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Brain Pollard is already working in his studio; equipped with beautiful views across the rooftops of Plymouth, by the time I arrive. Painting for the relaxation and enjoyment. Pollard shares his optimistic process with us…

By Connie Page

What made you shift from being a doctor to being an artist?

Well I was painting even when I was practicing. I started painting to relax really, thirty odd years ago. We came to Plymouth in ’77 and there were two things that happened very quickly after moving here. Firstly there were beautiful landscapes and gorgeous places to try and represent; after Birmingham it was quite change. Secondly, I moved into general practice.

So I wanted to paint something that it didn’t matter if it didn’t turn out in a particular way. So I started working with blocks of very bright colours and simple rhythms. I looked at the environment, focusing on different areas, specifically the hoe and the seascapes. It was the therapeutic process I wanted; in a way the end product wasn’t important.

When did it become apparent that art was going to take precedence?

Well a couple of things happened; I had my first exhibition down at the Barbican Theatre. A patient of mine, who was a gallery owner, saw my work that I had hanging in my office and invited me to exhibit. Then, we had a contact in London at a big hotel there with a gallery area so I had a solo exhibition there. By an absolute piece of fluke, success in life is down to hard work and 99% fluke, an art critic from the Mail on Sunday came to review my work as the artist he had planned to see had cancelled. It was a great review. Then next day the queue to get into the exhibition was huge and I had sold everything in the first 20 minutes. After that I got some great publishers, rosenstilts, who distribute worldwide so the images went of to Japan, China and America and they wee used in calendars.

Did you ever train or are you self-taught?

No no, I had to drop the art in order to do all the sciences. Art was my best subject however.

Have you always painted in this style?

This style came to me straight away, its changed over the year but if you look at the very early pictures you can see its there. It was a matter of creating your own kind of language. I didn’t want to be looking at other peoples paintings and using there ideas; I was always trying to work out my own ways of representing things that fitted in with the design of the painting.

What medium are you working in and why?

I work in acrylics. It’s their fast drying quality that I need. I can get nice straight edges, which I use a lot of. I don’t use a lot of tone. The disadvantage is that I have to repaint them. I generally apply about 6 or 7 coats to get the intensity that I’m after. I also work on about 7 canvases at the same time.

How do you go about composing your canvases?

Well most of my pictures are made from simple sketches I do of the scenes. Some of them are just mad up scenes. Occasionally if there is a building or an area with a lot of detail I will take a photograph but I work best from a simple outline sketch.

I have noticed that all of your work is bright, optimistic and the sun is always shining. Is there a reason that you veer away from depicting the rather grey and dreary side to the South West?

It would depress me. I have to paint pictures where the sun is shining. I have painted some where it’s raining but the sun still shines. I couldn’t use dark tones that would be odd, because my reason for painting is to cheer me up.

If there was one thing you wanted to achieve through your work what would it be?

I don’t have any ambitions really. I am just happy to paint. It is always nice when you have an exhibition and people are enjoying it. The other great thing about painting is it takes you to places and gets you to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet. I have met some lovely people. As a medic you never get invited anywhere but as an artist you do.

How long have you been exhibiting at Kaya Gallery?

Only this year. I never approach galleries because years and years ago I used to and I they would write the most dreadful letters; ‘We only exhibit highly finished work’, stuff like that. I thought ‘well, I’m not going to bother with it’.  So I find that every now and again a gallery will contact me and that shows that they are at least interested in the work. In fact I haven’t exhibited in a gallery on the Barbican for eight years.

What can we expect from you at the Kaya Show and Sale on 17^th November at the Treasury in Plymouth?

Well I have done some brand new work. I have been working on a new place that I haven’t worked with before which is Looe in Cornwall. As well as some work on Sennen.

 

 

Emily Connor has been selling work since she was at school but it’s only this year that she has made the decision to rely entirely on her art. At once hopelessly romantic and fervently determined; Emily shares her inspirations and unabashed love for Plymouth.

By Connie Page

You have referred to the discovery of your puddle paintings as a chaotic experiment; tell me more about that…

I was literally throwing paint around like Jackson Pollock, I had ladders, combs, brushes, a turkey baster; and I thought ‘I’m just going to see what life can paint’. I put layer upon layer and ten popped in every few days to see how the painting had reacted as it dried. After about two weeks, everything had dried, and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I took a step back and I thought ‘I have created that…but actually…no I haven’t; nature has’. That just blew me away and changed how I worked forever. I used to be a perfectionist and I just got bored of making everything look realistic. So this was my rebellion and the puddle paintings were born in the process!

What mediums do you work with in your puddle paintings?

It’s a big mixture. I mainly use oils and acrylics, and then there are different adhesives, wood and plastic adhesives. They are very layered pieces; each layer that goes on is more wet or more dry than the layer that came before and I can be layering for days, weeks sometimes months depending on the size.

Are you mainly working with your puddle painting series and your text art series? Do you have any other strands brewing?

Well, the text work has just taken a different turn in my latest series actually. The best things come form accidents, which is what happened here. I kind of…live on another planet, my friends would tell you; I’m like Alice in wonderland! I love the magic and the fairies and the pixie dust, my four year old, Charlie, is with me on that as well. That is where my new series lies…somewhere between reality and dreams. It’s got the layering of the puddle paintings but also the hand painted text so it’s both organic and controlled at the same time. It has just been so exciting to accidently merge the two ways of working.

Would you say any artists have particularly influenced you?

I absolutely love Jackson Pollock and the freedom in his work. Also a seascape painter from Cornwall called Matthew Hedges; I met him whilst I was studying and although his work is totally realistic and I have drifted away from that now, he did teach me a lot about colour.   Then there is Rodin’s sculpture, The Kiss. The romance and the dream like beauty…I am a fool for anything like that.

Would you describe yourself as an emotional person?

Oh my days, its my middle name! I am very emotional yeah, which lends itself to my art brilliantly but in every day life I have to remind myself to take a step back. I cried at the ASDA Christmas advert today!

How do you find juggling your work and your young family?

It works really well; I just wish I had 10 more hands. I find myself painting through the night, doing my marketing whilst Charlie is at pre-school. Charlie paints with me though, we have a massive ‘messy mat’ that covers the whole floor and he’ll have his paints out, or whatever medium he chooses to work with that day, and I’ll be painting next to him. Nick, my husband, is also self-employed so it all works out quite well.

Great so you’ve got the perfect set up here really?

It’s great yeah. Some of my family members say ‘you’re so jammy, you get to work from home doing something you love’. I feel that its all come out of hard work though, and its paid off. I’m here because I have not given up on wanting to live my dream. I’ve still got a way to go, I’m not bringing in the millions yet!

Would you encourage young people considering a career in the arts to go for it?

I would say that sometimes it’s worth biding your time. Every morning when my alarm clock was going off and I was going to my day job instead of picking up my paintbrushes it would break me; but at the same time I knew I wanted to wait until we owned a house and could be secure and stable. I also think it’s important to build up a client base before you rely totally on your art.

Do you think you can make it big in Plymouth?

I think you can make it anywhere if you have the right attitude. I love Plymouth; I came back from Canterbury University because I so wanted to be by the sea and close to my friends and family because those are the things that inspire me. Some people see that as a failure and ask why I’m not in London but I feel that Plymouth is where I am most inspired. I really feel you have to trust your inner voice.

What is your favourite spot in Plymouth?

You know what, the Barbican is like my second home. If ever I need a break or some inspiration I will walk down there with Charlie. My dad used to have an old clinker boat called Maggy May, and we always used to be out on the sound having BBQ’s off the back.  When I’m up on the hoe, looking out it jut takes me back to those days when I was beginning to realise what was precious to me.

What can we expect from you this Saturday at the Kaya Gallery opening?

I will be bringing along my brand new series of text and puddle work combined.  There will also be some straight puddle and text pieces as well.

 

David Gray; internationally sold and collected artist shares his journey to success. Although some of the best ideas spawn form accidents perhaps Gray’s success is best attributed to his business minded approach to the industry…

By Connie Page

I read that you were originally an engineer; what made you switch to become an artist?

Well I left school at 15 and went straight into a 5-year engineering apprenticeship. While I was working on the shop floor I went into the drawing office and enjoyed it so much I decided to take myself off to art school as well and learn technical illustration.

So has the work that you have done in engineering influenced the way that you paint?

Definitely. The illustration course taught me how to draw properly. I then left that kind of work to move down to Cornwall and work with boat companies in boat construction. So, I knew how to draw boats and that set me off on that kind of route.

So where did you painting fit in at this point?

Well, the painting took a back seat, because the work was a paid job and I needed the monthly check to pay the mortgage. The painting was a side line thing; I put work in galleries when I could…and that went on for years until 15 years ago I was made redundant. Out of that I was forced to look for something else to do, so I then took an offer a job at Truro Art School tutoring; so I did that for several years and also had my own art tutoring classes on the side. I only really finished that two years ago.

When did you start incorporating the fabric and textures into your work? How did you come across that idea?

It was a bit of an accident really. I had an old canvas stool that had broken, so I ripped the canvas off and thought ‘ill use it to paint on in some way’. Then I had an old canvas that had torn, I wanted to repair it, and so I used the canvas from the stool to repair the painting. I put it in a gallery and thought ‘I don’t think that will sell’ but it did. I was in shock really, and evidently there had been lots of positive comments. So I did some more. It started off with odd bits of pieces; bits of denim and alike and then it just grew. I’m now doing a commission for someone and I’ve been given a straw hat to incorporate!

Your subject matter is quite broad from seascapes, figurative, cityscapes and then military. Do you have a preferred subject or do you enjoy switching between them?

I don’t mind what I paint. I’ve always enjoyed painting boats and harbors; I’m really within my comfort zone with those. The military thing came up several years ago via an exhibition in the Royal William Yard in Plymouth. It was a charity event for Help the Hero’s. I’m quite open I would say. I think laterally and I like to experiment. When I start a painting I normally have an idea of what I want to do and will sketch it all out but then the colours change themselves; I might start in all blues and end in all browns.

Most of your work in galleries is of a similar scale, do you ever go bigger?

I have to think about what peoples pockets can afford; so although the bigger pictures can be more profitable, most people are unlikely to be able to afford them. The biggest I did was 10ft by 4ft. I do personally prefer doing bigger canvases but people don’t always have the wall space or the deep pockets required!

Do you work on your own? Do you like to have background noise?

I work in my studio on the side of the house. I always try to get into the studio by 8 in the morning, sometimes earlier in the summer, and I put the radio on straight away and switch between radio 2 and 4 throughout the day. I always have music on. It is quite a lonely life apart from those times when you take pictures out to galleries. You don’t get the office parties…office parties are a bit lonely these days!

[We laugh]

What is your preferred medium?

I work in acrylic, they are best for me. I just feel that acrylic had the most versatility; you can pour it on or apply it thickly with a pallet knife. Its like having all the different mediums wrapped up into one.

What would your advice be for young artists weighing up the pros and cons of establishing a career in the arts?

It is tough, there’s no doubt about it. I mean, Universities are churning out hundreds of artists every year who all think they are going to be famous and it is tough because the galleries can be pretty restrictive on what they want. It is the situation that you have to paint for the market; you have find your market, find a style that is yours and you have to paint something that people want to buy.

It must be quite challenging to come to terms with the fact that your creativity must also be channeled and perhaps restricted in order to survive…

You have to recognize that it is a business. You have to be able to pay the bills. Whatever your art; it has to be marketable and it just has to sell.

What can be expecting from you at the exhibition on Saturday at the Treasury in Plymouth?

Well I’m going to be drunk at the bar! [We laugh] No, I’m bringing up 15 new paintings along with some prints. The works are all focused on Plymouth as well, so hopefully people will be interested by them.

 

Back at the Kaya Gallery to meet with Barbara and Kelly; the mother and daughter behind M&D glass. Both incredibly warm and hopelessly giggly; I was completely charmed by their modesty. Definitely worth staying tuned as they upgrade from laundry room to garage and bring out the bigger works!

By Connie Page

How did this all start for you?

Barbara: It started off that I wanted to buy a stain glass piece, and the chap that I was going to buy from actually said, ‘you could easily make one of these, the money that you’d be paying could be put towards doing it yourself’. So I did the glass at City and Guilds, and I did level s 1, 2 and 3. Kelly loved the fused glasswork, and she said ‘I reckon I could do that.’ She’s always been arty but never found the right avenue to go down. So Kelly did the fusing course.

Kelly: Yep, I did the course; it just covered the basics really of how to use the kiln. So then we were able to get our own kiln and then that was it, we were away!

Barbara: I was made redundant and that gave us the money to buy the kiln you see.

You work out of Kelly’s laundry room together, that sounds intimate?!

Barbara: Yes, it really is tight. We are hoping to move on though…to the garage. [they both laugh].

Kelly: Moving on to bigger and better things.

If you had the opportunity, would you like to make big pieces of work?

Together: Oh yeah. Yes we would.

Kelly: It’s the cost of the kilns really; to do the large pieces you need a kiln that costs around £10,000. So it’s a massive investment.

I noticed that you have named your current kiln ‘Kitty’, is there any special significance to that?

[They chuckle together again]

Kelly: No not really. We have a close friend, Sue, who does glass as well. She named her kiln and said that we had to do the same. I have to admit; Kitty was just the first thing that came into my head! She talks to hers too.

Do you talk to Kitty?

Together: Unfortunately yes!

Kelly: You have to because she asks you question….well she doesn’t ask you!….but when your working through your program you have to chose what you want to ramp up, what temperature to use, and you just say it out loud.

Do you ever find tensions rise as you are working in such a small space together?

[They look at each other and agree]

Barbara: No we don’t really. Kelly is definitely the artistic one, so I go with her because I know her eye is good.

Kelly: And then you say whether it can be done or not don’t you?

Barbara: Yes and it’s really rare that I will say ‘ooh, I don’t like that’. I mean, we found with the little hearts that we make that they weren’t really what we wanted to be doing, we wanted to be making big stuff, but one gallery asked for them and they just flew. Now we cant keep up with them!

Well that’s great to have that demand, but do you find that it’s slightly frustrating creatively?

Barbara: Well we just feel that they are our bread and butter, which always enables us to buy more glass.

Kelly: And we are going to get another kiln, which will mean that we will be able to produce more. At the moment we don’t get the chance to stockpile so that we can make other stuff. Id rather it was that way than not selling anything at all!

Barbara: We keep thinking it’s going to stop and that it’s just a phase.

But, you’re doing so well. Norman Holmes, here at the gallery clearly has a lot of belief in your work…

Barbara: Yes, it was Norman that first sold one of our waves. He had it in the shop window actually.

Kelly: And we used to drive past it every day and get all excited!

Much of your work is influenced by nature; do you think that will continue?

Kelly: Yes, I think so. Autumn was supposed to give us that chance to start working with trees, but it’s just been so busy. We’ve not had the time to move on to the next thing.

Barbara: Yes, our problem is not ideas; our problem is that we can’t move fast enough.

How much time to you spend in your studio?

Kelly: Every day.

Barbara: Yes, every day.

You are clearly a very tight unit; do you feel the rest of your family ever feel left out?

Barbara: Well the eldest granddaughter, Georgina, said that when she leaves school and she’s been to university, she wants to come in on it as well, so it will be M&D&D…or G&M&D.

Kelly: And dad does all of our wooden blocks and stands, he makes them out of reclaimed wood. So it is a family venture really.

What can we expect from you both at the Kaya Show and sale this Saturday?

Kelly: Well, whatever we can manage to pinch back for all the galleries before then! We will definitely have some of the smaller pieces, the hearts and the dishes because they would make lovely Christmas gifts!

 

It’s all going well for freelance illustrator and artist Mike Hughes, which is refreshingly positive news I feel! Read on to find out more on his meticulous process, his transfer to oils and his ambition to get a bit loose…

By Connie Page

When did you move down from Lancashire?

Well we lived in Spain for a year and then we came back to the UK…and then we came down to Devon about seven or eight years ago.

What was it that pulled you to Devon specifically?

I’ve always enjoyed the South West; we had a few friends down here. We thought about going to the highlands but ended up coming down here.

I can imagine the natural beauty being pretty integral to your work as well?

Yes, a lot of my work is based around the wooded valleys of east Devon.

Where you not tempted to stay in Spain?

Well we’d been out there for a year, and we just felt that it was probably time to come back…to get work really [he chuckles]. There are a couple of pieces of my work from our time out in Spain on my website, and we still go back occasionally. I tend to draw and paint wildlife that I’ve seen. I don’t tend to draw big cats because…you know…I’ve not been on safari. I like to work with what I’ve actually seen and feel comfortable with, try to be accurate I suppose.

Have you always been an illustrator and an artist?

Yeah, I’ve done illustration work fro around 15 years now. I was always doing the illustration work two or three days a week and then I also have a design job. Over the last two or three years though I’ve thought; ‘I want to do big paintings’, and its just gone really well. I’ve done some really big, 4 ft paintings in acrylic, which have gone to galleries. It’s just taken off and that’s really what I want to be doing full time now.

Talking of scale, I was wondering how you create your ‘mandalas’ because they are so small and yet crammed with detail?

Well, through my illustration work I did some stuff using a pen and tablet on a computer, so my mandalas are drawn digitally. It was originally a pencil drawing and it was difficult to find the repeat so drawing up digitally then meant I could get it bang on, and the pattern could repeat perfectly every time.

I noticed you work in both acrylic and oils, presumably not together?

Well all my illustration work id done in acrylic. I’ve only really just started using oils. I’ve done a couple in oils, one went really well and the other was not so good, but I will keep using them. The oils can give you a light and a brightness that you can’t really achieve with acrylics.

How do you go about designing your compositions? Do you work from memory or photos or both?

I start working out an idea with simple thumbnail sketches, little black and white designs initially. I try to get the balance between background and subject matter right. Then I’ll do outdoor sketches to get the colours right, and then ill use photographic references to get the shadows. So it’s a combination of those things. I spend a long time working it all out; I’ll take a couple of months to plan it all.

You can tell that you have an illustrative background through the use of your language; you talk al lot of getting things ‘right’ and ‘accurate’….

Well, I am trying to get looser. I like that realistic look, but I’m using broader brushes know. Obviously, as I’m working at a larger scale know I couldn’t use tiny brushes…it just takes too long! [we laugh] I do want to get that look. I’m working on it.

You have a young family at the moment, yes?

Yes, I have a little girl and a boy who are 4 and 6.

There is a lot of talk of the difficult economic climate and challenges for artists etc. Are you feeling the pinch?

Well my design job and my illustration work are both pretty regular. I’ve actually got loads on at the moment. I have another exhibition on in a couple of weeks in Budleigh Salterton. On the contrary, it’s all going really well at the moment!

That’s great to hear! So would you say to the budding artists of today weighing up the pros and cons that they should just go for it?

Well, it’s up to the individual really. It’s not the best option financially but…Iva always had part time work as well. I have always kept my art going though. I would say that the more you do it the better you get and the more you improve.

What can we expect to see from you at the Kaya Show and Sale on Sat 17^th Nov?

Well I will bring along a couple of my larger pieces, but predominantly my prints and smaller bits of work I think.

Make sure to come and see Mike’s work in the flesh at The Kaya Gallery Show and Sale @ The Treasury, Plymouth, 17^th November, 10am- 4pm.

You will also have a chance to meet the artists!!

 

 

Jane Vaux spills the beans on parental restrictions, her addiction to the South Hams and the truth about commissions.

 

By Connie Page

 

As I walk into Kaya, I am struck once again by the unendingly welcoming atmosphere that Norman Holmes, owner and art buyer, manages to create. He and Jane sit chatting. Jane greets me with bright eyes and sitting attentively by her side is the gorgeous Brian, chocolate coloured Scotty dog and loyal companion.

I read that you started in Social Services and then made a move across to art – were you always in to art?

Yes, I was always into art, I did various bits and pieces with several organisations. I went and did art with the elderly in nursing homes but didn’t do it as my profession until I moved down here.

Has it always been landscapes for you?

Yes it has really, especially when the serious work started and I moved down here. Its mostly seascapes because I love the sea, I love the moors and there is just so much variety here. I have known this area for over 30 years now.

You incorporate a lot of texture and movement in your work. Do you think that is important in land and seascape paintings?

Yes I do. For me, painting a picture isn’t about detail. If you want detail then perhaps photography is the thing for you. To me, it’s about capturing the atmosphere, light and movement. It’s much more about the mood than the detail.

I think there is a confidence in your work, which comes through you’re your use of very dark colours and the application of paint. Would you say that was representative of your personality?

I suppose it is. I don’t see myself as a dark sort of person.  I come across as confident…I’m probably no more confident than anyone else. I can hear myself talking to my students, one thing I do say regularly is ‘be brave because you have got to tell the story’. Be gutsy and be brave, if you haven’t got that then you haven’t got a huge amount to work with.

Are you happy in the South Hams? Do you feel it will continue to inspire you?

Oh yes, really happy down here. I love Plymouth, really love Plymouth, which quite surprises me because I didn’t think I would. [she chuckles] The south hams coast, all the way to other side of Salcombe I would say is my stomping ground. No, I wont be moving anywhere. It is just such an incredible area. When I was younger it was about the open sea and the waves and as I’ve got older I’ve sort of turned to the estuaries, the gentler quieter waters, The south hams has all of that as well as the moors and the beautiful countryside. It’s just got absolutely everything.

I know you teach as well, do you teach a broad range of people?

Quite broad. I mostly get older people coming to my classes, often people who haven’t painted since school because they haven’t had the time or the encouragement. I’m very keen to keep my classes small because I feel that’s why a lot of people believe they can’t paint, because they haven’t had enough encouragement or confidence building to use paint.

You take commissions as well; do you ever find commissions to be slightly restrictive?

I do, I think all artists do if they are honest. [she laughs] They don’t like to admit it. It is difficult because you are trying to get into your clients head and their interpretation of what you do and what you would actually naturally do might be different. For me it’s about avoiding getting tight by not attempting to recreate a painting I have done before, because then I loose the life force that’s in it.

There are young people out there, who are contemplating how to build their careers in the creative sector but feel undermined by the economic climate, talk of how difficult it is to survive, and perhaps feel pressured by their parents.  What would you say to them?

That’s a tricky question. I was turned away from it by my parents actually, because they felt it was too competitive…I think they were probably right in a sense. People often ask ‘don’t you wish you had started earlier’ and the main reason I would say no is because I think I needed to gather maturity before I could handle this. It is a really really tough business, and although I would never discourage someone, I would want to make them very aware of how tough it is. I don’t know many artists who can just survive off their art, almost all of us have to supplement it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it is the reality however.

What can we expect from you at the Treasury exhibition on 17^th November?

I have some new work to show. I have been painting estuaries and views from the Salcombe area a bit more recently, they are very different to Plymouth, the colours are different. I will also bring some cityscapes as they have received quite a lot of interest recently too.

Make sure to come along to The Kaya Gallery art show and sale at The treasury on November 17^th 2012, 10am- 4pm to see Jane’s work in the flesh and much much more!

 

 

 

 

Kaya is extremely proud to host this years Plymouth Water Colour Society show in the gallery from 13th to 17th November 2012. Leading water colourists will be exhibiting their best work for sale.

Following the amazing success of our summer show the gallery is holding a similar show for Christmas, again at The Treasury in Plymouth on Saturday 17th November. Once again we'll be showcasing our best artists who will be on hand to chat over their work, including leading UK naive artist Brian Pollard who will be exhibiting some brand new originals. Also in attendance will be local glass artists Barbara and Kelly of M&D Glass with a full range of their wonderful pieces. It represents another opportunity to purchase a great investment and Christmas gift.

Leading portrait artist Simon Bennett has just bought in some stunning new work including new work on 'Les Miserables' and 'Phantom'.

Also new in we have a brand new range of Sarah Blakey prints.

Plymouth’s Kaya Gallery is hosting a summer sale of original paintings on Saturday August 4th at The Treasury, next to Plymouth’s Guildhall.

Included in the sale are some unique pieces from private collections with work by Robert Lenkiewicz, Lee Woods and Anthony Amos. Popular Plymouth artist Brian Pollard has also given his support and painted some new work especially for this exhibition.

The exhibition will also feature brand new work from 11 local artists including David Gray, Jane Vaux and Claire Rice ensuring visitors will have an exceptional range of subjects and styles to observe and if they wish to buy. Most of the artists will be in attendance on the day and look forward to discussing their work or taking on commissions.

Of particular interest too will be the new work from Plymouth portrait artist Simon Bennett following on from his successful sell out ‘Phantom of the Opera’ exhibition earlier in the year.

Gallery owner Norman Holmes explained that 2011 had been a tough year for many artists but the climate was now showing some more promising signs and that this exhibition was in itself a celebration of the determined nature of many artists who kept working hard and believing in their ability.

The results of that hard work will be self evident at the show.

For further details regarding the sale please contact Norman at Kaya Gallery on 01752 267474

Norman is proud to announce that leading British and Plymouth naive artist Brian Pollard will be placing his wonderful range of work into Kaya. Having been so successfully represented on the Barbican by Bill and Sheila Hodges, Brian was looking for another outlet and spoke highly of Kaya's reputation. As a consequence we are now stocking the full range of his very latest prints, plus from time-to-time exclusive originals likely to be snapped up within days.

Just In!

'Heros and Harbours' a stunning exhibition highlighting the wide diversity of West Country artist's Dave Gray's work.

New work in also includes the stunning animal portraits of new emerging artist Annie Drew, Mark Bell's portraits that capture the spirit of burlesque, countryside work by well known and renowned artist Richard Thorn and a selection of Exeter artist Brian Turner's abstract 'Garden Paintings'. The gallery has never been more vibrant.

FAM Photographic Exhibition

Come and show support for your local artists and take some time out to visit the FAM Photographic Exhibition at the Kaya Gallery in the Barbican Plymouth from the 13th - 17th march.

Open times: 10:30am to 4:30pm Monday to SaturdayThe foundation arts movement is a group of individual photographers who came together whilst studying for a foundation degree at Plymouth Collage of Art.  Our diverse and contemporary collection of images celebrates individualised concepts using film and digital techniques.

New original work from Saul Cathcart, David Gray and Jean May Parsons

Kaya Gallery Plymouth is located on Plymouth Barbican on Southside Street. We're at the bottom end of the Barbican, closest to the city centre, near the old Plymouth Gin distillery. There's pay and display bays throughout the Barbican and a short stay car park towards Plymouth Hoe.

If you'd like to speak dirrectly to the gallery owner please call Norman Holmes on 01752267474 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Opening times:
Tuesday – Saturday
10:30am – 4:30pm

53 Southside Street
The Barbican
Plymouth

Normans life long commitment to collecting autographs, also gives the gallery our interesting section of celebratory and sporting autographs for sale, and he would be pleased to work with any sporting club looking for sporting memorabilia to auction as well as any individual looking to track down a unique gift.