam Taylor and is entitled “Springtime”. He’s juxtaposed a pretty pink against a dark menacing bitumen to create an intense mini drama !
From https://www.adamtaylorartist.com “Adam Taylor is a British contemporary artist. His paintings can be described as abstract compositions influenced by the coastal landscape of his surroundings in rural West Wales. He strives to capture the mood of the land, distilling the basic forms into pleasing shapes and colour. He works predominantly in oils, but will use enamel paint and different textures at the beginning of the painting process, producing a final piece which is raw and layered.”
He’s represented by http://@ffinyparcgallery or check out his work at and his insta at http://@adamtaylorartist
Please feel free to DM me Louisa @galleryofthegiants if you have any works you’d like to exhibit here or please just follow me or get in touch to support this project.
past exhibition
SHOW # 14
“MALENG – A BOY FROM UGANDA”
This exhibition is brought you by the Yuniya collective. Their practice involves bringing personal stories of ‘Growing Up African’ to life to celebrate the richness and diversity of African culture through childhood stories. They enable children to explore fun and inspiring stories and engaging activities on African mythology history heritage and culture, objects and connections
Here we present “Maleng: A boy from Uganda”. A wire car he loved very much. He called her Maleng, meaning beautiful “
Visit Yuniya.com to find out more and to listen to Malachi Justin narrates the story of this precious wire car.
Growing Up African The stories of ‘Growing Up African’ are one epic narrative. From cruising down the street with wire cars to kwepena, children played, had fun and did what children do, the African way!
How do we do it? We ask Africans in the diaspora and continent to pick an object (s) from their childhood and tell us a story about it. Each object tells a story of childhood experiences in different parts of the African continent.
Setting The Stage For Intergenerational Climate Dialogue Our goal is to turn despair into action through the power of storytelling. Our intergenerational workshops equip the older generation and the next generation with the tools needed to face the global problems of our time, plan their activism and process their feelings.
Please check out yuniya.com for more details and stories or feel free to DM me Louisa @galleryofthegiants if you have an educational project you’d like to show here.
past exhibition
SHOW #13
EDIE BOUND
“LOCKDOWN TAUGHT ME HOW TO CUT MY HAIR”
Edie Bound returns with another triptych for the Gallery in a much anticipated follow up to her lockdown exhibition “Inside out”
“These 3 pieces were made as a follow up to the previous mini gallery paintings I made during a part of lockdown where it was still hard to see it all ending. When asked to respond to those original paintings, I had to sit down and think about what I learnt from those years now that we are on the other side of it: lockdown taught me how to cut my hair”
To purchase these works or see more of Edie’s portraits check out @eboundart or feel free to DM me Louisa @galleryofthegiants
New Gallery Site !
SHOW #1
ST. MICHAEL’S SCHOOL, ALDBOURNE
“A lifetime love of learning”
Gallery of the Giants is proud to launch a new gallery on site at St. Michael’s School Aldbourne.
The children of St. Michael’s School have launched their first show in a new gallery of the giants outside their school. Under the guidance of Art teacher and educator Helen Cooper who conceived and lead this project – children from every year group created and wrote in a tiny book for this exhibition – the work reflects on their school motto a ” a lifetime love of learning” and they hope to one day make a lifesize version of this stack of books. Come and see the exhibit. It’s at Back Lane, Aldbourne, SN8 2BP.
Contact me on 07752356514 for if your school would like a gallery installed or you’d like to collaborate with me on a project.
past exhibition
SHOW #12
HELEN COOPER
“DAILY LANDSCAPES”
“I am inspired to paint by my local environment, I love seeing how colours and textures create landscapes that evoke emotional responses with in us”
I work with Oils on canvas; these pieces are taken from a series. I created an image a day of the same landscape, watching the subtle changes in colour and and growth through the seasons.
I studied my degree in Art and Psychology at Winchester and have taken postgraduate courses in Art Psychotherapy. I love the relationship between the Artist, the viewer and the painting, using it as a tool to communicate the emotion of the place not just the look on that day.
I am based @Thestudioramsbury where I offer classes to adults and Children.
Contact Helen on 07751771612 or at Helencooper27@gmail.com for details and prices or feel free to DM me Louisa @galleryofthegiants
past exhibition
SHOW #11
LISA LINDQUIST
“GLITCH”
A Glitch is a temporary malfunction: a break in the system…a time to pause, reset, recalibrate.
Gallery of the Giants presents a tiny satellite show in collaboration with the Fringe Arts Festival Bath. “Glitch” is currently showing at 44AD Artspace in Bath and is curated by artist Lisa Lindquist. The exhibition explores cyber identity, data collection, human connection and disconnection, evolution and popular culture. It features 14 artists, both emerging and established.
More info is available here
Contact me on 07752356514 for details and prices or feel free to DM the artist directly @llsalindquistart
past exhibition
SHOW #10
LOU HAMILTON
“GRASSLANDS”
Gallery of the Giants is proud to present “GRASSLANDS” – etched glass panels by colour field abstract painter Lou Hamilton. “For decades I have wanted to collaborate with @andrewmoorassociates on some glass art and finally I have!!” Grasslands is about the trace elements essential for a healthy ecology. This series is comprised of photomontages on glass, of landscapes brimming with life, and a celebration of sustainability.
Lou Hamilton grew up in the village of Aldbourne and is now an acclaimed abstract painter based in London. “My work is comprised of abstract colourfields, built up in layers of acrylic paint and sometimes other media, until they reach what I call the ‘hum’ when the colours and composition are in balance, and the painting exudes a feeling of calm. I work intuitively and tap into the spiritual nature of our physical environment. Formally a sculptor I approach painting in a robust way, working on the floor with builders brushes and vigorous brushwork, then calming the whole lot down in a meditative practice.
All these works are for sale. Limited edition Fine Art prints of these glassworks will be available to buy at A2 size from @darkmatterstudio during the exhibition. Contact me on 07752356514 for details and prices or feel free to DM the artist directly @louhamiltonart
Also be sure to check out www.louhamiltonart.com for Lou’s full portfolio of larger works.
past exhibition
SHOW #9
BELINDA RAYNER
“Micro Studio Impressions (1-5)”
To start 2022 we launch a new show at the gallery with something positive, colourful and full of joy raging against the dark January skies. These gorgeous, micro “Studio Impressions” by Wiltshire based artist Belinda Rayner are absolutely stunning. Her bright, colourful studies of flowers are guaranteed to make you smile and fill you with optimism for the year ahead.
“Belinda says of her work “Growing up in Australia has inspired a love of colour, light, space, pattern and nature. There was a natural progression from earlier studies of fashion, textiles and drawing to painting. Building layers of paint to create depth, interweaving threads of colour to connect contemplated objects. Creating areas of space and reflective surfaces to balance pattern. A recurring inspiration the beauty of plants and nature”
All these works are for sale
£60 each – including frame (removable). All proceeds for these small works will be donated to IPSUM mental health care in Swindon. Contact me on 07752356514 for details or feel free to DM @be_rayner
Visit www.belindarayner.com for her full portfolio of larger works for sale.
past exhibition
SHOW #8
HENNY TATE
“Phlebodium aureum”
To celebrate autumn – the gallery has a lovely set of leafy prints by UK based artist Henny Tate. Henny is from a family of printers that produce linocuts, block prints, photographic images and letter press often inspired by nature. With a background in design she recently retrained in horticulture and continues to study plants through various mediums.
“I draw plants because I feel compelled to and want to record a moment in their lifecycle. I enjoy gardening as an active way of working with plants and find drawing is more of a meditation, a chance to reflect on their form and satisfy a curiosity about their workings. Turning the drawings into linocuts produces a simple abstraction of this form and hopefully gives them a meditative quality that I felt when drawing them. I play with colour to draw attention to the plant and perhaps encourage a relationship with a plant and a person that may not have otherwise existed. In this case Phlebodium aureum”
All works for sale in various colours and sizes
DM @hennytate for prices and for more information.
Interim Exhibition
Feliz Día de los Muertos!
To celebrate from All Hallows Eve until The Day of the Dead on the 2nd of November – the Gallery of the Giants presents a small collection of Mexican calacas (skeletons) and calaveras (skulls).
I love to make a shrine to my loved ones every year for Dia del los Muertos and have collected all these Mexican trinkets over the years to help decorate it. Granny Fitch gets a cup of tea in her beloved Ivy teacup and my father a glass of fine red wine. I love to imagine them tiptoeing across from the graveyard here in Aldbourne to celebrate with us. Traditionally in Mexico a trail of scented Marigolds is laid to pave the way from the cemetery to the house for them. This year we will sadly also be making offerings of Whiskey and pickled beetroot to my wonderful father in law Peter. May all their souls rest in peace.
Please DM me @galleryofthegiants for more info or just to say hi !
past exhibition
SHOW #7
“Slipping Out of My Ordinary Eyes 1&2”
A play on scale: micro and macro.
A journey, into through and beyond.
Drawing on curved paper
148 x 210mm
70.00 GBP each
Please email emmacoop@me.com for purchase details and visit www.emmacoop.com or @eemmmmaaccoooopp to see more of Emma’s work.
Emma Coop’s artistic practice is based around drawing. She completed her MA in Fine Art from Chelsea UAL in 2004. Emma regularly exhibits and has recently been included in the Creekside Open, Wales Contemporary and 168th RWA Open.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I explore an affinity with nature and the elements despite living in cities all my life. My drawings document a desire to run in the opposite direction, to escape edges, things and people. Such an ‘escape’ could be experienced via sailing in a small single-handed boat around a dock off the Thames with the thrill-threat of capsize, or getting into nature and following hidden passage ways through woodland to find den-like secret places that may hold secrets, or may not.
There is a restlessness in the work, a drive to create by tenacity which builds a mounting tension akin to an Antonioni film—imagine the amplified sound of the wind whilst the camera forensically roves over grainy black and white landscapes to build suspense from ‘nothing’ such as in Blow Up and L’Aventura.
I draw because of its immediacy: there is a very quick direct link with the act of making that takes me right back to being a child. I use big chunky graphite sticks and the mark-making is gestural and physical. Drawn marks range from very considered light and delicate right through to dense heavily-layered scrawls; in this way each drawing contains a catalogue of gestures and emotions.
I listen to music while I draw and sometimes lyrics repeat in my head and creep in as a title—especially the angsty-heartache of Robert Smith. These titles play with ambiguity and vulnerability. The landscape in this sense becomes a metaphor for a lover, and in turn brings into focus our own relationship with nature in the Anthropocene age.
past exhibition
SHOW #6
“Field for the Children”
This show is an installation created by children from the village school and surrounding areas ages 4-14. They have created this tiny homage to Antony Gormley’s work “Field for the British Isles”. Led by Art teacher Helen Cooper they have each created a mixed media expression that reflects on their “self”. They were asked to think about how the pandemic had made them feel as they created their sculpture, and to explore their feelings thorough the making of their work. Helen sees daily the benefits of participatory Art practice and how this can help with mental health issues and wellness for all ages – especially in these uncertain times. Children and teens have suffered a great deal during the pandemic and as we come out of lockdown this small work displays some of the joy and hope that our children bring. It has been such a pleasure to position each of these little souls in the gallery today, I hope you enjoy them too.
All the little figures are for sale – £5 framed and £2 unframed [see the photos for how this will look] all proceeds will go to Charity. DM me or Helen [@thestudioramsbury] for more info or email me at l.fitch1220191@arts.ac.uk
past exhibition
SHOW #5 Nick Leigh
IMO 545F & EHR 462L
We are lucky to have some new works by Marlborough based artist Nick Leigh. Born in 1962, Nick originated from Cornwall where his father, the sculptor Roger Leigh, was an assistant to the internationally renowned artist Barbara Hepworth. His mother worked for the Potter, Bernard Leach.He graduated from Warwick in 1984 achieving a 1st Class honors Degree in the History of Art. There followed a variety of jobs including songwriting, working as a freelance illustrator and antiquarian book dealing in London, before he returned with his wife Nicky to Wiltshire in 1992.
He divides his time between running a picture framing business in Aldbourne and his art works of which he says “I have always been concerned with the inclusion of artisanal skills in the production of art and to this end my more recent relief constructions represent a desire to move away from the traditional planar singularity of the picture surface. In this way external light sources become instrumental in the creation of form within the work. Gold leaf, mineral powders and varnishes are also used to exploit the transformative potential of various lighting conditions in a dynamic way.”
past exhibition
SHOW #4 Katherine Tulloh “Many Moons”
We are very proud to present some small, yet significant watercolour sketches by Hackney based artist Kathrine Tulloh and her young daughter Barbary. Together they have for many years documented our Moon in their sketchbooks. Here we have a rare glimpse into the pages of these very private artistic journals. Check back regularly as we will change the pages every so often…
“Katherine Tulloh studied at Cambridge University and Chelsea College of Art. Through painting and the creation of three-dimensional montages, which she lights and films, she creates fragmented animated narratives exploring the poetic languages of writers such as Poe and Baudelaire. Concentrating on the artist as seer and visionary she explores the cityscape and the inner territory of the self, the here and now and the world beyond”. [copyright Transition Gallery]
past exhibition
SHOW #3 Alex Amelines “Colombia Mágica”
This week we have a little bit of Colombia magic visiting the gallery ! Alex Amelines is an animator and illustrator based in the U.K. He creates characters inspired by his childhood growing up in Colombia with imagery drawn from local mythology and fairytales. These characters are created as part of his film making process and are made from found natural materials and junk. You can see how he makes these figures on his YouTube page here
Meet El Hojarasquín Del Monte, and El Mohán – from left to right in the gallery.
El Mohán is everyone’s favourite monster. Although his description varies from place to place, he is usually a huge creature, covered in hair with long, claw-like nails. He’s fond of mischief, music and tobacco. Fishermen say he capsizes boats, steals bait and hooks. Washerwomen claim he bewitches girls with music and tricks.
El Hojarasquín Del Monte the forest dweller is the protector of the coffee growing region in Colombia. This creature will guide you to safety if it decides you pose no threat to the forest, otherwise it will confuse you by making animal noises and leaving false trails until you are lost forever.
La Madre monte (Mother mountain) is a spirit regarded as the protector of the jungle and its animals. She’s very unforgiving when humans enter her domain to alter or destroy it. Madre monte haunts those who steal others people’s land and casts plagues on cattle owners who usurp fields or ignore boundaries.
You can follow Alex @happy_papi_tv He does not sell the characters as they are currently employed as actors on his film but he does take commissions. DM him for more info.
If you feel inspired by Alex’s work and make a character out of things you find or have to hand – DM me at the gallery and we will showcase your work on the insta. @galleryofthegiants
past exhibition
SHOW #2 Edie Bound “Inside Out”
Another response to the pandemic by emerging portrait artist Edie Bound. Triptych. Oil on Board. 4″x5″ THIS WORK IS SOLD
London and Wiltshire based painter, Edie Bound, who grew up in Aldbourne, predominantly paints portraits and is now studying at the University of the Arts London. She focuses on mark making and colour use and tries to draw inspiration from the mundane every day life experiences.
Edie says “This triptych of paintings is the response to the feeling of being boxed in. I wanted to play with scale and illusion to create visually interactive pieces, working on this small a scale is new to me however it helped me to capture the general feeling of lockdown”
You can follow Edie @eboundart. All works are for sale and she takes commissions.
Contact her here eboundart@gmail.com
past exhibition
SHOW #1 “CLAYCOVID”
A response to the pandemic by Scottish artist Vicky Stonebridge
We cannot see it, hear it, or touch it. It is invisible. But it has changed the way we live forever. How do we think of the virus now and how will we remember it in years to come? Introducing the Clay Covid – a colourful ceramic that gives shape and form to the invisible, yet takes away the threat and fear. We invite you to find your own interpretation and meaning in this bold and beautiful object… …Carry it as a talisman to protect you from harm. …Hold it to connect you with or remind you of someone. …Keep it as a symbol of hope and resilience. …Or just look at it as a beautiful artwork for its own sake. Every purchase of a Clay Covid supports Vicky the artist who made these and we also donate 10% of the profits to the charity MIND.
Where to Find Us
Art, Walking and Wellbeing.
You will encounter the gallery of the Giants at the foot of the ancient by-way called the Four Barrows track in the village of Aldbourne in Wiltshire. Aldbourne is situated in the the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is a second home to Doctor Who and the Easy Company 101st Airborne Division stationed here during the 2nd World War. This ancient by way leads to a beautiful views of the chalk downland and Wiltshire landscape that has inspired many artists such as Eric Ravillous and Derwent Lee. Check out this link to the Aldbourne Circular route which you can start from the bottom of the Four barrows track and follow back around and into the village. Postcode for the gallery is SN8 2EL .
As we know walking and getting outside safely during the endless days of this lockdown can increase wellbeing and fitness and if there’s a chance to see some art along the way then you are guaranteed to feel better!
