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Jun
19
Wed
Duncan Montgomery & George Townsend: Parson’s Pleasure and the Ponds @ Highgate Gallery
Jun 19 @ 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Wood engraver’s debut solo exhibition contemplates historic Oxford and Highgate bathing places.

The North Wall Arts Centre and Highgate Gallery announce the forthcoming exhibition Parson’s Pleasure and the Ponds  – the debut solo show of printmaker Duncan Montgomery. Travelling between Oxford and Highgate, the exhibition presents a new series of wood engravings alongside a background of historical materials curated  by cultural historian George Townsend.

Montgomery’s figures and riverscapes draw on classical statuary, found photography, and in situ life modelling, to create atmospheres of quiet and disquiet, lost and in-between time. Textures of muscle, skin and hair emerge amid corrugated metal, polished marble and crumbling brick, wind-moved leaves and the wavering image-within-an-image of open water.

Recovering a visual history of freshwater bathing in the UK, the exhibition incorporates historical text and images to reflect especially on: Parson’s Pleasure, an Oxford river bathing place demolished in 1992 and the focus of Townsend’s 2022 PHD; and the ponds used for bathing on Hampstead Heath over the past several centuries and still in use today.

The North Wall Arts Centre is an award-winning theatre and gallery in Summertown, Oxford, built on the site of a Victorian swimming pool. The Highgate Gallery is a part of the Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution, which has been promoting discussion, debate and life-long learning since 1839.

Gallery times: Wednesdays to Fridays 13:00-17:00,
Saturdays 11:00-16:00, Sundays 11:00-17:00,
Mondays & Tuesdays Closed

Jun
20
Thu
Guerrilla Gardening
Jun 20 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Our Guerrilla Gardening group has been busy with planning for 2024 since our evening workshop in November. Work has included a walk-about through the N6 area to survey 16 potential sites for our activities and developing a map with notes, so that we can assign actions (even if just monitoring) to each site.

We are now looking for people that can join us to grow this initiative. If you can help out at a gardening event (site clearing, pruning, planting), or might be interested in becoming a ‘champion’ for a particular site near you that needs care, or you simply want to know more, please do get in touch via the contact form on the website or by direct email to: infrastructure@highgatesociety.com. A member of the team will be in touch. You can also sign up to our occasional Guerrilla Gardening newsletter.

Meanwhile, the dates for gardening events have been fixed – see below – so do ‘save the date’ in your diary, if you are interested. We will provide further information as to the event activity and location, each month. Please note, some are evening events and they are not only Saturdays!

Saturday 23 March 10–12 noon
Saturday 20 April 10–12 noon
Saturday 18 May 2.30–4.30pm
Thursday 20 June 7.30–9.30 pm
Friday 19 July 7.30–9.30 pm
Saturday 17 August 10–12 noon
Wednesday 11 September 7.30–9.30pm
Saturday 19 October 2.30–4.30pm
Saturday 16 November 10–12 noon
Saturday 14 December 10–12 noon
Duncan Montgomery & George Townsend: Parson’s Pleasure and the Ponds @ Highgate Gallery
Jun 20 @ 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Wood engraver’s debut solo exhibition contemplates historic Oxford and Highgate bathing places.

The North Wall Arts Centre and Highgate Gallery announce the forthcoming exhibition Parson’s Pleasure and the Ponds  – the debut solo show of printmaker Duncan Montgomery. Travelling between Oxford and Highgate, the exhibition presents a new series of wood engravings alongside a background of historical materials curated  by cultural historian George Townsend.

Montgomery’s figures and riverscapes draw on classical statuary, found photography, and in situ life modelling, to create atmospheres of quiet and disquiet, lost and in-between time. Textures of muscle, skin and hair emerge amid corrugated metal, polished marble and crumbling brick, wind-moved leaves and the wavering image-within-an-image of open water.

Recovering a visual history of freshwater bathing in the UK, the exhibition incorporates historical text and images to reflect especially on: Parson’s Pleasure, an Oxford river bathing place demolished in 1992 and the focus of Townsend’s 2022 PHD; and the ponds used for bathing on Hampstead Heath over the past several centuries and still in use today.

The North Wall Arts Centre is an award-winning theatre and gallery in Summertown, Oxford, built on the site of a Victorian swimming pool. The Highgate Gallery is a part of the Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution, which has been promoting discussion, debate and life-long learning since 1839.

Gallery times: Wednesdays to Fridays 13:00-17:00,
Saturdays 11:00-16:00, Sundays 11:00-17:00,
Mondays & Tuesdays Closed

Jun
22
Sat
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Jun 22 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Jun
28
Fri
Walls of Boxes Solo Perfomance @ Jacksons Lane Art Center
Jun 28 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Walls of Boxes Solo Perfomance @ Jacksons Lane Art Center

A must-see solo performance inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s “The Little Prince”. Fragility. Vulnerability. Storytelling through sound. Original songs and instrumental music composed and performed by Luba Hilman. Directed by Nelli Chernetskaya.

Tickets and more information:

https://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/events/walls-of-boxes/

Contact: 020 8340 5226

Jun
29
Sat
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Jun 29 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Jul
1
Mon
Coffee and Computers @ Highgate Society
Jul 1 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Monday 6 Nov coffee computers 10 30

Jul
5
Fri
Jean Ramsey, Prints and Drawings @ Highgate Gallery
Jul 5 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The work Jean Ramsey is showing at Highgate Gallery results from an interest in the relationship
between the drawn and the printed image. It follows on from her studies in photography that
culminated in an exhibition of gum-bichromate prints. This early process utilises the sun to develop
a prepared light-sensitive emulsion that when applied to paper with a pronounced surface or
‘tooth’ can result in a painterly quality.
Jean’s degree in Fine Art (sculpture) from King’s College, Newcastle, then the University of Durham,
included a Hatton Scholarship year.  She acknowledges the initial influence of an inspired teacher
in north London, Nommie Durell, whose mantra ‘no day without a line’ continues to resonate with her.
The three-dimensional disciplines of sculpture and her experience in set design established form and structure
as crucial elements in her work and have become the foundation for her current exploration in two-dimensions.
Using traditional subject matter, principally self-portraiture and studies of people she knows well, every
work begins with a drawing.
“Having worked in collaboration with others over the years, as a practitioner and as a teacher, this exhibition
is the result of a not altogether conscious decision to revert to personal discovery through drawing
(seeing) and manipulating (printing)”.
The earlier prints are mainly soft-ground etchings and mezzotints, the later work frequently becoming
monoprints by the combination of inscribing by etching and drawing directly into the inked plate.
There are some preliminary studies and proof prints from the most current work on display in which the
visual development of the idea can be traced. Man Ray, known principally for his photography, describes
painting as “.…an adventure in which some great force might suddenly change the whole aspect of
things….”, echoed by Julian Trevelyan’s ….”collaboration with the god of chance….”, also a reference to painting.
Jean Ramsey’s exhibition of prints suggest the transformation that takes place, from close examination of the
subject, the analysis, via the rigour and fluidity of the printing process that can lead to unforeseen results.
Some earlier gum-bichromate photographic prints, although not hung, are available to view in a portfolio
and the artist will be in attendance throughout the exhibition’s run to discuss her work.

 

Jean Ramsey

 

Highgate Gallery opening times: Weds – Fri: 13.00 – 17.00, Sat: 11.00 – 16.00, Sun: 11.00 – 17.00

Jul
6
Sat
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Jul 6 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Jean Ramsey, Prints and Drawings @ Highgate Gallery
Jul 6 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The work Jean Ramsey is showing at Highgate Gallery results from an interest in the relationship
between the drawn and the printed image. It follows on from her studies in photography that
culminated in an exhibition of gum-bichromate prints. This early process utilises the sun to develop
a prepared light-sensitive emulsion that when applied to paper with a pronounced surface or
‘tooth’ can result in a painterly quality.
Jean’s degree in Fine Art (sculpture) from King’s College, Newcastle, then the University of Durham,
included a Hatton Scholarship year.  She acknowledges the initial influence of an inspired teacher
in north London, Nommie Durell, whose mantra ‘no day without a line’ continues to resonate with her.
The three-dimensional disciplines of sculpture and her experience in set design established form and structure
as crucial elements in her work and have become the foundation for her current exploration in two-dimensions.
Using traditional subject matter, principally self-portraiture and studies of people she knows well, every
work begins with a drawing.
“Having worked in collaboration with others over the years, as a practitioner and as a teacher, this exhibition
is the result of a not altogether conscious decision to revert to personal discovery through drawing
(seeing) and manipulating (printing)”.
The earlier prints are mainly soft-ground etchings and mezzotints, the later work frequently becoming
monoprints by the combination of inscribing by etching and drawing directly into the inked plate.
There are some preliminary studies and proof prints from the most current work on display in which the
visual development of the idea can be traced. Man Ray, known principally for his photography, describes
painting as “.…an adventure in which some great force might suddenly change the whole aspect of
things….”, echoed by Julian Trevelyan’s ….”collaboration with the god of chance….”, also a reference to painting.
Jean Ramsey’s exhibition of prints suggest the transformation that takes place, from close examination of the
subject, the analysis, via the rigour and fluidity of the printing process that can lead to unforeseen results.
Some earlier gum-bichromate photographic prints, although not hung, are available to view in a portfolio
and the artist will be in attendance throughout the exhibition’s run to discuss her work.

 

Jean Ramsey

 

Highgate Gallery opening times: Weds – Fri: 13.00 – 17.00, Sat: 11.00 – 16.00, Sun: 11.00 – 17.00

Jul
7
Sun
Jean Ramsey, Prints and Drawings @ Highgate Gallery
Jul 7 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The work Jean Ramsey is showing at Highgate Gallery results from an interest in the relationship
between the drawn and the printed image. It follows on from her studies in photography that
culminated in an exhibition of gum-bichromate prints. This early process utilises the sun to develop
a prepared light-sensitive emulsion that when applied to paper with a pronounced surface or
‘tooth’ can result in a painterly quality.
Jean’s degree in Fine Art (sculpture) from King’s College, Newcastle, then the University of Durham,
included a Hatton Scholarship year.  She acknowledges the initial influence of an inspired teacher
in north London, Nommie Durell, whose mantra ‘no day without a line’ continues to resonate with her.
The three-dimensional disciplines of sculpture and her experience in set design established form and structure
as crucial elements in her work and have become the foundation for her current exploration in two-dimensions.
Using traditional subject matter, principally self-portraiture and studies of people she knows well, every
work begins with a drawing.
“Having worked in collaboration with others over the years, as a practitioner and as a teacher, this exhibition
is the result of a not altogether conscious decision to revert to personal discovery through drawing
(seeing) and manipulating (printing)”.
The earlier prints are mainly soft-ground etchings and mezzotints, the later work frequently becoming
monoprints by the combination of inscribing by etching and drawing directly into the inked plate.
There are some preliminary studies and proof prints from the most current work on display in which the
visual development of the idea can be traced. Man Ray, known principally for his photography, describes
painting as “.…an adventure in which some great force might suddenly change the whole aspect of
things….”, echoed by Julian Trevelyan’s ….”collaboration with the god of chance….”, also a reference to painting.
Jean Ramsey’s exhibition of prints suggest the transformation that takes place, from close examination of the
subject, the analysis, via the rigour and fluidity of the printing process that can lead to unforeseen results.
Some earlier gum-bichromate photographic prints, although not hung, are available to view in a portfolio
and the artist will be in attendance throughout the exhibition’s run to discuss her work.

 

Jean Ramsey

 

Highgate Gallery opening times: Weds – Fri: 13.00 – 17.00, Sat: 11.00 – 16.00, Sun: 11.00 – 17.00

Jul
10
Wed
Jean Ramsey, Prints and Drawings @ Highgate Gallery
Jul 10 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The work Jean Ramsey is showing at Highgate Gallery results from an interest in the relationship
between the drawn and the printed image. It follows on from her studies in photography that
culminated in an exhibition of gum-bichromate prints. This early process utilises the sun to develop
a prepared light-sensitive emulsion that when applied to paper with a pronounced surface or
‘tooth’ can result in a painterly quality.
Jean’s degree in Fine Art (sculpture) from King’s College, Newcastle, then the University of Durham,
included a Hatton Scholarship year.  She acknowledges the initial influence of an inspired teacher
in north London, Nommie Durell, whose mantra ‘no day without a line’ continues to resonate with her.
The three-dimensional disciplines of sculpture and her experience in set design established form and structure
as crucial elements in her work and have become the foundation for her current exploration in two-dimensions.
Using traditional subject matter, principally self-portraiture and studies of people she knows well, every
work begins with a drawing.
“Having worked in collaboration with others over the years, as a practitioner and as a teacher, this exhibition
is the result of a not altogether conscious decision to revert to personal discovery through drawing
(seeing) and manipulating (printing)”.
The earlier prints are mainly soft-ground etchings and mezzotints, the later work frequently becoming
monoprints by the combination of inscribing by etching and drawing directly into the inked plate.
There are some preliminary studies and proof prints from the most current work on display in which the
visual development of the idea can be traced. Man Ray, known principally for his photography, describes
painting as “.…an adventure in which some great force might suddenly change the whole aspect of
things….”, echoed by Julian Trevelyan’s ….”collaboration with the god of chance….”, also a reference to painting.
Jean Ramsey’s exhibition of prints suggest the transformation that takes place, from close examination of the
subject, the analysis, via the rigour and fluidity of the printing process that can lead to unforeseen results.
Some earlier gum-bichromate photographic prints, although not hung, are available to view in a portfolio
and the artist will be in attendance throughout the exhibition’s run to discuss her work.

 

Jean Ramsey

 

Highgate Gallery opening times: Weds – Fri: 13.00 – 17.00, Sat: 11.00 – 16.00, Sun: 11.00 – 17.00

Jul
11
Thu
Jean Ramsey, Prints and Drawings @ Highgate Gallery
Jul 11 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The work Jean Ramsey is showing at Highgate Gallery results from an interest in the relationship
between the drawn and the printed image. It follows on from her studies in photography that
culminated in an exhibition of gum-bichromate prints. This early process utilises the sun to develop
a prepared light-sensitive emulsion that when applied to paper with a pronounced surface or
‘tooth’ can result in a painterly quality.
Jean’s degree in Fine Art (sculpture) from King’s College, Newcastle, then the University of Durham,
included a Hatton Scholarship year.  She acknowledges the initial influence of an inspired teacher
in north London, Nommie Durell, whose mantra ‘no day without a line’ continues to resonate with her.
The three-dimensional disciplines of sculpture and her experience in set design established form and structure
as crucial elements in her work and have become the foundation for her current exploration in two-dimensions.
Using traditional subject matter, principally self-portraiture and studies of people she knows well, every
work begins with a drawing.
“Having worked in collaboration with others over the years, as a practitioner and as a teacher, this exhibition
is the result of a not altogether conscious decision to revert to personal discovery through drawing
(seeing) and manipulating (printing)”.
The earlier prints are mainly soft-ground etchings and mezzotints, the later work frequently becoming
monoprints by the combination of inscribing by etching and drawing directly into the inked plate.
There are some preliminary studies and proof prints from the most current work on display in which the
visual development of the idea can be traced. Man Ray, known principally for his photography, describes
painting as “.…an adventure in which some great force might suddenly change the whole aspect of
things….”, echoed by Julian Trevelyan’s ….”collaboration with the god of chance….”, also a reference to painting.
Jean Ramsey’s exhibition of prints suggest the transformation that takes place, from close examination of the
subject, the analysis, via the rigour and fluidity of the printing process that can lead to unforeseen results.
Some earlier gum-bichromate photographic prints, although not hung, are available to view in a portfolio
and the artist will be in attendance throughout the exhibition’s run to discuss her work.

 

Jean Ramsey

 

Highgate Gallery opening times: Weds – Fri: 13.00 – 17.00, Sat: 11.00 – 16.00, Sun: 11.00 – 17.00

Jul
12
Fri
Jean Ramsey, Prints and Drawings @ Highgate Gallery
Jul 12 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The work Jean Ramsey is showing at Highgate Gallery results from an interest in the relationship
between the drawn and the printed image. It follows on from her studies in photography that
culminated in an exhibition of gum-bichromate prints. This early process utilises the sun to develop
a prepared light-sensitive emulsion that when applied to paper with a pronounced surface or
‘tooth’ can result in a painterly quality.
Jean’s degree in Fine Art (sculpture) from King’s College, Newcastle, then the University of Durham,
included a Hatton Scholarship year.  She acknowledges the initial influence of an inspired teacher
in north London, Nommie Durell, whose mantra ‘no day without a line’ continues to resonate with her.
The three-dimensional disciplines of sculpture and her experience in set design established form and structure
as crucial elements in her work and have become the foundation for her current exploration in two-dimensions.
Using traditional subject matter, principally self-portraiture and studies of people she knows well, every
work begins with a drawing.
“Having worked in collaboration with others over the years, as a practitioner and as a teacher, this exhibition
is the result of a not altogether conscious decision to revert to personal discovery through drawing
(seeing) and manipulating (printing)”.
The earlier prints are mainly soft-ground etchings and mezzotints, the later work frequently becoming
monoprints by the combination of inscribing by etching and drawing directly into the inked plate.
There are some preliminary studies and proof prints from the most current work on display in which the
visual development of the idea can be traced. Man Ray, known principally for his photography, describes
painting as “.…an adventure in which some great force might suddenly change the whole aspect of
things….”, echoed by Julian Trevelyan’s ….”collaboration with the god of chance….”, also a reference to painting.
Jean Ramsey’s exhibition of prints suggest the transformation that takes place, from close examination of the
subject, the analysis, via the rigour and fluidity of the printing process that can lead to unforeseen results.
Some earlier gum-bichromate photographic prints, although not hung, are available to view in a portfolio
and the artist will be in attendance throughout the exhibition’s run to discuss her work.

 

Jean Ramsey

 

Highgate Gallery opening times: Weds – Fri: 13.00 – 17.00, Sat: 11.00 – 16.00, Sun: 11.00 – 17.00

Jul
13
Sat
Clean Up Highgate @ Highgate Society
Jul 13 @ 9:30 am – 10:30 am
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Jul 13 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Jean Ramsey, Prints and Drawings @ Highgate Gallery
Jul 13 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The work Jean Ramsey is showing at Highgate Gallery results from an interest in the relationship
between the drawn and the printed image. It follows on from her studies in photography that
culminated in an exhibition of gum-bichromate prints. This early process utilises the sun to develop
a prepared light-sensitive emulsion that when applied to paper with a pronounced surface or
‘tooth’ can result in a painterly quality.
Jean’s degree in Fine Art (sculpture) from King’s College, Newcastle, then the University of Durham,
included a Hatton Scholarship year.  She acknowledges the initial influence of an inspired teacher
in north London, Nommie Durell, whose mantra ‘no day without a line’ continues to resonate with her.
The three-dimensional disciplines of sculpture and her experience in set design established form and structure
as crucial elements in her work and have become the foundation for her current exploration in two-dimensions.
Using traditional subject matter, principally self-portraiture and studies of people she knows well, every
work begins with a drawing.
“Having worked in collaboration with others over the years, as a practitioner and as a teacher, this exhibition
is the result of a not altogether conscious decision to revert to personal discovery through drawing
(seeing) and manipulating (printing)”.
The earlier prints are mainly soft-ground etchings and mezzotints, the later work frequently becoming
monoprints by the combination of inscribing by etching and drawing directly into the inked plate.
There are some preliminary studies and proof prints from the most current work on display in which the
visual development of the idea can be traced. Man Ray, known principally for his photography, describes
painting as “.…an adventure in which some great force might suddenly change the whole aspect of
things….”, echoed by Julian Trevelyan’s ….”collaboration with the god of chance….”, also a reference to painting.
Jean Ramsey’s exhibition of prints suggest the transformation that takes place, from close examination of the
subject, the analysis, via the rigour and fluidity of the printing process that can lead to unforeseen results.
Some earlier gum-bichromate photographic prints, although not hung, are available to view in a portfolio
and the artist will be in attendance throughout the exhibition’s run to discuss her work.

 

Jean Ramsey

 

Highgate Gallery opening times: Weds – Fri: 13.00 – 17.00, Sat: 11.00 – 16.00, Sun: 11.00 – 17.00

Jul
14
Sun
Sunday lunchtime concert – Hannah Shilvock and Viola Lenzi Clarinet and piano duo @ Highgate Society
Jul 14 @ 11:45 am – 1:00 pm

Sunday 14th July 2024
12 noon (doors open 11.45 am)
£15 including a glass of Buck’s Fizz
Booking via Ticket Tailor – click here.

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/highgatesociety/1233954

Hannah and Viola have been playing together since 2022 and their programmes include everything from traditional Jewish melodies and Hungarian folk dances to Argentina Tangos and the Gymnopédies of the eccentric early 20th century French composer Eric Satie. Sounds like a fun concert!

Jean Ramsey, Prints and Drawings @ Highgate Gallery
Jul 14 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The work Jean Ramsey is showing at Highgate Gallery results from an interest in the relationship
between the drawn and the printed image. It follows on from her studies in photography that
culminated in an exhibition of gum-bichromate prints. This early process utilises the sun to develop
a prepared light-sensitive emulsion that when applied to paper with a pronounced surface or
‘tooth’ can result in a painterly quality.
Jean’s degree in Fine Art (sculpture) from King’s College, Newcastle, then the University of Durham,
included a Hatton Scholarship year.  She acknowledges the initial influence of an inspired teacher
in north London, Nommie Durell, whose mantra ‘no day without a line’ continues to resonate with her.
The three-dimensional disciplines of sculpture and her experience in set design established form and structure
as crucial elements in her work and have become the foundation for her current exploration in two-dimensions.
Using traditional subject matter, principally self-portraiture and studies of people she knows well, every
work begins with a drawing.
“Having worked in collaboration with others over the years, as a practitioner and as a teacher, this exhibition
is the result of a not altogether conscious decision to revert to personal discovery through drawing
(seeing) and manipulating (printing)”.
The earlier prints are mainly soft-ground etchings and mezzotints, the later work frequently becoming
monoprints by the combination of inscribing by etching and drawing directly into the inked plate.
There are some preliminary studies and proof prints from the most current work on display in which the
visual development of the idea can be traced. Man Ray, known principally for his photography, describes
painting as “.…an adventure in which some great force might suddenly change the whole aspect of
things….”, echoed by Julian Trevelyan’s ….”collaboration with the god of chance….”, also a reference to painting.
Jean Ramsey’s exhibition of prints suggest the transformation that takes place, from close examination of the
subject, the analysis, via the rigour and fluidity of the printing process that can lead to unforeseen results.
Some earlier gum-bichromate photographic prints, although not hung, are available to view in a portfolio
and the artist will be in attendance throughout the exhibition’s run to discuss her work.

 

Jean Ramsey

 

Highgate Gallery opening times: Weds – Fri: 13.00 – 17.00, Sat: 11.00 – 16.00, Sun: 11.00 – 17.00

Jul
17
Wed
Jean Ramsey, Prints and Drawings @ Highgate Gallery
Jul 17 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The work Jean Ramsey is showing at Highgate Gallery results from an interest in the relationship
between the drawn and the printed image. It follows on from her studies in photography that
culminated in an exhibition of gum-bichromate prints. This early process utilises the sun to develop
a prepared light-sensitive emulsion that when applied to paper with a pronounced surface or
‘tooth’ can result in a painterly quality.
Jean’s degree in Fine Art (sculpture) from King’s College, Newcastle, then the University of Durham,
included a Hatton Scholarship year.  She acknowledges the initial influence of an inspired teacher
in north London, Nommie Durell, whose mantra ‘no day without a line’ continues to resonate with her.
The three-dimensional disciplines of sculpture and her experience in set design established form and structure
as crucial elements in her work and have become the foundation for her current exploration in two-dimensions.
Using traditional subject matter, principally self-portraiture and studies of people she knows well, every
work begins with a drawing.
“Having worked in collaboration with others over the years, as a practitioner and as a teacher, this exhibition
is the result of a not altogether conscious decision to revert to personal discovery through drawing
(seeing) and manipulating (printing)”.
The earlier prints are mainly soft-ground etchings and mezzotints, the later work frequently becoming
monoprints by the combination of inscribing by etching and drawing directly into the inked plate.
There are some preliminary studies and proof prints from the most current work on display in which the
visual development of the idea can be traced. Man Ray, known principally for his photography, describes
painting as “.…an adventure in which some great force might suddenly change the whole aspect of
things….”, echoed by Julian Trevelyan’s ….”collaboration with the god of chance….”, also a reference to painting.
Jean Ramsey’s exhibition of prints suggest the transformation that takes place, from close examination of the
subject, the analysis, via the rigour and fluidity of the printing process that can lead to unforeseen results.
Some earlier gum-bichromate photographic prints, although not hung, are available to view in a portfolio
and the artist will be in attendance throughout the exhibition’s run to discuss her work.

 

Jean Ramsey

 

Highgate Gallery opening times: Weds – Fri: 13.00 – 17.00, Sat: 11.00 – 16.00, Sun: 11.00 – 17.00

Jul
18
Thu
Jean Ramsey, Prints and Drawings @ Highgate Gallery
Jul 18 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The work Jean Ramsey is showing at Highgate Gallery results from an interest in the relationship
between the drawn and the printed image. It follows on from her studies in photography that
culminated in an exhibition of gum-bichromate prints. This early process utilises the sun to develop
a prepared light-sensitive emulsion that when applied to paper with a pronounced surface or
‘tooth’ can result in a painterly quality.
Jean’s degree in Fine Art (sculpture) from King’s College, Newcastle, then the University of Durham,
included a Hatton Scholarship year.  She acknowledges the initial influence of an inspired teacher
in north London, Nommie Durell, whose mantra ‘no day without a line’ continues to resonate with her.
The three-dimensional disciplines of sculpture and her experience in set design established form and structure
as crucial elements in her work and have become the foundation for her current exploration in two-dimensions.
Using traditional subject matter, principally self-portraiture and studies of people she knows well, every
work begins with a drawing.
“Having worked in collaboration with others over the years, as a practitioner and as a teacher, this exhibition
is the result of a not altogether conscious decision to revert to personal discovery through drawing
(seeing) and manipulating (printing)”.
The earlier prints are mainly soft-ground etchings and mezzotints, the later work frequently becoming
monoprints by the combination of inscribing by etching and drawing directly into the inked plate.
There are some preliminary studies and proof prints from the most current work on display in which the
visual development of the idea can be traced. Man Ray, known principally for his photography, describes
painting as “.…an adventure in which some great force might suddenly change the whole aspect of
things….”, echoed by Julian Trevelyan’s ….”collaboration with the god of chance….”, also a reference to painting.
Jean Ramsey’s exhibition of prints suggest the transformation that takes place, from close examination of the
subject, the analysis, via the rigour and fluidity of the printing process that can lead to unforeseen results.
Some earlier gum-bichromate photographic prints, although not hung, are available to view in a portfolio
and the artist will be in attendance throughout the exhibition’s run to discuss her work.

 

Jean Ramsey

 

Highgate Gallery opening times: Weds – Fri: 13.00 – 17.00, Sat: 11.00 – 16.00, Sun: 11.00 – 17.00

Jul
19
Fri
Guerrilla Gardening
Jul 19 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Our Guerrilla Gardening group has been busy with planning for 2024 since our evening workshop in November. Work has included a walk-about through the N6 area to survey 16 potential sites for our activities and developing a map with notes, so that we can assign actions (even if just monitoring) to each site.

We are now looking for people that can join us to grow this initiative. If you can help out at a gardening event (site clearing, pruning, planting), or might be interested in becoming a ‘champion’ for a particular site near you that needs care, or you simply want to know more, please do get in touch via the contact form on the website or by direct email to: infrastructure@highgatesociety.com. A member of the team will be in touch. You can also sign up to our occasional Guerrilla Gardening newsletter.

Meanwhile, the dates for gardening events have been fixed – see below – so do ‘save the date’ in your diary, if you are interested. We will provide further information as to the event activity and location, each month. Please note, some are evening events and they are not only Saturdays!

Saturday 23 March 10–12 noon
Saturday 20 April 10–12 noon
Saturday 18 May 2.30–4.30pm
Thursday 20 June 7.30–9.30 pm
Friday 19 July 7.30–9.30 pm
Saturday 17 August 10–12 noon
Wednesday 11 September 7.30–9.30pm
Saturday 19 October 2.30–4.30pm
Saturday 16 November 10–12 noon
Saturday 14 December 10–12 noon
Jul
20
Sat
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Jul 20 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Jul
27
Sat
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Jul 27 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Aug
3
Sat
Clean Up Highgate @ Highgate Society
Aug 3 @ 9:30 am – 10:30 am
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Aug 3 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Aug
5
Mon
Coffee and Computers @ Highgate Society
Aug 5 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Monday 6 Nov coffee computers 10 30

Aug
10
Sat
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Aug 10 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Aug
17
Sat
Guerrilla Gardening
Aug 17 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Our Guerrilla Gardening group has been busy with planning for 2024 since our evening workshop in November. Work has included a walk-about through the N6 area to survey 16 potential sites for our activities and developing a map with notes, so that we can assign actions (even if just monitoring) to each site.

We are now looking for people that can join us to grow this initiative. If you can help out at a gardening event (site clearing, pruning, planting), or might be interested in becoming a ‘champion’ for a particular site near you that needs care, or you simply want to know more, please do get in touch via the contact form on the website or by direct email to: infrastructure@highgatesociety.com. A member of the team will be in touch. You can also sign up to our occasional Guerrilla Gardening newsletter.

Meanwhile, the dates for gardening events have been fixed – see below – so do ‘save the date’ in your diary, if you are interested. We will provide further information as to the event activity and location, each month. Please note, some are evening events and they are not only Saturdays!

Saturday 23 March 10–12 noon
Saturday 20 April 10–12 noon
Saturday 18 May 2.30–4.30pm
Thursday 20 June 7.30–9.30 pm
Friday 19 July 7.30–9.30 pm
Saturday 17 August 10–12 noon
Wednesday 11 September 7.30–9.30pm
Saturday 19 October 2.30–4.30pm
Saturday 16 November 10–12 noon
Saturday 14 December 10–12 noon
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Aug 17 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Aug
24
Sat
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Aug 24 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Aug
31
Sat
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Aug 31 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Sep
1
Sun
Highgate Wood Community Heritage Day @ Highgate Woods
Sep 1 @ 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

Join us for a day of fun, friends, and family on Sunday 1 September 11am-4pm.

Come and celebrate our vibrant community with a day packed full of activities for all ages.

Sep
2
Mon
Coffee and Computers @ Highgate Society
Sep 2 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Monday 6 Nov coffee computers 10 30

Sep
7
Sat
Clean Up Highgate @ Highgate Society
Sep 7 @ 9:30 am – 10:30 am
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Sep 7 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Sep
11
Wed
Guerrilla Gardening
Sep 11 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Our Guerrilla Gardening group has been busy with planning for 2024 since our evening workshop in November. Work has included a walk-about through the N6 area to survey 16 potential sites for our activities and developing a map with notes, so that we can assign actions (even if just monitoring) to each site.

We are now looking for people that can join us to grow this initiative. If you can help out at a gardening event (site clearing, pruning, planting), or might be interested in becoming a ‘champion’ for a particular site near you that needs care, or you simply want to know more, please do get in touch via the contact form on the website or by direct email to: infrastructure@highgatesociety.com. A member of the team will be in touch. You can also sign up to our occasional Guerrilla Gardening newsletter.

Meanwhile, the dates for gardening events have been fixed – see below – so do ‘save the date’ in your diary, if you are interested. We will provide further information as to the event activity and location, each month. Please note, some are evening events and they are not only Saturdays!

Saturday 23 March 10–12 noon
Saturday 20 April 10–12 noon
Saturday 18 May 2.30–4.30pm
Thursday 20 June 7.30–9.30 pm
Friday 19 July 7.30–9.30 pm
Saturday 17 August 10–12 noon
Wednesday 11 September 7.30–9.30pm
Saturday 19 October 2.30–4.30pm
Saturday 16 November 10–12 noon
Saturday 14 December 10–12 noon
Sep
13
Fri
Cuillin Bantock: Space and Light @ Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution
Sep 13 @ 1:00 pm – Sep 26 @ 6:00 pm
Cuillin Bantock: Space and Light
Cuillin Bantock: Space and Light

 

This exhibition, Cuillin Bantock’s fourth at Highgate Gallery, will be the culmination of sixty five years of
experience as a visual artist.
Bantock’s work is all landscape-based. Life-long familiarity with a particular coastal sand-dune system in North
Wales is a persistent point of reference. His choice of media is wide-ranging and includes oil paint, acrylic, gouache,
conte and linocut. His approach has shifted from representation to abstraction, but he strongly believes that all
art must relate to something outside itself.
The exhibition will show two types of work: Indian Ink drawings, and watercolour paintings.
The Indian ink drawings are from the 2022 series ‘Forty-one approaches to a View’. The ‘view’ is of a particular
duneland studied repeatedly from the same spot. The emphasis has been on making quite simple statements
about that particular space. The first studies that Bantock made of this terrain (also in Indian ink) date from 1961.
It was only while making the recent drawings in 2022 that he realised that other artists, in their later years,
had adopted a similar approach; for example Hokusai, with his ‘Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji’.
The watercolours were made between 2020 and 2024. These are derived from the same landscape as the
ink drawings, but with a particular emphasis on pictorial space (through flatness) and pictorial light
(through colour), but handled abstractly without reference to specific locales. To some extent the watercolours
are a new departure for Bantock. His only previous experience with the medium was very occasional figurative
work (again, of duneland). He describes watercolour as ‘the most challenging medium of all.’
The two bodies of work are united by a perennial search for clarity of execution and expression, and pictorial economy
free of didacticism, leaving room for spontaneity.
Cuillin Bantock has enjoyed a rich and varied career as artist, scientist, educator and writer. He is an Oxford-trained
zoologist who worked as a professional biologist for 20 years, and later studied at Camberwell College of Art. He has
written and lectured extensively on a wide range of subjects, including science, wildlife conservation, art and artists.
His work has been exhibited widely over many years, and is held in a large number of private and corporate collections.
Highgate Gallery is delighted to be hosting this exhibition, which Bantock has decided – as he approaches
his ninetieth birthday – shall be his last with us.

Gallery open: Wed – Fri: 13.00 – 17.00, Sat: 11.00 – 16.00, Sun: 11.00 -17.00

Sep
14
Sat
Coffee AM at the Highgate Society @ Highgate Society
Sep 14 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Do come along to meet your neighbours, enjoy a good cup of coffee and find out what is happening in Highgate.

The planning committee often have someone on hand to answer planning queries.

Cuillin Bantock: Space and Light @ Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution
Sep 14 @ 1:00 pm – Sep 27 @ 6:00 pm
Cuillin Bantock: Space and Light
Cuillin Bantock: Space and Light

 

This exhibition, Cuillin Bantock’s fourth at Highgate Gallery, will be the culmination of sixty five years of
experience as a visual artist.
Bantock’s work is all landscape-based. Life-long familiarity with a particular coastal sand-dune system in North
Wales is a persistent point of reference. His choice of media is wide-ranging and includes oil paint, acrylic, gouache,
conte and linocut. His approach has shifted from representation to abstraction, but he strongly believes that all
art must relate to something outside itself.
The exhibition will show two types of work: Indian Ink drawings, and watercolour paintings.
The Indian ink drawings are from the 2022 series ‘Forty-one approaches to a View’. The ‘view’ is of a particular
duneland studied repeatedly from the same spot. The emphasis has been on making quite simple statements
about that particular space. The first studies that Bantock made of this terrain (also in Indian ink) date from 1961.
It was only while making the recent drawings in 2022 that he realised that other artists, in their later years,
had adopted a similar approach; for example Hokusai, with his ‘Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji’.
The watercolours were made between 2020 and 2024. These are derived from the same landscape as the
ink drawings, but with a particular emphasis on pictorial space (through flatness) and pictorial light
(through colour), but handled abstractly without reference to specific locales. To some extent the watercolours
are a new departure for Bantock. His only previous experience with the medium was very occasional figurative
work (again, of duneland). He describes watercolour as ‘the most challenging medium of all.’
The two bodies of work are united by a perennial search for clarity of execution and expression, and pictorial economy
free of didacticism, leaving room for spontaneity.
Cuillin Bantock has enjoyed a rich and varied career as artist, scientist, educator and writer. He is an Oxford-trained
zoologist who worked as a professional biologist for 20 years, and later studied at Camberwell College of Art. He has
written and lectured extensively on a wide range of subjects, including science, wildlife conservation, art and artists.
His work has been exhibited widely over many years, and is held in a large number of private and corporate collections.
Highgate Gallery is delighted to be hosting this exhibition, which Bantock has decided – as he approaches
his ninetieth birthday – shall be his last with us.

Gallery open: Wed – Fri: 13.00 – 17.00, Sat: 11.00 – 16.00, Sun: 11.00 -17.00