Janet England (1864-1926) was an Addingham-based painter who specialised in painting floral subjects. She was one of twelve children born to parents, John, a land agent, joiner and builder, and mother, Phoebe. John had, by 1891, built the family home, Croft House, Church Street, Addingham, and Janet, who…
In an age of scrolling and speed, we’ve forgotten how to truly see art. Art historian Olivia Meehan explores the practice of ‘slow looking’ – and how taking time to engage deeply with a painting can transform our experience In galleries around the world, visitors spend an average of…
Samuel Sharp is a Wilsden-based digital painter whose work is inspired by the landscape, towns and cities of northern England. Samuel studied pharmacy to degree level in Manchester and is still a practising NHS pharmacist. But he has always been interested in art and during the…
After working in engineering and the police service for nearly 40 years, David Hemsley, was able to fulfil an ambition he had held for many years – to study and work as a visual artist. * David was born in Bradford and after leaving school become an engineering apprentice at…
John William Whiteley (1859-1936) was a painter best known for his portraits, landscapes, and nude figures. He was born in the Bradford district, but also lived in Leeds, Hertfordshire, and finally Essex, where he died. * He was born in Wyke, Bradford, the only child of parents Henry,…
Although Nigel Wray passed his GCE ‘O’ level art whilst at school, it was only after retirement that he began to turn his attention to drawing again. It was during the Covid epidemic period, 2020-2022 that he began to seriously study and draw the architecture of…
In his early teens, the Bradford artist, Mike Joyce, was discouraged from painting in art classes by a school teacher. But the instinct to draw and paint never deserted him and in recent years, particularly after retirement, he has actively pursued watercolour painting. He now has had the satisfaction…
A first -of-its kind study links gallery visits with lower stress levels and better wellbeing. Text by Galvin Haines, originally published by Positive News, October 28, 2025 “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” So Pablo Picasso supposedly once said, while pontificating on the power…
Robert (Bob) McBurney, born 1939, lived and worked in Bradford in his teens and during his formative years as a photographer. In his recent retirement years he has developed his talent for painting in oils in an abstract style, as well as with creative writing. In his early teens…
John Aldam Heaton (1830 – 1897) was a designer of textiles, furniture, wall-paper, stained glass, as well as a watercolour artist. Although not born in the Bradford district, his time living at Harden, near Bingley between 1860 and 1876 was a particularly formative one for his career as a designer.…
