Sledge Hammer Hits Saltaire on December 2nd 2006 with an exciting line up of artists, musicians & poets from as near as Victoria Road Saltaire and as far away as Poland. (see Telegraph & Argus cutting)

Resistance is futile! We think art sales should be fun. And our auctions aim to provide an opportunity to meet other friendly people and get together with the artists themselves in an informal celebration of creativity.

Sledge Hammer is our second art auction. The first, in May 2006, turned out to be a very convivial evening and many people have asked us to run another. We have complied with this popular demand and we hope you will come along and help us make these Saltaire Art Auctions a regular feature of the West Yorkshire scene.

This time round we have more works for sale

(see Gallery of Work), altogether 24 lots in various media including

1 sculpture by Daniel Cooper and

3 ceramics by Dutch-born potter Niki Murphy.

 

There will also be original pictures by

Stuart Hirst,

Koot Chambers

(both of these well-respected local artists are still working on their pictures, so these paintings should be very contemporary),

David Starley,

Deborah Theabould,

Amy Charlesworth,  

Richard Monkhouse,

Simon O'Rourke,

Jeremy Cook and

impalQIPITZ.

 

The remaining works are high quality prints,

including three (two from pastels and one from a line drawing) by the energetic and highly talented Armenian artist/sculptor

Vahan Bego

who is currently working in Poland and has never previously exhibited in the UK.

There will also be a print of Liz Sutcliffe's oil painting ballerina silhouette(the original has just sold to a Hong Kong businessman for a significant sum of money),

a canvas print by Mark Yates former Terrorvision guitarist now rapidly acquiring a reputation as a painter of stylish pop-art images,

and a drypoint print of an excellent Saltaire line-drawing by Clare Caulfield.

 

Photographic prints  to come under the hammer include:

two Yorkshire scenes (one an aerial photograph) taken, with his usual flair and expertise, by well-known local photographer Roger Pearson,

a stunning black-and-white photo of the canal bridge at Dockfields, Shipley by Jean Patrickson,

Marek Skoczylas, a photographer who also specialises in digital image manipulation is offering a large print (an A1 print in an A0 frame) of his rose.

 

Our Auctioneer and Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be, as before, the irrepressible erstwhile thespian & chef:

Mr Tony Jowett, a.k.a. The Shadow.

There will be a bar selling fine wines, beers and fruit juices, (staffed by Tracy and Roman) with free snacks for everyone. Throughout the evening, except during the auction, there will be live musical entertainment, readings of work by three local poets, and a slide show of video clips and still images, some with a wintery theme.