Hadfield artist Heather Jones is putting on her very first solo exhibition at Wall in the Barn, entitled Everything is Something. We caught up with the mixed media creative to find out more...  

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"I am delighted to be holding my first solo exhibition in my hometown of Hadfield; Wall in the Barn is a fantastic space and brings an eclectic mix of the arts to our small community and this is so inspiring and important to me" said Heather.  

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"I am inspired by pretty much everything around me, be it street art, exhibitions, adverts, people, colours - hence the title of my exhibition, Everything is Something.  

"I was a special needs teacher for 29 years before taking early retirement in 2019. I have always been creative and was responsible for teaching art in many of the schools l have worked in and l also l organised many whole school Arts Weeks. Despite having no formal art training, retirement gave me the time to explore my own work; this really took off in lockdown and l found my art gave me a focus and l found solace in it.  

"My early work was abstract and l created fictional landscapes, my current work includes more figurative elements of the human form and faces. I use mixed media in my pieces and create a multi layered piece of work which includes printed/painted elements, photos and cut outs from a variety of sources.  

"Although not immediately obvious to the viewer, my pieces include my photos which are very much inspired by the landscape l live in. I am interested in the minutiae of my environment - textured bark, lichen on rocks - and l photograph these when l am out and about on my walks and then print the photos and collage them into my work.

"I feel the arts scene in Glossop is really strong with lots of talented artists and makers living in the area and it's really important that people support the creative community. Things are tough for everyone right now but I believe that enjoying art and creating it is a really positive force for good for everyone in our world and we must not lose it.  

"All the work in my exhibition is for sale and there will also be a chance for visitors to have a go at collage themselves at the drop-in activity downstairs in The Craft Barn. I will be at the gallery for most of the weekend and l look forward to meeting visitors and talking about my work with them. I really hope people will visit my exhibition, it means a lot to me and l look forward to sharing my work with them."

Manager of The Craft Barn and the Wall in the Barn, Julia Norton, told us: "Heather's work perfectly fits with the founding principle of the gallery space which is to find and share talent, passion and innovation. Heather has been described as the most vibrant artist working in Glossopdale at the moment and it is a privilege to be able to host her first solo exhibition."  

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Heather's work is also on display in Manchester at the Great Northern Warehouse. The exhibition called 'Out of the Shed' showcases the work of eight unknown local artists - and Heather has won a spot. The initiative was created to celebrate the wave of creativity that was born during the lockdown. Find out more here.

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Everything is Something will be on at The Craft Barn from 18th - 20th November.

Find out more here - https://thecraftbarnhadfield.co.uk/wall-in-the-barn

‍103a Station Road, Hadfield, SK13 1AR