New Ashgate Gallery

07/06/2026

Roy Willingham RE is a printmaker whose work is driven by the pleasure of making and by the way images can hold ideas that words cannot always reach. His prints are open in meaning, allowing each viewer to find their own thoughts and associations within them.

In works such as "Evening V" (detail) and "Paesaggio Volterrano" (detail), Roy uses colour, shape and layered marks to suggest coastlines, hills, buildings, weather and changing light. The landscapes feel remembered as much as seen.

Roy studied painting and printmaking at the Central School of Art and Design and later at the Slade. His work is held in public collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Bodleian Library and the Ashmolean Museum.

See Roy’s work in The Art of Place: Royal Society of Printmakers RE at New Ashgate Gallery, until 27 June.

Free entry. Works available to buy.

https://www.newashgate.org.uk/shop_artists/15359/c/11/roy-willingham/print

06/06/2026

There is a small scene with a big story. Frans Wesselman RE makes limited edition etchings, woodcuts and linocuts centred on people, animals, relationships and the imagination. His work often feels like a story caught mid-moment.

In "Man, Donkey" and "Dog Training at Wuthering Heights" (detail), Frans brings together humour, tenderness and a slightly strange sense of theatre. A donkey, a man, and a group of dogs become more than figures in a scene. They suggest character and the drama of a big story.

Frans draws inspiration from observation, poetry, novels, Shakespeare and his own imagination.

See Frans’s work in The Art of Place: Royal Society of Printmakers RE at New Ashgate Gallery, until 27 June.

Free entry. Works available to buy.

https://www.newashgate.org.uk/shop_artists/11817/c/11/frans-wesselman/print

06/06/2026

Keep an eye out for the Farnham Craft Town tent popping up at public events and festivals all across town

Whether you’ve always wanted to try your hand at a new craft or just want to get stuck into something creative, New Ashgate has put together an incredible free programme for everyone to enjoy.

Event details at: https://www.newashgate.org.uk/about/craft-your-year-2026

05/06/2026

LAST CHANCE! Blink and you might miss them. Look closer and you will find tiny worlds cast in bronze.

Tomorrow is the final day to visit the Student Medal Project and discover artworks designed to be held, turned over and explored in the hand.

Small enough for your pocket. Remarkable enough to keep looking at.

Featuring work from students at University of Brighton, Falmouth University, University for the Creative Arts, Birmingham City University, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Central Lancashire, University of Wolverhampton and invited international academies.

Ends tomorrow, Saturday 6 June at New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham.

Presented by the British Art Medal Society with thanks to The Goldsmiths’ Company for their support.

05/06/2026

Open Studios are coming soon! Vote for your favourite artists for the Surrey Artists of the Year 2026 competition this September.

Step inside Surrey’s creative community this June. ✨️

Surrey Artists Open Studios returns from Saturday June 6 to Sunday June 21 for a free 16-day celebration of art and making across three weekends. 🥳

Explore some 152 working artists’ studios across Surrey and nearby villages - from garden studios and converted barns to shared creative spaces. 🏡

Meet the artists, watch live demonstrations, discover workshops, ask questions and buy original artwork directly from the makers. 🙌

From painting and ceramics to jewellery, textiles, photography and sculpture, there’s something to inspire every visitor. 💫

One of the South East’s largest open studios events, Surrey Artists' Open Studios offers a rare chance to experience the creative process up close and discover extraordinary artistic talent on your doorstep. 🥰

Who's on your must-visit list this year? Look out for the orange signs! 🎨🖼🧡

www.visitsurrey.com/event/surrey-artists-open-studios-2026/286262101

04/06/2026

Dusk, drawing and the strange poetry of place.

Desmond Healy ARE makes etchings rooted in direct observation and the shifting atmosphere of dusk. Drawn on site, straight onto the plate at Hampstead Heath and Primrose Hill, his works capture the moment when light fades, shadows lengthen and forms begin to merge.

In Between the Trees and The End of Summer, Desmond moves beyond fixed description. The landscape becomes soft-edged, uncertain and charged with mood.

The intaglio process is central to the work. Wax, metal, acid, ink and paper all play a part, allowing the image to shift through both control and chance.

See Desmond’s work in The Art of Place: Royal Society of Printmakers RE at New Ashgate Gallery, until 27 June.

Free entry. Works available to buy.

https://www.newashgate.org.uk/shop_artists/15357/c/11/desmond-healy/print

03/06/2026

Last chance to visit — ends this Saturday, 6 June 🥉 The British Art Medal Society Annual Student Medal Project is only at New Ashgate Gallery for a few more days.

Now in its 33rd year, this national project brings together medals by students from leading UK art schools and invited international academies. Each medal is a small, two-sided bronze artwork, made to be held in the hand and read slowly as it turns.
Expect lost-wax casting, bas-relief, sharp ideas and remarkable detail. Subjects range from landscape and mythology to memory, ecology and personal experience.

The exhibition also includes selected works by artists from the BAMS New Medallist Scheme. These medals are available to buy, offering collectors a rare chance to own original bronze work at an accessible scale.

Visit before Saturday 6 June.

Organised by the British Art Medal Society. Student Medal Project supported by the Goldsmiths’ Centre.

New Medallist Scheme supported by the Belvedere Trust.

Hosted by New Ashgate Gallery.

02/06/2026

A first look at our marionette-making workshop at the Hale Community Centre.

Organised by New Ashgate Gallery and led by artist Alicia Britt, this Surrey Craft Legacies workshop introduced participants to traditional puppet-making skills through hands-on making, character design and storytelling.

The workshop was delivered in partnership with DAiSY and filmed by Sophie Ward.

The project continues in our forthcoming Surrey Craft Legacies exhibition at New Ashgate Gallery, opening on 4th July.

Surrey Craft Legacies: Heritage and Endangered Skills, Living Traditions is funded by the Community Foundation for Surrey and made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

02/06/2026

Become an Ashgate Angel and enjoy exclusive benefits while supporting artists, free exhibitions and creative opportunities in our community.

Members receive:
• 10% off art and craft purchases
• Invitations to Private Views and artist events
• Priority access to selected workshops
• 10% discounts with local businesses including Thebulbshed, Via Leone, Barista Lounge, Castle and Fine Framing Alton

Find out more and download the membership form:
https://mailchi.mp/ac42a6b9a8e2/angels

Image: Ashman Margaret, 'Angelus 1', on display in the gallery as part of 'The Art of Place' exhibition with the Royal Society of Printmakers.

02/06/2026

Applications for Farnham October Craft Month 2026 are OPEN!