OUR FRIENDS

  • Blue storefront of Alveston Fine Arts with large glass windows displaying artwork inside, and a blue awning with white text, including website URL. Outside, a small black chair is placed to the left of the entrance.

    ALVESTON GALLERY NOTTING HILL

    Alveston Gallery Notting Hill is an eclectic art space based in London’s Notting Hill. Founded by Fergus Downey in 2016, the focus has always been on discovering emerging artistic talent and giving back.

  • Sign for Portland Gallery mounted on a building exterior

    PORTLAND GALLERY

    Portland Gallery are leading dealers in Modern and Contemporary British art. Our two-floor gallery in St James’s hosts up to fourteen exhibitions a year; largely solo presentations of work by our represented artists and estates. Founded in 1984 by Tom Hewlett, the gallery swiftly developed a reputation as leading dealers in the Scottish Colourists whilst also representing notable estates. We continue to enjoy long and successful relationships with our existing contemporary artists. Tom retired from Portland Gallery in April 2022 and the gallery is now under the directorship of Jamie Anderson. The gallery is run as an Employee Ownership Trust (E.O.T.) with all staff, or beneficiaries, sharing in the success of our business.

  • Exterior view of the David Messum gallery with blue awnings and a corner location

    DAVID MESSUM FINE ART

    For nearly 60 years, since David Messum Fine Paintings first opened at 1 The Parade, Bourne End, in 1963, the company has been an active influence in the British art market, known for its pioneering research and promotion of British artists, as well as its entrepreneurial approach to dealing fine art.

  • HARVEY & WOODD

    Harvey and Woodd - a landmark on the Edinburgh arts scene is opening a second gallery in Dorset. 

    Art world husband-and-wife team, James and Flora Harvey, are thrilled to bring their expertise and broad artistic interests to a new  space in C19th Barns that will enable an expanded program of exhibitions  and events the gallery promises to be home to a diverse and constantly evolving selection of the finest traditional and contemporary art; over five hundred oils, watercolours, prints and sculptures with a starting price point of £500. 

  • A man sitting in a chair, with one leg crossed over the other, in front of a large black-and-white portrait of a woman with long, wavy hair on the wall behind him.

    JASON BROOKS, ARTIST

    Born 1968 in Rotherham, UK, Jason Brooks studied at Cheltenham Art School and Goldsmiths, before obtaining an MA in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art and Design. Brooks is closely associated with the generation of artists who emerged in Britain in the early nineties to great international acclaim and he is known for images which intensify the portraiture process more than any photographic medium.

  • A man with glasses and a white shirt sitting in an art studio, surrounded by art supplies and paintings.

    OLIVER AKERS DOUGLAS, ARTIST

    Born in 1973, Oliver Akers Douglas is an artist best known for his dramatic interpretations of the British landscape - a reputation that has made him one of the most collectable living artists working today.

    Oliver’s paintings are bold, distinctive and vividly convey the idea of place. He spends a great deal of time searching for the scenes that convey a dynamism and beauty that appeal to him. His work is rooted in direct experience and is predominantly executed en plein aire.

  • Nicholas Hely Hutchinson in his art studio.

    NICHOLAS HELY HUTCHINSON, ARTIST

    Born in 1955, Nicholas Hely Hutchinson studied at St. Martins School of Art and Bristol Polytechnic (Fine Art).

    Since his first one-man exhibition in 1984 Nicholas has exhibited consistently in London, Dublin and Hong Kong. His paintings have increasingly become more in demand and now feature in many private and corporate collections.

    He has been represented by the Portland Gallery since 1997. A range of cards and posters featuring his work have been published by the Art Group, The Canns Down Press, The Almanac Gallery and Paperlink.

    Nicholas has two grown-up children, and lives with his wife, and one lurcher in Dorset. He gets much of his inspiration from the surrounding countryside and the coast. He also travels to some of his favourite places to paint – particularly Venice, Paris, the West of Ireland and Cornwall.

    “I wake-up most mornings thinking about painting. Usually it is something that I have seen the day before….A long straight sunlit road, lined with telegraph poles…A sparrow hawk flips over the hedge…These are possible elements for a picture.

    I am lucky to live in the middle of rural Dorset, not too far from the sea. The seasons and the constantly changing moods of the countryside are my inspiration. From large dramatic landscapes, where people and animals seem small under the passing clouds, to smaller things…A bird in a cold winter sky…This is what makes me want to paint… Moments of heartbreaking beauty, moments that take your breath away.”

  • Richard Hoare the artist stood next to one of his larger artworks.

    RICHARD HOARE, ARTIST

    February 17th 1967, Ipswich UK

    Studios established Dorset, UK and

    Gascony, France

    Foundation Course, Cambridge College

    of Art and Technology 1986 – 1987

    BA (Hons) Degree in Fine Art (2.1)

    Kent Institute of Art and Design

    (K.I.AD) 1987-1990

    Post Graduate Diploma Cyprus College

    of Art 1992-1993

  • A man with short hair and a slight smile, wearing a long-sleeve shirt and a watch, sitting indoors with painting artworks in the background.

    GARY COOK VPRI, ARTIST

    Gary lives and works in Dorset. He is Vice President of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI), where he has been awarded The Frank Herring Easel Prize for an outstanding work. He sits on the council of the Society of Graphic Fine Art (SGFA) where he has twice been awarded Best in Show at their annual exhibitions and is an elected member of The Arborealists. He writes regularly for Resurgence & Ecologist magazine and the Dorset Magazine.

  • A man with dark, styled hair, wearing a light yellow embroidered shirt, standing in front of a colorful tapestry depicting mythological figures, including a Greek or Roman-style winged figure with a lyre and a red serpent.

    TEDDY HANSEN, ARTIST

    Teddy’s artwork emphasises the importance of laughter, celebrating happiness and silliness through his surreal creations. His pieces are meant to be taken at face value, designed solely to make you smile and remind us to enjoy the art experience.

  • Young man with brown hair and a short beard, wearing a light gray t-shirt, standing in front of colorful abstract artwork with various shapes and figures.

    DAN HOLLINGS, ARTIST

    Artist Dan Hollings was chosen by Saatchi Art as one of 34 artists from Europe and America to invest in – less than a month after graduating from Falmouth University.

  • A man with long white hair and glasses standing next to a framed colorful painting of pink birds and red leaves on a green background.

    PERCY LIZZARD, ARTIST

    Percy Lizzard studied at the Royal College of Art, tutored by some of the leading contemporary artists of the time. His paintings, which often feature brightly- coloured birds, fish and plants are influenced by the natural world and far-away destinations.

    His work can be found in many private collections at home and abroad.

  • SHAFTESBURY GALLERY

    Exhibitions, showing a wide variety of painting, printmaking, sculpture, textiles and ceramics, change every one or two weeks,

    An artist or a member of the exhibiting group is generally available to answer questions or just to chat about the work on show.