Special exhibition to coincide with Hay Festival has opened at gallery near Kington

A special Festival Exhibition to coincide with the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts 2026 has opened at Old Chapel Gallery at Pembridge near Kington.

The exhibition will continue until the end of June, and features the work of outstanding British artists and makers from across the country.

This year, the exhibition will run alongside the gallery’s annual garden sculpture exhibition, Splendour in the Grass, which continues throughout the year and introduces several sculptors exhibiting with the gallery for the first time.

Among the featured artists is Mary Griffin, whose vibrant pastels of gardens and intriguing interiors are enriched through her use of gouache or watercolour to create subtle surface contrasts and atmospheric effects.

Many of her paintings capture fleeting moments in time. Her work reflects everyday experiences in ways that resonate personally with viewers, while leaving the narrative open to individual interpretation.

Returning to the gallery for the third time is the highly sought-after Ann McCay. Her paintings possess a strong sense of space and narrative. Often theatrical in composition, they depict man-made structures set within natural vegetation, leading the viewer’s eye along paths, through windows and into doorways.

Through her striking use of colour and light, the familiar becomes subtly strange, while the juxtaposition of imagery and archetypal figures invites viewers to create their own stories.

The gallery is also pleased to welcome back ceramicist Jennie Gilbert, whose work encompasses several distinctive pottery ranges.

This exhibition will feature pieces from her celebrated Mishima collection, a technique involving the inlaying of contrasting coloured slip into impressed or carved patterns before the surface is scraped back smooth, leaving the design delicately embedded within the clay. Also on show will be works from her Blue Check domestic range — beautifully crafted and entirely functional pieces designed for everyday use.

Woodcarver Kathryn O’Kell has spent more than 30 years refining her distinctive practice. Through a methodical and almost meditative process, she transforms English lime wood into carefully sanded and painted sculptures. Birds, which have long fascinated her, provide constant inspiration and can often be seen flying past her workshop window, circling overhead or resting nearby.

Potter Karen Williams presents contemporary interpretations of traditional slipware. Each piece is individually made, with designs incised through creamy liquid clay to reveal the rich red clay beneath, lending precision and definition to her painterly depictions of birds and foliage. Intended for daily use, her ceramics are deeply inspired by the natural beauty and wild coastal landscape of Pembrokeshire, where she has lived and worked for the past twenty-five years.

The gallery also welcomes Anna Ravenscroft, whose enchanting etchings often depict animals within evocative Cretan settings. Alongside these works will be a remarkable collection of wood engravings, meticulously carved into English boxwood and printed onto handmade Japanese paper. These rare artist’s proofs are seldom exhibited.

Jeweller Rachel Bailey draws inspiration from wild creatures, native birds and animals, and imagined magical realms.

Semi-precious stones play an integral role in her designs, suggesting landscapes inhabited by the creatures she depicts. Each unique piece is handcrafted in sterling silver and hallmarked in Sheffield.

Contemporary jewellery designer Gail Klevan creates colourful, handcrafted pieces that are both striking and comfortable to wear. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, she is recognised as one of the UK’s leading designers working in acrylic, with every piece individually made and entirely unique.

Sculptor Angela Palmer works directly from life models in order to capture the expressive qualities of the human form. Her sculptures begin in clay before being cast in bronze resin and finished with carefully developed patinas that echo the natural weathering of bronze, producing beautifully subtle colours and surfaces.

Firm favourites Ian Gill, Myles Mansfield and Neil Lossock will once again be among the artists and blacksmiths exhibiting in Old Chapel Gallery’s garden this year. Their works, alongside those of several new exhibitors, are designed to bring lasting enjoyment and enhance time spent outdoors.

The gallery is open from Wednesday to Saturday 11 - 4.30pm and Sunday 12 - 4pm. Other times by prior appointment.

For more info or to join our mailing list visit www.oldchapelgallery.co.uk Contact Yasmin on 01544 388842 or [email protected]