
Jarva Fine Art, The Crescent

In July 2020, I was contacted by The Trevor Osborne Property Group and asked if I would be interested in supplying the newly refurbished Buxton Crescent Hotel with prints for the bedrooms…81 rooms, amounting to 100 prints. If that wasn’t privilege enough, I was also commissioned to produce an exclusive Hidden Histories original art work of The Assembly Room which now hangs in the most beautiful space opposite the Reception area of the hotel. This space allows room for the 5 pages of Hidden Histories, printed and framed, to be hung directly in conjunction with the piece they relate to. For any local artist, this has to be the dream job. And it has been. Having worked in Buxton for 17 years, I have been witness to the often slow and troubled process of the Crescent’s restoration, but being just a small part of that process has been beyond any hopes I may have had for my career as an artist.
My 17 years employment at Atticusboo (a beautiful boutique gift shop) in The Cavendish Arcade (direct neighbour to The Crescent and home to the original Thermal Baths), gave rise to the Hidden Histories concept. Surrounded by the intensely rich heritage of Derbyshire’s major Spa Town, my need to not only produce an accurate illustration of the many landmarks of historical significance, but also to tell their stories was the challenge I set myself. The story from here is on my ‘About’ page.
Although The Assembly Room image is now only on display in the Crescent itself, all other Hidden Histories of Buxton and Bakewell buildings and landmarks hanging in the bedrooms are available here on my website. Please go to ‘Works’ to see each image and read all of their stories at your leisure.
The Tower of London
Whether it’s this isolation period we’re presently going through or the story of Anne Boleyn famously imprisoned in the Tower of London…I’ve finally got the newest Hidden History on the drawing board. From the layout, you can see Anne features as her own Hidden History, together with the famous ravens who inhabit the Tower grounds, and a beefeater (of course) but there’s so much I’ve learnt about this Great British Monument, I won’t ‘tell all’ in this blog. This is just a taster. You can catch up with progress of this works on my instagram and Facebook pages (Rebecca Clitheroe Artist). When it’s finished I’ll publish it on here but getting the image to my printer may take a little longer than normal so if you’re interested in ordering cards and prints I’ll be here, at the end of an email or messenger, if you’d like to drop me a line.
Keep going everyone…
Whilst the country is in Lockdown and so many of us find ourselves living apart from those people we love, maybe it’s a poignant place to be, remembering other people’s plight. A huge thank you to the people working to keep us all safe. People who truly care. We will emerge from all of this eventually.
Unlike Anne Boleyn.
As my mum’s always told me…There’s always someone worse off than yourself!
Bye for now x
Can any of us wait until things are finally ‘LOOKING UP’??
Hopefully, this optimistic title my partner thought up for my newest collection of illustrations will inspire good vibes as we hopefully head into better times throughout out all of this present uncertainty.
CHAPEL ROYAL, HAMPTON COURT, LONDON
I so fell in love with Hampton Court when I visited last summer, the challenge of the ceiling detail from The Chapel Royal was soon beckoning when I embarked on this project. The end result is (or should be) above, featuring Henry VIII at the centre of it all.
MORE TO COME
I’m starting The Tower of London as a complete Hidden Histories illustration right now but am constantly looking for inspiration for the next addition to the ‘Looking Up’ collection.
ANY IDEAS?
Your requests are always welcome. So if you have a stunning ceiling in mind, let me know.
Thanks, speak soon
Bec x
APRIL ALREADY.
So much has changed recently for all of us. The markets and events I had lined up have (ofcourse) all been postponed but the good news from the wonderful Haddon Hall, Derbyshire, is that my booking has been moved to their spectacular Christmas Fair (12-15th November and 19-22nd November) I guess things could change up until then but I’ll be updating news on that event as I find out. I’m so excited about that one, I’m already dreaming of exhibiting in such a stunning setting surrounded by their festive decorations….think of the fairy lights!!
So here it is…the new Haddon Hall Hidden History which I was saving to lainch at the Spring Fair but will be popping in my online shop shortly. Prints and cards are all ready for sale.
NEW WORK…NEW WORK…NEW WORK…
The list of Hidden Histories I want to do during this time at home is getting longer. I’ve had requests in the past so hopefully I can make certain customers and followers happy by finally getting on with their choices. As a bit of an added extra, I’ve decided to include another collection to my Hidden Histories. My Interior Detail, The Crescent, Buxton has proved to be a bit of gem. It’s kind of become my ‘Identity’ in terms of advertising/business cards etc…so it seemed a natural progression to draw more studies of other decorative ceilings which grace so many of our historical landmark buildings out there. Since I visited Hampton Court last year (blimey…what a history!!) I thought I could tackle (and that’s pretty much how it started to feel during its ‘creation’!) the Chapel Royal’s ceiling. (Hoping to download a couple of images soon). In times like these it seemed appropriate to call the collection ‘Looking Up’ (I need to give my partner, Mat, credit for that one). So, hopefully, there’ll be more to come.
AND…
I’m lucky to have my pet portraits as a side line and a commission currently on the drawing board. They pop up on my Facebook page (Rebecca Clitheroe Artist) from time to time and I take orders throughout the year for birthdays, Christmas, etc…so feel free to contact me any time if you have a favourite pet (of any description!)
More updates to follow.
Bye for now
Bec x
There’s already plenty going on this Spring as bookings for Artisan Markets and Fairs are confirmed, new Hidden Histories are at the printers and I’m excited to share them with you!
So…calendars at the ready:The next Thursday Morning Market will be on Thurs 6th March 9.30am-2.30 in The Octagon, Pavilion Gardens, Buxton.
The Derbyshire Makers first Artisan Fair at The Whitworth Centre 15th March (the weekend before Mother’s Day. Just saying!)
Haddon Hall Artisan Fair. I’ll be based here over 3 days (27-29th March) in one of the country’s oldest heritage destinations! The newest Hidden History will be launched at this event!
Derbyshire Open Arts. For the second year I’ll be opening my home to anybody who’d like to come and browse, buy or just say ‘hi’ and enjoy a trip to Whaley Bridge over the Spring Bank Holiday 23-25th May. There’ll be an opportunity to see my collection of originals at a preview evening on Friday 22nd (details to follow)
Well, it’s taken a bit of time for me to take stock after the hectic Hidden Histories end to last year (not complaining!) and the start of a new one. Stuck on a delayed train to London last weekend, I scrolled through a fair few photographs and made a brief account of what had actually gone on concerning my work over the last 12 months….and realized it hasn’t been a bad year at all thanks to the interest and enthusiasm of my customers and followers. From home here in Whaley Bridge (now on the map in its own right after the near-dam-catastrophe of last summer) to London and my successful meeting with the retail manager at The Royal Albert Hall to orders from the USA (I guess now I can say I’ve gone ‘global’. Ha!). My work is definitely ‘getting out there’ it seems.
With local buildings at heart and a new event added to my calendar, the FAB market saw the launch of The Mechanics Institute, Whaley Bridge, Hidden Histories. A building central to life here in my own town it was a pleasure to uncover some fascinating facts and enjoy the support of local customers all keen to own their very own art work of this much-loved iconic building. The newly refurbished Pump Room in Buxton has also been added to the Hidden Histories Collection in 2019 with its launch at The Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust Artist to Artist Event. Nerve-wracking though it was (for a non-public-speaker!) it was a huge opportunity to present my work (and explain it). As I’ve discovered, I ‘sell’ my work by talking about it. It’s always an utter pleasure to see the realization on people’s faces when they look deeper into my illustrations and see for themselves the hidden elements concealed beneath the layer of pastel and pencil crayon. Following the presentation I was excited to be asked to be the first guest artist to exhibit in The Pump Room.
With ‘Firsts’ recurring throughout the year, I should mention Derbyshire Open Arts (May Bank Holiday) and my astonishment at how many visitors came through my door…and the distances they’d travelled to get here. Needless to say, I’ve signed up to do it all again 22-25th May 2020 (I’m planning on adding the Friday night as an preview viewing of framed originals) More to come on that….In August, The ‘3 Generations’ Open House proved successful too and gave me the chance to exhibit alongside my wonderfully talented father and twins (before they headed off to that London-Town to study since graduating from Glasgow). It would be nice to imagine we can offer the same again in 2020 with the addition of my eldest son and his stunning photography (I’ll have a word!)
Ofcourse, I am forever grateful to all my customers but especially those who entrust me with commissions. It’s always a privilege to work on personal pieces. Whether it’s family homes, holiday homes, favourite landmarks or non-Hidden Histories such as portraits of beloved pets, they are always welcome on to my drawing board. I rarely say ‘no’! In fact 2019 was the year of oil painted portraits and made-to-measure wall panels for local business ‘Everything’s Rosy’ in Buxton and my expansion out of Buxton and further afield with my Bakewell Collection now available in the Visitor’s Centre there. With the ‘thumbs up’ from The Royal Albert Hall in November, my thoughts are very much with producing more London art works…all have been added to the never-ending list of pieces to get on with.
So, I guess committing an extra day to my freelance business (I now only work 2 days at Atticusboo in Buxton) was the right decision. I’ve managed to produce more work and organize myself better (some people may want to debate that point…my framer and printer included!) but with the ‘birth’ of an additional new business (‘artichoke’) now giving me even more opportunities to explore and illustrate architectural ‘beauties'(watch out for more on this bespoke hand drawn wallpaper product). Thanks to The Old Hall Hotel Buxton, The Trevor Osborne Property Group Bath, and Fairhursts Design Group in Manchester for their support and orders already.
Ofcourse, the reason I’m even writing this ‘blog’ is down to one very talented student and my daughter who created this website (and on whom I depend to lead me tentatively down this road of technology-training through frantic phone calls and spontaneous tutorials on how to add products, pictures and text.) I’m ‘flying solo’ right now so whether this account ever reaches the website pages is yet to be revealed. We’ll see!
Speak soon x