Art Events

Three New Paintings…

1 May 2025
Roo Waterhouse
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Categories: Art Events, Blog, Events
Next weekend an exhibition opens at Byard Art in Cambridge: ‘The Story of Art’, exploring the power of narrative art.
The show runs from 5th May until 1st June,
and will include three new Shelf Portrait paintings of mine:-)‘Type Is Beautiful’ reflects back to my days studying Typographic Design at the London College of Printing and celebrates a love of, and fascination for, lettering.
‘Type Is Beautiful’ oil on canvas 40x40cm

‘Drama’ presents an array of much loved dramatists and their well known  plays, taken from the shelves of an actor friend.

When I was a teenager I was introduced to the likes of Bertolt Brecht and Stephen Berkoff, (both at once, with my first non-West End theatre experience being Berkoff’s adaptation of Brecht’s The Trial) and for a while  immersed in full on in-yer-face tiny theatres, where there were often not many more audience members than cast, and the actors were literally shouting in your face – I’m not sure If I’d be brave enough now!
‘Drama’ oil on canvas 30x60cm
‘Thinking To Some Purpose’ (something I’ve not yet quite got the hang of myself!) came out of a collaboration with a Pelican book collector, after a discussion about all the fascinating titles these friendly iconic paperbacks have…
‘Thinking To Some Purpose’ oil on canvas 40x60cm
Joining the new ‘Poetry Please’ Limited Edition print this week is the new ‘Poetry Please’ Book Art Card 🙂
A galaxy of poems old and new….
Poetry Please!
Last weekend I spent a lot of time enjoying the beautiful combination of bluebells and baby beech leaves. What a match made in heaven!
Best Wishes,
RooCurrently Reading (and thoroughly enjoying!): BUT – Life’s Not Like That, Is It? Stories of Disruption and Digression by Boff Whalley

Harrogate PBFA Book Fair

16 March 2025
Roo Waterhouse
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Categories: Art Events, Events
The sign of a good book fair
www.pbfa.org

We are delighted to invite you to the

HARROGATE BOOK FAIR – New venue

Friday 21st March, 12 noon – 6pm
& Saturday 22nd March, 10am – 4pm

The Old Swan Hotel, Swan Road, HG1 2SR

To see the exhibitors and highlights please click here.

Download your free entry ticket here

I will be there promoting my Bespoke Shelf Portraits Commissions,

along with some Bookshelf Art prints and cards 🙂

We look forward to welcoming you!

Affordable Art Fair Battersea

8 March 2025
Roo Waterhouse
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Categories: Art Events, Events

A selection of my latest paintings will be exhibited at the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park from 12th-16th March

With a Private View on Wednesday 5-9pm

and opening

Thursday & Friday 11am-9pm

Saturday & Sunday 11am-6pm

You will find my work on display with Nicholas Bowlby Gallery at Stand A7

‘Southern Lights’ 30x40cm oil on canvas Roo Waterhouse 2025

You can get yourself a complimentary (that’s FREE!) ticket

for the Affordable Art Fair HERE!

‘Poetry Please’ 30x40cm oil on canvas Roo Waterhouse 2025

Northlight Winter Fair :-)

13 November 2024
Roo Waterhouse
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Categories: Art Events, Blog, Events

Northlight Winter Fair

It’s our annual Winter Fair event!


Our fabulous studio holders* will be hosting stalls to showcase their artistic goodies and gifts 🙂


You all get to come and visit, eat mince pies, buy locally made Christmas presents direct from the makers, win a raffle prize perhaps, drink some mulled wine, make a crafty something and enjoy a little festive feeling!


Saturday 7th December 11am-5pm
& Sunday 8th December 11am-5pm

stallholders including:

Roo Waterhouse Art (that’s me!)

Rach Red Designs

Red Mouse Design

Katch Skinner Ceramics

Jane Revitt Mapworks

Don Myers Painting

Toby Cotterill Jewellery

Annie Harrison ceramics & textiles

and more….
Yay!!

#hebdenmakeschristmas Open Studios!

11 November 2024
Roo Waterhouse
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Categories: Art Events, Events

 

On Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December I will be joining other artists all around Hebden Bridge and my fellow artists here at Northlight Studios by taking part in the #hebdenmakeschristmas Open Studios weekend 🙂

I’m looking forward to chatting all things bookish and artish with anyone who cares to pop in to my studio 🙂

I’ll be there from 10.30 until 4pm on the Saturday and Sunday

Open Studios This Weekend!!

2 July 2024
Roo Waterhouse
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Categories: Art Events, Blog, Events

Open Studios Special: Part Two
‘Beside The Seaside’: New Release Limited Edition Print

U is for Unveil!

This weekend, especially for summer OPEN STUDIOS, I will be unveiling a new
Limited Edition Print release: ‘Beside The Seaside‘.

Let your mind drift off to the sun, sand and sea with this collection of seaside themed works of fiction, fact and adventure!

As subscribers I am releasing it to you today, with a special 10% discount through my online shop (use code SEASIDE at the checkout)
on ALL Limited Edition prints until the end of July!!

Here’s hoping for some seaside weather soon!!
Buy Beside The Seaside 🙂
Shelf Portrait in Progress Image by John Linney

N is for Northlight

I love having my studio space at Northlight Art Studios! It is so nourishing to be surrounded by a cooperative of lovely artists and makers… This weekend you can come and meet:
Martha Breeze (Kelletur); Kate Boyce (Painting); Juliet Blackman (Ceramics); Don Myers (Painting); Rach Red (Print & Design); Annie Harrison (Ceramics & Print);Toby Cotterill (Jewellery) and, of course ME!
Studios Open this weekend
10.30am – 5pm
Friday 5th, Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th JulyYou will find my studio on the first floor at Northlight Art Studios, and to show my appreciation for all your lovely support, you will be given a free Book Art Card of your choice! (you’ll just need to ask!)
AND there will be 10% off ALL Limited Edition prints!!
More About Open Studios
Hello! Image by John Linney

I hope to see you over the weekend 🙂

Best Welcoming Wishes,
Roo

Still Reading: ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen MacDonald
Roo’s Shop Here 🙂

Spine[less]: Rebinding The Portico

21 August 2023
Roo Waterhouse
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Categories: Art Events, Blog, Events

I’d like to tell you about an exciting project I am working on in collaboration with the Portico Library in Manchester. When I first walked into the Portico Library I was immediately drawn to the most damaged books: the ‘spineless’ books in the collection, with their scuffed

leather tones and fascinating array of under-papers, held together with cotton ribbons.  These hidden under-layers, of the centenarian books standing exposed along the shelves: hand-written accounts ledgers; scraps from newspapers; advertisement flyers; lines of script; all assumed by the original book-binders to never see the light of day. Looking along the library shelves we get a glimpse into hidden histories…

I had gone in to the library originally to see if they might like to stock some of my art cards in their shop, but they were SO enthusiastic about my work and I was SO enthusiastic about their books, that our ideas grew into a painting project 🙂 

This collaboration celebrates the importance of the Portico library as a home of

literature, history and learning.

In September this year the paintings will be displayed in the library, and on September 14th there will be an evening event ‘Spine[less]: Rebinding The Portico’ where there will be presentations from the Portico’s Collections Manager and from myself 🙂

You can book tickets for the event here: https://www.theportico.org.uk/event-calendar/spineless-rebinding-event

From Thursday 12th October 2023 – Friday 26th January 2024, the paintings will be part of an exhibition in the library promoting the Portico’s Adopt-a-Book scheme, highlighting the importance of preservation, restoration and the need for rebinding books. Members of the library are invited to Adopt-a-Book and pay for it to be rebound: to be brought back into use: to be reborn! The finished paintings will be for sale,with 25% of the sale price going to the Portico Library 🙂 

In progress in my studio at the moment are the two Portico paintings: one of a shelfful of the exposed ‘spineless’ books, and another of a collection of ornately bound books from the Portico’s collection. It is such a joy to delicately translate these ornate and battered spines into paint across the canvas, relishing all the little handwritten details and worn edges. 

I can’t wait to unveil the finished, framed paintings at the library when we set up the display next week!!

You can find out more about the Portico Library and their Adopt-a-Book scheme:

https://www.theportico.org.uk/

https://www.theportico.org.uk/adoptabook

…and more about me here: https://roowaterhouse.art/about-roo-waterhouse-shelf-portrait-artist/

Open Studios Tomorrow!! Online shop closed 10th July to 4th August…

6 July 2023
Roo Waterhouse
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Categories: Art Events, Blog

Tomorrow the Hebden Bridge Open Studios Weekend begins!!! 
Friday 7th, Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th July 11am to 5pm

I’ll be offering 20% off throughout my online shop from now up until midnight on Sunday 9th:
Simply enter the code
HITCHHIKER20
in your basket
Roo’s Shop

Theo and I (and Action Girl too, of course!) are looking forward to welcoming you into my studio 🙂
You’ll find us on the first floor at:
Northlight Art Studios
Valley Road
Hebden Bridge
HX77BZ
where you will also find a fabulous array of other artists and makers, including:
Kelletur; Toby Cotterill Jewellery; Kate Boyce Art; Katch Skinner Ceramics; Jane Revitt Mapworks; Rach Red Designs; Red Mouse Designs; Don Myers Painting
along with a Showcase exhibition of our talented students’ work from our classes at Northlight Art School….
Straight after the Open Studios Weekend I will be off on a fantastic holiday, with my grown-ups Rory and Theo, to visit my niece and her family on Vancouver Island…
We are SOOOOOO excited!!!
I have my suitably-themed holiday reading planned: Alice Munro for a Canadian voice, and The Overstory for the spirit of the redwoods. I’ve read both before, but there’s nothing like being in the company of old friends when travelling!

PLEASE NOTE THAT NO ONLINE ORDERS WILL BE PROCESSED BETWEEN
Monday 10th July and Thursday 3rd August

I wish you all a very sunny summertime 🙂

With Best Wishes
Roo
Roo Waterhouse Art
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Open Studios with New Science Fiction!

24 June 2023
Roo Waterhouse
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Categories: Art Events, Blog, Events
Just a couple of weeks to go until the fabulous Hebden Bridge Open Studios Weekend!!! 
Friday 7th, Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th July 11am to 5pm

Here I am in my studio at Northlight Art Studios, putting the finishing touches to my Portico Library collaboration paintings – over Open Studios weekend you can get an sneaky exclusive preview of the finished paintings in my studio, before they head off for framing for their exhibition at the Portico Library in Manchester. There will be an exciting event there in September, which you can find out more about here 🙂

To celebrate Open Studios weekend, I am releasing a new Limited Edition print ‘The Edge of Time’ 
A space-age and dystopian/utopian collection of classic science fiction novels, although I must admit to having only read two of them myself (which are two of my favourite books of all time).
Woman on The Edge of Time really blew me away the first time I read it, and still does today, and there is nothing on earth like The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy!
….and before you faint with shock at how un-well-read I am, yes, I have read parts of 1984 and A Clockwork Orange, just not the whole books!
Buy The Edge of Time LE Print Here
…and of course, as well as being able to have a chat and a nosey around my studio at the Shelf Portrait paintings and prints, there will be Art Cards, Tote Bags and Mugs for sale, along with some special bargains 🙂

For your eyes only, I am giving a whopping 20% off both online and in person at my studio up until 6pm on Sunday 9th July.
Just add the code:
Hitchhiker20
in your basket, or say ‘Hitchhiker 20’ to Theo or myself when you purchase at Open Studios 🙂
Totes and Mugs

I look forward to seeing some of you in my studio on Friday 7th, Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th July!!

With Best Wishes
Roo
Roo Waterhouse Art