Northamptonshire's Fine Art and Picture Framers New NN5 premises

Picture Perfect and Primrose Gallery 6 Ryehill Court, Lodge Farm Industrial Estate, Duston, Northampton, NN5 7EU  call for details on 01604 591400



Northamptonshire’s most popular Fine Art Framers, Picture Perfect, have moved from Kingsthorpe old bookshop premises to a prestigious new showroom and workshop.  The company established 18 years ago has taken their services to a higher level.  Now incorporating high quality art printing and picture solutions into their other services of framing – from budget up to Museum conservation level – and picture and photo restoration.

Located in the far less congested area of Harlestone Road in West Northampton, near to Harlestone Firs in Lodge Farm, the new premises has free customer parking and has a forthcoming open event.  Proprietor Neil Duguid has produced a statement on this exciting new expansion.

Another wonderful painting finds a new home!

As soon as Stephen Hawkings original oil ‘Sheep on a September Morning’ was placed on our window easel, it immediately became the talk of Stony Stratford’s window shoppers.  After a very short space of time, and after many enquiries, a customer who owns a farm in Yardley became the proud owner. 

We have other Stephen Hawkings paintings on sale on our Primrose Gallery site for those of you who missed out.

Picture Perfect Relocation

Skills Sister Company Picture Perfect has expanded and is right now moving into a prestigious workshop and showrooms.  Customers will now have an interactive experience of Picture Perfects Fine Art Trade Guild team using the latest technology to produce budget, commended, conservation, and Museum grade framing results.  The customer can also relax with the free parking to make informed choices for memorabilia framing, picture and photo restoration, fine art printing, and other picture solution services.
Get Directions to visit Picture Perfects new Framing workshops and showrooms.

Artist of the Week - Ken Howard

 Low Water at Mousehole 1995 

Oil on board approx 11" x 14"

14" x 17" gold frame with slip mount

£3750

Ken Howard studied at Hornsey School of Art from 1949 to 1953. He then did his National Service with the Royal Marines before returning to study at the Royal College of Art from 1955 to 1958. He went on to win a British Council Scholarship to Florence from 1958 to 1959.

Howard’s first solo show was held at the Plymouth Art Centre in 1955. Subsequent exhibitions were held in 1966 and 1968 at the John Whibley Gallery. From then on he exhibited extensively, both nationally and internationally, particularly with the New Grafton Gallery from the early 1970s. He was given a retrospective in 1972 at the Plymouth City Art Gallery and in 1973 and 1979 was appointed by the Imperial War Museum as official artist in Northern Ireland. He also worked with the British Army in Germany, Cyprus, Oman, Hong Kong, Nepal, Norway, Canada, Belize and Brunei from 1973 to 1982.

Howard was elected a member of the New English Art Club in 1962, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 1966, the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours in 1979, the Royal West of England Academy 1981, Honorary Member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1988, Royal Academician in 1991 and President of the New English Art Club in 1998. Among his numerous awards are First Prize in the Lord Mayor’s Art Award in 1966, a Prize Winner in the John Moores Exhibition, Liverpool in 1978, first prize in the Hunting Group Awards and the Critics Prize at Sparkasse Karlsruhe in 1985. Ken Howard lives and works in London.

Skills have a Calorie Free Easter Egg for you

Golden Egg & Smartie by Ramond Campbell

Original oil on board
7.5 x 7.5 cm

Presented in a fancy warm silver/white gold frame and white slip
20 x 20 cm wall size

£220

Why Skills choose Loxley Artists Traditional Stretched Canvas

 

 

Special offer Triple Canvas Packs Available in Store Now for a Limited time

As an artist, choosing a well priced quality canvas can be confusing and often a mistake can happen when having chosen to buy a simple stretched canvas which is not prepared and your painting is ruined by lack of preparation or experience with a canvas as your chosen surface.  This article gives the low down on why Skills chooses Loxley Artists Canvas range over others you may find at discount chains.

1.   Double primed vs triple primed – Does one extra coat of priming make a difference?  Surely double is enough to ensure the the paint stays on the surface?  Take it from an acrylic artist, a triple primed canvas is necessary if you prefer a quick and hassle free choice.  A cheap double primed canvas = wasting paint and time wasted priming an extra coat on the cheap canvas when you could be happily painting.
2. Traditionally strectched and manufactured, the mitred corners are made with a free floating tongue and groove so that the canvas can be re-tensioned if needed using the supplied wedges.
3. The larger of the canvases have cross bars to add strength and stability to the frame.
4. The cross bars in the Loxley Gold 18mm deep range have rounded edges to prevent paint lines forming when painting with a ‘heavy-hand’ technique or palette knife.
5. There are a vast range of sizes available in the Loxley Gold Standard/Traditional 18mm depth and in the modern Chunky 36mm depth.

Having decided on a Loxley canvas, you can be assured that your painting experience will be immediately enjoyable and the results will be vibrant and long lasting.

Art Lovers Valentine Ideas

Feel the love in Stony Stratford at Skills with these wonderful Valentines gift ideas.  A bouquet of roses does not last, but these beautiful rose prints will be a lasting token of love.  The Jenni Murphy print ‘The Romantic Gardener’, framed in a gorgeous shabby chic duck egg green, is our window centrepiece.  We have the beautiful ‘Companion’ for dog lovers, and the fun ‘HareKare’ by the amazing printmaker Alison Read.  There is also the memorabilia framing service to surprise your loved one with a framed football shirt, photo booth keepsake, or 3D framing of the best souveniors of a fledgling romance.
Visit Stony Stratford, number 18 High Street, MK11 1AF.  See our website for details or follow us on Facebook or Twitter for art inspiration and new stock ranges.