Art exhibitions in Birmingham - The Birmingham Art Circle

David White

Our June art exhibition will be a collection from the The Birmingham Art Circle - a group of accomplished artists working in a wide range of two and three dimensional media. This is the first time in their over 100 years of exhibiting they will be here at Artifex Gallery.

The Birmingham Art Circle was founded in 1879 by Ernest Thompson who drew up the constitution with ten other Midlands artists. Membership has included well-known Birmingham artists such as; William Wainwright, Edwin Harris, Walter Langley, William Breakspeare, Kate Bunce, Joseph Southall and Bernard Fleetwood Walker.

The society continues to attract many distinguished artists from the Midlands region. The founder, Ernest Thompson would be proud to see that the society has now over seventy members.

Art exhibition throughout June 2012.

Julie Wilson & Wendy Darker Art Exhibition in Birmingham

Art Exhibition of animal ceramics and paintings

Throughout April 2012

These two very talented artists have joint forces for one month only and are combining both of their works to create a must see art exhibition in Birmingham throughout April at the Artifex Gallery in Sutton Coldfield.

Our gallery will be transformed into a realistic wildlife sanctuary with beautiful animal paintings and ceramics on display. The ceramics are sculpted by Julie Wilson who lives in rural Leicestershire; Julie takes inspiration from her surroundings, which allows her to study the animals she brings to life in great detail. All her pieces are very natural, with intricate detailing. The use of oxide & ceramic pigments enhances the tactile, textural quality of her work. The pieces are made from coarse stoneware clay using slab building techniques and meticulous hand finishing. Books, internet & wildlife documentaries all supplement the details that she needs to complete some of the non native animals - several trips to Kenya have also allowed her to get up close & personal with some of her African animal subjects.



Wendy Darker is an artist who has become very well known over the last few years for her strong compositions featuring portraits of cattle and other animals. Wendy will exhibit some of her latest paintings along with some of her most popular pieces. Her work is characterized by the close cropping and intimacy of her animal portraits, which often present an inquisitive pose to the viewer. Wendy usually paints her animal subjects against a flat white background in acrylics, creating an uninterrupted connection with the onlooker, allowing attention to be fully placed on the animal. She avoids photo-realism, using loose brush strokes to create life and movement in the painting, whilst attention to the eyes brings depth and soul to her subject. Her animals disappear off the edge and around the corners of the painting, creating a feeling that these creatures are free to wander off the canvas at any time.

The exhibition is free entry to all - Open: 7 days a week 10am-5pm

Nicholas St John Rosse Art Exhibition in Birmingham

Art exhibition in Birmingham:

Summer is arriving early at Artifex Gallery in Sutton Coldfield, as during the month of March the upstairs art gallery will be transformed into a beach using real sand and even a few deck chairs to help capture that holiday atmosphere. The theme is to coincide with the Nicholas St John Rosse art exhibition - Nicholas is best known for his figurative paintings of people absorbed in their own individual world, oblivious to outside distractions. Many of these works involve a seaside theme, recalling the fun and innocence of childhood.

The Exhibition is now open and runs until the end of the March 2012…

Nicholas St.John Rosse was born in 1945 in Hampstead, London and was educated at University College School. From an early age he became interested in painting, encouraged and enthused by watching the landscape painter Donald Towner working in the open air and by visiting his studio. This led to him studying for three years in Florence, as a student of the Italian artist Pietro Annigoni and also attending the Scuola Del Nudo of the Florence Academy.

It was during a stay in Spain that Nicholas started to draw and paint people on the beach, particularly children playing and this has become a favourite theme of his over the years. The light, textures and sensations of the beach have featured in many of the artist’s paintings since his move to the North Cornish Coast, where the wild cliffs and beaches provide him with endless settings for his figure and beach compositions.

Nicholas has exhibited widely in one-man shows in London, the counties and abroad and also in numerous group exhibitions including the R.A., the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Royal West of England Academy and the Royal Society of Marine Artists.

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Ross & Nigel