MG: When does your working day start and end?
SK: I’m an early riser … I’ve usually had the first cup of tea by 6am, but the work doesn’t often start before the first cup of coffee an hour or so later!

MG: When/how do you take breaks?
SK: It depends what I’m working on…which is usually more than one thing at a time. 
As a printmaker sometimes it’s obvious - ie: I get to a point in cutting where I want to take a proof to see what’s going on and then have a coffee while ‘contemplating’ results.
Sometimes it’s because my fingers have seized up (getting more frequent with age) and I need to change activity from cutting to drawing for instance.
Sometimes I come to an impasse - usually a point of indecision rather than displeasure, and need to do something different to let the idea take shape in my head …then I walk to the allotment or do chopping or weeding in the garden.
Sometimes the break is a reward - a self imposed deadline for a particular task for instance - get the drawing done on a piece of lino ready to start cutting and then I can make a coffee ! 


MG: What is your favourite kind of day as an artist?
SK: One without commitments, but one with purpose ie. an idea just starting - whether it’s starting the block or taking a trip to gather information and images for a new project.
The point when a piece of work is underway is always best.  There are nerves before starting and fears when coming to conclusions; but the middle bit is thrilling, full of promise and all encompassing.


MG: What marks a successful day?
SK: Starting or finishing a new piece of work.  Working all day on a new piece of work is what I love to do - any day doing that is successful.  Obviously it’s fabulous to be offered a show, or when someone buys  a piece of work … but the longer I do it, the act of doing is the only success that matters in the long run.


MG: How does the place you work influence you if at all?
SK: Always … I sit at a big window looking out at my garden. It’s a safe, quiet, peaceful, yet ever changing backdrop to thinking.  I live in a city but have privacy, space, light and lots of green outside.   I have Radio 4 on, and until very recently, a big beloved ginger cat at my side and try to remember how fortunate I am to be doing what I do.


MG: Where do you find inspiration?
SK: There really is inspiration everywhere … taking time to look  and draw never ceases to provide ideas and emotions.  I am drawn to being outside but an allotment or garden is equally amazing as a vast landscape. I like the connection I can find with a place; the mark of the human in the natural world.
Poetry also often inspires. My current obsession is Mary Oliver.


MG: When is your favourite time of day to create?
SK: The mornings are always best for me.  I have focus and energy for the creative stuff until the early afternoon. I tend to do the ‘admin’, the sorting , the wrapping of orders, the accounts etc in the afternoon if I have to!

MG: Does art help you in other areas of your life?
SK: It touches every part of my life. When everything or anything bad, sad or troubling happens I know I still have my meaning … being able to make keeps me getting up each day.  I tend towards the melancholy and try hard to see it as a positive trait when the rest of life makes me anxious or worried.  On a good day it gives me a belief and a necessary confidence for the other bits of living.

MG: What couldn’t you live without in your studio?
SK: A view / a table!!!  


MG: Do you have the opportunity to mentor or share your skills with young or new artists?
SK: I am a member of an Open Access Print Workshop in Leicester. Sometimes if I need more space I will print my linocut editions there. It’s a lovely environment where all sorts of printmakers also work in the space. I love sharing my process and talking around what I’m doing. To have someone else interested and being able to share is a privilege.
Thank you Sarah. You can see Sarah's work she has created especially inspired by Masham in A Particular Place exhibition


A Particular Place

Charlotte is a ceramicist from the Yorkshire Dales and works from her home near Masham.  She makes hand built ceramics using porcelain & stoneware clays, to create both functional and decorative items. She uses slab building and slip casting methods, before glazing and applying textures and patterns to her work by hand. These time-consuming methods mean that every single piece of Charlotte's work is unique. The inspiration for her work comes from items she collects, nature & the surrounding landscape. She transfers what she sees and collects into imagery & pattern to decorate her ceramics.

MG: When and how does your working day start?
CM: I’m not a morning person but I always push myself to be in the studio around 9. I certainly prefer working in the afternoon and evening. I must always start the day with a good cuppa tea or two. ​ 

This is a very common question here!

There’s not one answer but here’s a short summary.

Masham Gallery is in a rural area of the Yorkshire Dales and much of the wall hung work we sell represents that in some way. It’s not always literal but we are interested in the atmosphere, the wild, light and landscape that surrounds us throughout the changing seasons. We are keenly interested in stories, all sorts of stories, and so many things are displayed with stories and much of the work has a narrative feel about it. It’s good to know how a work has come about, the inspiration and tale behind it. When an artists work has these connections we feel more drawn to it and know we can do it justice here.

Every year we choose a number of themes for exhibitions - in 2024 for example we have “The River Runs Through” and “The Midnight Garden” both referring to nature and the cycles of the weather and the year. The artists that show in both exhibitions won’t necessarily show work that is literal rivers or gardens but you will see their interpretation of the titles. 

We like to have long term relationships with artists if possible, so we will often look at the artists we know first and invite them to participate in a show if it fits their work. We also come across artists all the time at open studios, fairs, instagram and by recommendation. Every year we approach a few of these too. We look for work that’s really well crafted, where the artist knows their style, has a consistent pricing, is presented beautifully and has something really special about it. We also like to work with really lovely humans and that’s a really big part of it too. We look for people who are mutually supportive - we want ideally to be able to share each others successes and stories. We get applications from artists to sell here all the time and very very occasionally one of those will be shown, but unfortunately many of the applications are sent without much reference to Masham Gallery.
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There are a few areas which we know a lot about, and over the years we have come to specialise in a bit - one of these is printmaking. At the moment looking around the walls I can see seven different types of printmaking! As for subject matter we tend to avoid seascapes, we don’t sell many urban landscapes or much purely figurative art. We don’t tend to sell photography or digital art so much, and we’ve never found a textile artist that works really well here  - but we never rule anything out. 


So if you’re an artist here are a few top tips for applying to a gallery:

• Ask if and how the gallery likes to take submissions - everyone is different.
• Choose a gallery that shows work that you admire from artists that you like. 
• Choose one that aligns with your values. 
• Never cold call / doorstep with work.
• Have a number of good photos of your work.
• Make sure your website /social media is up to date and represents you well.
• Be sure of your style/s  - don’t rely on a gallery to tell you what sells.
• Make sure you’re not already represented by a gallery, or you do events that are close by.
• Make sure you have a clear and well planned price structure that includes commission and is consistent everywhere you sell (whether that’s on your own website, at a fair or through a gallery).
• Check how the gallery represents the artists they show - do they use social media, have an online shop, do art fairs?
• Make sure you have really good records and delivery notes for your work
• Make sure your faming and presentation is showing your work to it’s very best.

If you would like a more comprehensive friendly hand up or support in your creative business our Artist Mentorship programme might be right for you: https://www.happyhousemasham.com/artist-development-mentorship.html
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MG:What is your favourite kind of day as an artist?

ISM: My favourite days are when I’m beginning work on a new exhibition. But I don’t always leap in action, brush in hand. I’ll kick off the day with a session of yoga in the garden or, even better, a set of tennis with a friend.

If I’m travelling, which is one of the great pleasures of being a landscape artist, I like to get to locations early. If there’s nobody about, particularly if I’m visiting somewhere touristy, I have more freedom. I can find the best angle by climbing on a wall, standing under a bridge or, occasionally, blagging my way into somewhere private with a great view.

This kind of research is tiring but, fortunately, over the years I’ve developed a sixth sense for finding a decent cup of tea.

If I’m working in the studio I like to warm up by painting a few possible beginnings for pictures. They may evolve into something, but often they’re just a way of getting into gear. That done, I’ll draw for a while, getting to know the subject I’m thinking of painting and then I’ll tape some watercolour paper to a board, paint the sky and leave it to dry.

Music is very important to me (I trained as a musician) and it really affects how I work. A late Beethoven string quartet is a great accompaniment for a complex piece of architecture but, if its a lively, expressive landscape the Beatles, Stones or Bob Dylan usually seem to help the work along.

Sometime in the afternoon I’ll knock off and take a walk round the market place outside or further afield and then have a cuppa with Josie (my wife and owner of Masham Gallery). 

The evening often involves some red wine and I’ll sometimes read about somewhere I’m researching, usually with a cat on my lap. I love to find legends about my subjects - it often adds another of meaning layer to the picture. Then  its early to bed and up with the lark again!