The landlords of the historic Hare & Hounds, in Bowland Bridge, in the heart of the Winster Valley have gone all arty…
Corner Gallery created
The much-loved pub with rooms has created a ‘’Corner Gallery’’ in the restaurant to showcase the work of local artists. The Hare & Hounds team decided that they wanted give regulars and guests a bit of a talking point, with the added bonus of offering local artists the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work at the same time.
Mandy Allan first exhibiting artists
Ben Ashworth, executive chef at the Hare & Hounds, invited Backbarrow animal portrait artist Mandy Allan to be the pub’s first ‘’Corner Gallery’’ exhibiting guest artist.
Animal portrait artist
Mandy a well-known local artist, works mainly in soft pastels and charcoal, and takes her inspiration from her surroundings and rare breeds farm animals; particularly those found in the Lake District countryside.
Mandy on occasion also creates more unusual pieces… one particularly memorable piece was ‘Parker’ a life sized Herdwick sculpture she covered in mirror tiles for the Calvert Trust 2016 charity sculpture trail, which raised an incredible £20,000 at auction!
Sparking conversations
Mandy said: ‘’It’s always great to be invited to exhibit your work in a new location, having the opportunity to exhibit at the Hare & Hounds is a little bit different too and it gets my work out to an entirely new audience. My work is perfect for the restaurant and it’s already sparked loads of really interesting conversations between diners and staff. People expect to see pictures in pubs but not the work I produce; I think it genuinely amazes people to see how expressive a hare, or a herdwick ewe can be. I’d encourage any other artists or photographers to get in touch with the team at the pub.
Great introduction to local artists
Ben Ashworth landlord at the Hare & Hounds said: ‘‘When we took over the Hare & Hounds in October last year Geoff my business partner and l had a conversation about opening up a section of the restaurant as a gallery space for local artists. That’s when the idea of the ‘‘Corner Gallery’’ was born, I’ve known Mandy for a while so I decided to grab the bull by the horns and ask if she would consider being our first guest artist. I’m pleased to say she agreed, and we are now exhibiting seven pieces of her work. We think it’s a great way to introduce local artists to new audiences, especially as you don’t normally get to see really good works of art in a pub environment. We’d like to exhibit more art in the coming months, so anyone interested in having the opportunity to showcase their work please get in touch.’’
