ContemporaryCountry

17/06/2026

Here is a preview of work by glass artist Stewart Hearn available to view and purchase at Woolmarket House or online now. Stewart will be exhibited alongside painter Lorraine Bewick this coming October in our Viewing Room.

Stewart's work demands high standards of design and exacting technical knowledge. Using traditional skills he interprets his contemporary visions and exhibits in many contexts and countries.

His level of excellence was acknowledged, when he was Winner of The Gold Medal at the third (Hejian) Craft Glass Creation & Design International Competition, in China. He also acts as a consultant for production and bespoke commissioning, contract work and restoration, making glass for others - some of whom have been clients for over 18 years.

Our current exhibition "Complicity" by environmental artist Liz McGowan until 4 July.

WOOLMARKET HOUSE
6 ST NICHOLAS STREET, PE30 1LY

OPEN
Wednesday to Friday 11am to 4pm
Saturdays: 11am to 2pm
and at other times by appointment

MORE: https://www.contemporaryandcountry.com/

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16/06/2026

16/06/2026

Complicity 1 was created in 2020 during the first period of lockdown during the COVID crisis and is created using lichen placed carefully onto chimney soot.

MEET LIZ McGOWAN
We are inviting people to come to Woolmarket House on Friday 26 June from 2.30pm. Please DM us or email us to book a place. [email protected]

Lichens are highly specialized symbiotic organisms (a partnership between fungi and algae) that colonize rock surfaces. They are incredibly resilient, slow-growing, and play a vital role in natural ecosystems by slowly breaking down rock and creating the initial layers of soil.

Liz 's focus is the meeting point between inner and outer landscapes, where personal creativity is given inspiration and form by those elements – stone, reed, tree, earth, tideline – that combine to form a landscape.

WOOLMARKET HOUSE
6 ST NICHOLAS STREET, PE30 1LY

OPEN
Wednesday to Friday 11am to 4pm
Saturdays: 11am to 2pm
and at other times by appointment

MORE: https://www.contemporaryandcountry.com/

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13/06/2026

Complicity 3, was created in 2022 and is sees Liz McGowan presenting rodent teeth/scapulae on chimney soot. Extracted from owl pellets left by birds nesting on her land, Liz presents this record of human and animal activities on the environment around her. These fragments are embedded into clinker to contrast the toxic waste from burning fossil fuel in her own fireplaces at home with the natural world surrounding her - often unseen.

Liz works with natural and found materials, creating responses to particular environments through installation, sculpture, drawing and conversation. Her focus is the meeting point between inner and outer landscapes, where personal creativity is given inspiration and form by those elements – stone, reed, tree, earth, tideline – that combine to form a landscape.

Also opening this month (opening 21 June) at Salthouse Church along the North Norfolk coast is another work "Asteroidea" by Liz McGowan and Margie Britz - see our blog for more details on this exciting event.

WOOLMARKET HOUSE
6 ST NICHOLAS STREET, PE30 1LY

OPEN
Wednesday to Friday 11am to 4pm
Saturdays: 11am to 2pm
and at other times by appointment

MORE: https://www.contemporaryandcountry.com/

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13/06/2026

Into the Mystic - A film about the life of Norfolk mystic Margery Kempe, giving fresh perspective to an influential fifteenth-century figure.

Currently in the final stages of production this summer, this new work has been written, directed and produced by and .walker . And it is being filmed by a talented group of Norfolk and London creatives who are often both crew and cast.

The film is part drama: adapted from her life at the turn of the c.15 and her meeting with the renowned anchoress, Julian of Norwich; and part documentary. It features Margery, dressed in white, wandering through the early period buildings of King’s Lynn, interspersed with interviews from locals and experts on Kempe.

Currently showing at Woolmarket House, King's Lynn:
LIZ McGOWAN environmental artist

WOOLMARKET HOUSE
6 ST NICHOLAS STREET, KING'S LYNN PE30 1LY

OPEN UNTIL 04 JULY
Wednesday to Friday 11am to 4pm
Saturdays: 11am to 2pm
and at other times by appointment

MORE: https://www.contemporaryandcountry.com/

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-Walley

12/06/2026

Norfolk artist Mary Naylor represents the Hansa League UK in exhibition that opened today in Poland (ends 30 June). All works - including Mary Naylor's painting - presented at the exhibition have been created for the HANSEartWORKS series and selected through an international competition. Each location in the New Hansa League - including King's Lynn, submitted a candidate, and Mary was chosen in response to the theme of water.

The river's symbol is present in Stargard's coat of arms, underscoring its importance to the city. The river is deeply rooted in the history of Hanseatic cities. Many of them were ports, and the Hansa's trade routes largely ran along waterways. The competition organisers wanted the theme of water to be not only a reference to the past, but also an inspiration for artists to speak out on contemporary issues, now. Water has always been a life-giving force, as well as a threat. Without water, the world and humanity cannot survive.

Currently showing at Woolmarket House, King's Lynn:
LIZ MCGOWAN presents "Complicity"

WOOLMARKET HOUSE
6 ST NICHOLAS STREET, KING'S LYNN PE30 1LY

ENDS 04 JULY
Wednesday to Friday 11am to 4pm
Saturdays: 11am to 2pm
and at other times by appointment

MORE: https://www.contemporaryandcountry.com/

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11/06/2026

Rosie Phillips has made the final cut for the prestigious Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026, due to open at the National Portrait Gallery, London

We knew Rosie would stand a good chance of getting into the final cut that was announced back in January for this extremely prestigious show. But that is no guarantee she would be selected.

Her successful entry was announced a while ago, but it is now close to the exhibition opening, so if you are in town, you have your opportunity to pop in to see this ever-popular show and take a look.
The award celebrates the best in contemporary portraiture. The exhibition has been long established. Artists explore both classical and innovative techniques that show the enduring relevance of portraiture internationally today.

See more of Rosie's work online

Currently showing
LIZ MCGOWAN environmental art

WOOLMARKET HOUSE
6 ST NICHOLAS STREET, KING'S LYNN PE30 1LY

OPEN
Wednesday to Friday 11am to 4pm
Saturdays: 11am to 2pm
and at other times by appointment

MORE: https://www.contemporaryandcountry.com/

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10/06/2026

Complicity 5 is a new work created by Liz McGowan for a new exhibition open at Woolmarket House, King's Lynn.
Created from natural materials picked up during a walk along the shoreline of North Norfolk. From sea urchin to crabs and other shellfish - an assemblage embedded into clinker to contrast the toxic waste from burning fossil fuel in her own fireplaces at home. .

This contrast of toxic soot with fragments of sea life makes us question our own associations with the environmental damage around us and much as a result of our own actions. Liz works with natural and found materials, creating responses to particular environments through installation, sculpture, drawing and conversation.Her focus is the meeting point between inner and outer landscapes, where personal creativity is given inspiration and form by those elements – stone, reed, tree, earth, tideline – that combine to form a landscape.

WOOLMARKET HOUSE
6 ST NICHOLAS STREET, PE30 1LY

OPEN
Wednesday to Friday 11am to 4pm
Saturdays: 11am to 2pm
and at other times by appointment

MORE: https://www.contemporaryandcountry.com/

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07/06/2026

Huge thank you to the 65+ people who came to celebrate the opening of our latest exhibition - Liz McGowan’s "Complicity" this past weekend at Woolmarket House, King's Lynn. This included an art appreciation group from Hunstanton and West Norfolk who dropped in first thing on Saturday morning. An additional 50+ collectors, fellow artists and friends were present in the late afternoon to hear from Liz herself who explained her process in putting this exquisite series of work together.

Liz discovered a small bag of clinker – crystallised soot from her chimney – sparkling, velvety black, at the back of a store room at home. This material created from the burning of fossil fuel at her home reminded Liz of her own complicity in the climate crisis. By applying delicate life forms from around her onto its surface – lichen, cobwebs, tiny rodents teeth/scapulae, and ground mussel shells she places flora and fauna on this noxious and poisonous material. See more details in our online showroom

ARTIST TALK
Liz McGowan will be at Woolmarket House from 2.30pm on Friday 26 June to talk to visitors about her work. Please DM or email us to confirm your place. Send an email to [email protected]

Open until 4 July at WOOLMARKET HOUSE
6 Saint Nicholas Street, King's Lynn PE30 1LY

Wednesday to Friday 11am to 4pm
Saturdays: 11am to 2pm
and at other times by appointment

MORE: https://www.contemporaryandcountry.com/

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03/06/2026

We are pleased to present Liz McGowan’s exhibition "Complicity" which has now opened to the public at Woolmarket House, King's Lynn. Ends 4 July, 2026. The nearest parking is a pay and display car park off Chapel Street, opposite the house - locate it using the postcode PE30 1EG

Liz began this work during lockdown in the early 2020s, a time when we all fell back on resources close to home. At the back of her store room she found a small bag of clinker – crystallised soot from her chimney – sparkling, velvety black, and at the same time poisonous, noxious. Liz decided to use it in order to put herself directly in front of her personal complicity in the climate crisis – by applying delicate life forms from around her onto its surface – lichen, cobwebs, tiny rodents teeth/scapulae, and ground mussel shells.

She describes her way of working as follows:

“I work in conversation with the Norfolk landscape, exploring the meeting points between inner and outer landscapes. My inspirations are the detail, pattern and processes – reed, mud, wind, wave, erosion, tideline – that combine to form a particular environment”

WOOLMARKET HOUSE
6 Saint Nicholas Street, King's Lynn PE30 1LY

Wednesday to Friday 11am to 4pm
Saturdays: 11am to 2pm
and at other times by appointment

MORE: https://www.contemporaryandcountry.com/

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