Joycie Pitjara Morton cotton blind. Design taken from painting by Joycie.
Bay Gallery Home is reopening Monday 15 June and we can’t wait to welcome old and new faces to our unique Aboriginal art gallery in Tetbury, the Cotswolds.
The Gallery is designed in such a way that it is easy to keep 2m social distance. If you would like to buy from us but you’re uncomfortable coming inside we’re happy to bring paintings, products from our ‘My Country’ interiors collections and our range of home wares outside.
We also have a remote payment system which works outside.
Inside the gallery we have a sink where you can wash your hands or use the gel hand sanitizer provided. Sanitizing wet wipes will also be provided. We ask that if you would like to look at something more closely you let us handle it for you. All products are sold in boxes only handled when unpacked - we do not sell the display items (unless it is the last one).
If you have recently travelled from overseas please make sure you’ve quarantined for two weeks as per our Governments guidance. Tetbury has largely been spared the ravages of Covid-19 by carefully adhering to the Public Health Guidelines. Please help us maintain the health of everyone here and our NHS staff.
Tetbury has a plethora of incredibly interesting independent shops and we are all looking forward to welcoming you to our beautiful Cotswold town.
Bay Gallery Home has been meaning to write a blog for some time about the slew of environmental catastrophes devastating Australia. The impact of the widespread destruction of our home country, Australia, is extraordinarily difficult to put into words. My daughter, Greta, I think can say it best through the lens and emotions of a child: raw and honest. This is an excerpt of a presentation she did for a Australian fundraising event at her school in the UK.
“As you all might know some parts of Australia are on fire and that’s quite a sensitive subject for me as I’m Australian. The thing thats bothering me the most at the moment is the fires in Australia. It makes me so upset that I can’t do anything about it apart from think about it. I want to get over there and help the animals and the people. I want to help in anyway I possibly can and that’s why I think I am in this world. I want to hug everything. Thinking about going there again and seeing its all burnt down gives me the chills. The thing I most wish for this year is to make the world a better place.
We need to remember not only the iconic animals are in danger, like the koalas and kangaroos but the wombats, platypus, the birds, the Emus, insects, fish and many other animals and plants essential to the Australian eco system.
Please donate, if you can, to the fire brigade and the animal shelters. Thank you.” Greta, 11 years old
Here are some suggestions for those wishing to donate:
redcross.org.uk
findabed.info
NSW Rural Fire Service quickweb.westpac.com.au
Wildlife Emergency fund - wires.org.au
Animal Rescue Collective Craft Guild - making pouches for injured wildlife
Bay Gallery Home is happy to share that our long awaited for Bush Onion cotton velvet has made it to our showroom.
The journey to get this velvet made encompasses ten’s of thousands of years, trips across the world, hours travelling to and from the artist Sarah Napurrurla and a lot of time finding designers with the skill to translate the Aboriginal paintings into repeat designs for velvets. Our designers have put their all into making our velvet range technically and aesthetically fabulous. It is another groundbreaking achievement for those collaborating with Bay Gallery Home helping make our vision reality.
Bush Onion cotton velvet is available by the metre. It is not online just yet so if you’d like to place an order or request a sample please contact alexandra@baygalleryhome.com
Featured painting Ben Jangala Gallagher.
Velvet floor cushion features Bush Onion dreaming design from original artwork by Aboriginal artist Sarah Napurrurla. The cushion was made by Kelli Angel.
International Women’s Day is when we celebrate being women and acknowledge the challenges we face and often overcome. These Aboriginal artists lived a traditional nomadic lifestyle before the “white fella” found them in the desert. Given the lack of valuable resources and remoteness of the Warlpiri land the skin groups were mostly left to continue their life unhindered. However, some were pressed into domestic servitude as well as experiencing violence at the hands of the white settlers. The Coniston massacre was amongst some of the worst violence visited upon them seeing many retreating to place like Mt Theo to hide.
The spirit the Warlpiri people retained despite the harshness of the new life thrust upon them has passed onto future generations. Judy ( in the forefront) was instrumental in retaining knowledge of Country by sharing her life stories and Mina Mina Dreaming with the younger children. She was the embodiment of strength and wisdom who became an internationally renowned artist despite all the challenges she and other Warlpiri woman faced.
View of Country - Margaret Kemarre Ross, Acrylic on Linen 61x51cm
This painting reminds us of the the colours you find in a Van Gogh - the glorious yellows in the still life works “Sunflowers” and the colour of “Irises”.
It is of course the Australian outback with its ever changing shades as the sun moves through the day altering the colour of the plants and rocky outcrops.
Margaret Kemarre Ross’s family have been outbush for thousands of years collecting bush medicine from their Alyawarr land. Alyawarr is a rich botanical garden for its inhabitants. Each flower serves a medicinal purpose. The little purple ones, for example, can be used for the flu as well as easing kidney pain. When mixed with water the pink ones help with sore eyes and the yellow ones are used to wash their skin.
While expressing her passion for bush medicines paintings also serves to communicate her love of Country as it “keeps culture strong”.
If you would like more information please contact alexandra@baygalleryhome.com
Following our Decorex International 2018 debut Bay Gallery Home collaborated with Dudgeon Sofas using our ‘My Country’ Ruth Blue velvet to upholster one of their signature ottomans. Dudgeon, a family run business have been making hand-made top quality upholstered furniture since 1947.
The Ruth Blue velvet ottoman is currently a key piece in their Fulham showroom so please contact Dudgeon Sofas www.dudgeonsofas.com or www.baygalleryhome.com with any queries regarding this piece or bespoke work using our fabrics.
Henry with his Easter eggs - word spread fast as we were soon surrounded by children at the art centre. He'll be among future generations of Aboriginal artists.
It's the time of year we head back to Australia either on sourcing trips or to connect with others in the Aboriginal art and design sectors. The bulk of our time will be spent in Sydney and Brisbane where we'll meet with interior designers and visit Aboriginal art exhibitions including Weave at the Australian Museum, Sydney.
If you'd like to meet to discuss our My Country interiors collection please get in touch with alexandra@baygalleryhome.com.
Bay Gallery Home wishes you all a Happy Easter. We'd also ask you to please vote for us in the Gloucestershire Lifestyle Awards in the following categories we've been shortlisted for: Independent Shop of the Year, Home & Interiors Business of the Year and Shopping Destination of the Year @soglos.com/awards/vote
We are proud to announce we've been shortlisted for three categories in the So Glos Gloucestershire Lifestyle Awards including Independent Shop of the year, Homes & Interiors Business of the year and as part of Tetbury Edit for Shopping Destination of the year.
Over December we have many beautiful gift ideas for you (we should all treat ourselves to a guilty pleasure at Christmas time) and your loved ones including our stock of fabulous paintings and our new home and giftware items. Keep an eye on our website for new products as it will be updated over the next week. On December 7 we will be open late for the Tetbury, Gloucestershire Christmas light party. As the main event is on our doorstop we're the perfect place to party while you shop. We'll be keeping things merry by serving wine, beer and cheeses.
On December 18 we will be holding another event as part of the Tetbury Edit collective - we'll be sharing more on that later.
Our last day of trading in the gallery is Saturday 23 December until 2 January. We can honour any websales over that period but please take into account post office opening times.
Bay Gallery Home is celebrating the start of Desert Mob this week with a painting by one of our favourite emerging artists whose work is reflected in our beautiful Cotswold Chrysanthemums. The Dreamtime story depicted in the painting is a Wardapi Jukurrpa or Goanna Dreaming. At the site where this story sits you'll find yellow & white ochre which is used for love potions and ceremonial purposes.
Desert Mob falls immediately after Darwin Art Fair both of which are important cultural events in the Indigenous art calendar. Bay Gallery Home proudly supports members of Desert Mob through our Tetbury gallery in the heart of the Cotswolds so drop in or visit us online to learn more.
Wardapi Jukurrpa by Ruth Nungarrayi 46cmx30cm acrylic on linen
Two of our beautiful Aboriginal paintings featured in the May edition of Period Living.
Please get in touch if you would like advice on Aboriginal paintings to suit the colour scheme and style for any room in your house. As you can see the Aboriginal paintings blend well in contemporary interiors within old Cotswold cottages bringing an ancient culture into your home.
In this painting, Betty Pulamorton is depicting her bushmedicine – bushtucker – and the country where her #dreamtime stories sit. Knowledge is shared through each generation via ceremonies, initiations, stories and more recently painting.
It was a much appreciated honour to attend Highgrove, HRH Prince Charles's Cotswolds residence, for drinks and canapés .
Prince Charles has always supported traditional Art projects through The Princes's School of Traditional Arts, and he is keenly aware of the challenges facing Aboriginal communities – in which respect the process of making Art and the income it provides plays a significant role.
