Arts Trail Day 3

 

Day Two of Saltaire Arts Trail was sadly marred by awful weather, very wet all day. Happily, I had other plans so I gave it a miss. Day Three was dry, though overcast, so at least the visitors didn't get drenched and the venues didn't have to contend with dripping coats, brollies and wet shoes. 

There was a Makers' Fair in the Victoria Hall, but I didn't explore that. They tend to be much the same year on year, and so much art and craft can be overwhelming, I find. I didn't want to be tempted into buying anything either and, if you're not on the lookout for a purchase, it never seems so meaningful. There seemed to be plenty of visitors though and I spotted lots of folk coming away with bags and boxes of goodies. 

I was more interested in the photography exhibition in Salts Mill's roof space, which was showing work by members of Leeds Photographic Society. There were some attractive images, though mostly in the familiar style of 'camera club competition' entries. I enjoyed the landscapes and some of the creative images.

Nina Hunter, an artist, illustrator and art teacher who lives in Saltaire, opened the Saltaire Art Gallery on Victoria Road a few years ago. She also founded the Saltaire Art School. The gallery seems to have evolved and is now 'Nina Hunter Gallery and Collectors Lounge', where she shows her own work and some carefully considered collaborations with other artists. Much of her work celebrates the feminine and mythology. I like the softness and mystery that she creates, which is at the same time quite powerful. 

Her current exhibition is 'Elysium' - 'a paradise of myth, imagination, and beauty... a world of paintings, embroidery, floral arrangements, and sound that celebrates the boundless possibilities of creativity.'

I loved her own painting in the window, though there were too many reflections (and writing on the window) to show it off well. I could quite happily live with that one on my wall!

In the room at the back, a sunny, yellow, expressive abstract by Clare Ninham sat rather nicely above the Victorian fireplace. 

The Gallery's basement had a series of paintings by Oliver Walton: 'The Common Place'. Deliberately counterpointing the other exhibition, these were precise depictions of 'the poetry of everyday spaces' - the kind of subject you more often find explored through photography than paint. NOT the kind of thing I'd hang on my walls but thought-provoking nevertheless, and it was interesting to see our local environment depicted in this way. 

Arts Trail Day 1

Saltaire Arts Trail traditionally spans the early May Bank Holiday weekend, seeing many of the houses in the village transformed into mini art galleries on the 'Open Village' circuit, with various exhibitions in the larger venues.  

One of the bigger houses on Albert Road belongs to David Starley, a well-known artist who also runs the Bingley Gallery. He was exhibiting his own paintings, plus various displays from other artists. There were some lovely turned wood pieces from Mike Bentley and ceramics by Kath Bonson. I also enjoyed the display of older paintings of the local area, which David collects and sells through his gallery. They included these watercolour miniatures (below) by John Butterfield (1913-1997).

The Wash House Gardens held colourful digital art by Ellie Hawkes, some printed on translucent perspex discs.  

In the grounds of the United Reformed Church, Luke Thompson was demonstrating some live painting in oils. 

Blue hour

Blue hour, just after sunset, lends an air of mystery to Saltaire's scenic spots. 

Fresh delights

At this time of year, every few days there's something new to enjoy as nature rapidly bursts into leaf and flower. The larger houses in Saltaire, on Albert Road, have bigger gardens than most in the village, so there are more trees and shrubs to see.  This ceanothus is such a vibrant shade of blue - glorious. I'm not sure what the little white blooms peeping out are, but they  prettily set off the blue. I don't know what the adjacent dark purple shrub is either - perhaps a sambucus nigra? 

Further up the street there is a beautiful tree (in fact, two along the length of the street) that I can't say I have ever really looked at before. At this time of year it's covered in white blossom, almost like rowan blossom. The leaves are a silvery white, at least from underneath, and the tree has a wonderful, compact, dome shape - almost the perfect tree shape! I'd no idea what it is but an extensive Google search - words and images - leads me to conclude it is a Common Whitebeam, 'frequently used in urban landscaping and gardens due to its pollution tolerance and ornamental value'. I learn something every day. 

Skipton Castle Woods

Behind Skipton Castle, the old Springs Branch Canal is now blocked by a landslip but you can still walk that way. It's a pleasant circular walk through Skipton Castle Woods, once a medieval hunting ground, then a source of water power for the town's corn and textile mills and now a nature reserve. The canal ends and the path runs alongside Eller Beck and the various sluices that were made to channel the water to the mill wheels. 

There was a smattering of bluebells but not as many as I expected. Most of the slopes were covered in wild garlic. 

Part way round the trail, you arrive at the Round Dam, another sign of the industrialisation of the waterways in the area. It's now quite a peaceful spot and I sat and ate my lunch there, enjoying the tranquillity. 

At the far end of the dam, a heron was trying to find his lunch too.

Sunny Skipton

The end of April/beginning of May here was warm and sunny, as hot as I can bear it these days. I had to drive over to Skipton one day to collect my new glasses, which are quite a departure from my old ones, the frames being much lighter in colour. You know how it is... When you order them you feel quite excited and then when they arrive you wonder if you've made the right choice... I shall need confirmation from my daughter as to whether or not I have! 

Anyway, it being such a glorious day, I had a wander round town and a walk in the woods. Skipton's high street is long and wide, with the castle and church at the top end. I love the view of the surrounding hills that you get in the distance. I didn't go in the castle this time, but the gatehouse is always worth a photo. 

The roundabout at the top of the high street holds the town's war memorial. 

The town has a market on several days in the week. I've learned to avoid those days when I go to the optician's, as it is much harder to find a parking spot. On non-market days many people like to park on the high street so there's usually more free space in the actual car parks. 

Holy Trinity church is right in front of the castle walls, in prime spot at the top of town. I think its setting is quite attractive. 

My last photo is looking up towards the church from the high street. It's a busy junction so I was lucky to avoid having vehicles in the shot. 

PS: Since writing this post, I've seen my daughter and she approves of my new glasses. She did, however, notice that what I thought was an etched pattern on the side arms is in fact the brand logo and says 'Range Rover'. 😆 We decided I should have gone for the upgraded version with windscreen wipers and indicators! 😂 😂

Falconry display

There was a Falconry display in Roberts Park. It's lovely to see these magnificent birds close up. I'm afraid I didn't take note of the team running the exhibit. There are a few local falconry centres. I'll hazard a guess that this is the team from the Shibden Valley Falconry in Halifax. They had a kestrel (above), owls, a hawk and a couple of gyr/saker cross falcons, all beautiful birds. I think falconry centres usually have rescued birds that could not be released into the wild. 

 

Northcliffe blues

Can you bear to see more bluebells? These are in our local Northcliffe Park.

Bluebells and wild garlic together always look lovely: white stars in the foreground and a blue haze in the distance. 

The green walkway in the picture below is the bridge that golfers use to get from the Northcliffe clubhouse to the greens, across the narrow valley. 

My walk was somewhat spoiled by three large dogs, a golden retriever, a black labrador and some other large breed, that were cavorting around in the woods. The lab charged at me and jumped up, nearly knocking me over and scraping his claws down my thigh. It rather frightened me and I dread to think what would have happened if it had rushed at a child. Their owners?... Nowhere to be seen. Grr. 

On my way home the sky turned dark as clouds came over and, just after I came inside, there was a sharp, squally shower. I was glad to miss that! So it turned out to be a walk full of blues, in more ways than one. 

Wayzgoose

A few more pictures from Otley's May Day celebrations... These dancers are Wharfedale Wayzgoose, a Border Morris side from Otley who 'make a lot of noise, drink a lot of beer and occasionally do some dancing'. It's lively stuff, with sticks, face paint and elaborate costumes. 

Incidentally, the proceedings were taking place under the watchful eye of Otley's Bellman (Terry Ford), the town crier (see above left), accompanying the town's current mayor, Councillor Paul Carter.

'Border Morris originated in the agricultural communities of the Welsh Marches – Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire. Farm workers dancing at festivals and collecting money from the very landowners who employed them walked a fine line. The solution was simple and brilliant: if no one could tell who you were, no one could hold it against you come Monday morning. Their disguise took many forms: rags, tatters, blackened faces, but the principle was the same. The dancer disappears; the performance remains.'

The Morris side is led by a Squire. (I assume that is the man pictured above, who seemed to be taking charge, but I may be wrong.)  They also had a (Wayz)Goose with them, dressed in a 'tatter' cloak of rags, who was delighting (or terrorising) the youngsters, depending on the bravery of each individual child. 

May Day in Otley

I realised to my surprise that it's eight years since I last went to the May Day celebration in Otley. This year it was a much warmer day, with a hint of sunshine, so there were a lot more people watching. That meant it was a bit harder to get photos but made for a great atmosphere. 

The event is organised by Otley's Buttercross Belles, a North-West Morris dance side. They are able to use the Otley town maypole. The actual pole they dance round is a newish one, but there has been a maypole on this Cross Green site for upwards of 200 years at least. Maypoles have a rich history in British folklore and celebrations, particularly on May Day, symbolising fertility and spring. It's a lovely tradition to keep alive. 

The first half of the celebration saw the team encouraging children to dance around the maypole, weaving in and out to make simple patterns round the pole with the ribbons. It was predictably chaotic!

The Buttercross Belles then did a couple of dances. They use handkerchiefs and textile bobbins in their dances, a reminder of their tradition's origins in our mills. 

They were supported by Kitchen Taps, a local Appalachian dance side: 

and The Flash Company, also Otley-based, who have taken traditional Morris a step further, dancing to more modern music designed to appeal to a new audience. They were all having lots of fun.  Morris dance is impossible to watch without wanting to jig about! 

Each Morris side has its own musicians but much of the music for the Maypole dances themselves was supplied by the band that accompanies Wayzgoose, the Border Morris side based in Otley, who were also there dancing. 

 

Apollo

To be completely honest, I'm not sure whether I was more attracted to the boat or the boatman here! 'Apollo' was moored up on the canalside in Saltaire during the World Heritage weekend, offering 90 minute boat trips. A bit cheeky of them perhaps, as there is also our own Saltaire trip boat 'Titus', though that just operates locally, a twenty minutes or so cruise, up to Hirst Lock and down into Shipley - and I noticed that business is now for sale. 

'Apollo' is managed by Best Yorkshire Boating and moves up and down the canal offering trips and private cruises from various locations. She's an authentic working canal boat, built in 1929 to carry coal and cargo on the canal network. Originally horse-drawn, she was converted in 1936 into a motor boat, and has since been refitted and restored as a passenger boat. It's lovely to see these historic craft still being used.