Bay Gallery Home won the Fabric award!

Thank you to everyone who voted for us! A whopping 84,000 votes were cast across the categories and on Friday night the ‘My Country’ Aboriginal fabric collection was awarded the Fabric Award.

The Central Desert Aboriginal artists whose paintings we draw on for the designs are the winners of this award too, we can’t thank them enough for the privilege to work with them.

The skill of British designers and manufacturers also made this collection possible. Cheers to their perseverance in turning paintings into repeat patterns!

Design et al organised a wonderful award evening and we had a ball with those who joined us on table 21!

Alexandra from Bay Gallery Home wearing a custom made jumpsuit using ‘Ruth Blue’ velvet from a painting by Central Desert Aboriginal artist Ruth Nungarrayi Spencer.

Outback and Bay Gallery Home News

Image is from ABC News website see link below.

Sitting in my gallery, immersed in the rich beauty that has been generated by a community of Aboriginal artists far away in the Central Australian Desert I’ve received news from the other side of the world that the area where my artists live has been cut off by flooding. The sudden and often brutal monsoons that strike at this time of year are expected - it’s the wet season there - but this one has been more severe than usual.

Although I have made many trips to the Outback, the challenges these incredibly talented people have to overcome to make their work is never far from my mind.

This region has been left completely cut off for a week now. The dirt roads are under too much water for even the most robust vehicles to use, leaving those living there with dwindling supplies including food and, in the midst of their first Covid cases, vital medical supplies. The current situation has been described by local officials as “absolutely dire”.

At the community health clinic, there are just five medical staff to treat 600 patients. In recent days, they have had to handle three emergencies, including a birth, without access to Royal Flying Doctor Service support as the airstrip is completely inundated with water - it looks like a river.

From our gallery 12,000 miles away in Tetbury, we help support the Aboriginal art communities, as do many galleries across Australia and around the world, through the sale of the paintings, our ‘My Country’ interiors collection, homewares and accessories. This week we are excited to share our fabulous new rectangular cushions that have landed oh-so-softly in the gallery.

The limited run of locally-made soft furnishings, featuring the work of major art prize-winning Betty Pula Morton, Rosie Ngwarraye Ross, Melita Pitjara Morton (already sold out), Ruth Nungarrayi Spencer are plumped up and ready to go. You can see the collection on our Cushion page.

Over the weekend drop by our gallery and see what our artists are achieving in often very difficult circumstances. You’ll be as awestruck as I am every day.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-31/utopia-region-battles-covid-19-outbreaks-floods-no-phones/100790440

That's a Christmas wrap! Closed for Christmas 23-29 December

Alana Pink wallpaper from a painting by Alana Ngwarraye Holmes.

Merry Christmas everyone!

After spending a few hours battling to upload a more Chistmassy shot we’ve admitted defeat and thought I’d share this with you instead.

Our gallery started in Tetbury six years ago with business slowly but steadily developing. This photo is from the early days, the image I was trying to share is much busier with the space filled with lengths of fabrics, cushions, pouffes, lamp shades, wallpapers and rugs from our ‘My Country’ Aboriginal interiors collection. Please go to our Instagram feed @baygalleryhome to see it.

Bay Gallery Home wishes you a happy and safe holiday period. It’s a tough time for many of us but together we will get through it and hopefully 2022 will see Covid erradicated. We open by appointment 23, 24, 27, 28 December. Between 29th December to 3rd January we will in but working limited hours. All online orders will be fullfilled postal hours allowing

Thank you all for supporting Bay Gallery Home, the artists we represent and all the other businesses our gallery works with, it really means the world to us.

Hope to see you in the New Year.

x

Christmas Gift ideas - 'My Country' Aboriginal art cushions!

At Bay Gallery Home our gorgeous ‘My Country’ cushions are flying out the door with Christmas orders for them flying in.

Infused with 70,000 years of ancient culture our cushions bring you back to a place where our connection to earths natural beauty is freshly appreciated. Our cushions designs are translations of Aboriginal creation myths, law, topographical mapping, bush medicine and bush tucker. As each one is translated from Aboriginal paintings you are, in essence, buying an artwork while supporting the Central Desert artists and communities we represent.

The fabric collection comes in 12 different designs seven of which match our wallpapers. You can choose between cotton velvet, poly velvet, avanti linen and cotton fabrics in any of the designs. They are available ready made in 50x50cm, 40x40cm and various sized bolsters all with hidden zippers and feather or poly infills. Or you can order bespoke cushions.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing more Christmas ideas with you including our wonderful upside down umbrellas which are perfect gifts for the people with everything!

Please get in touch with alexandra@baygalleryhome.com or call 077776 157 066 for more information regarding our cushions or making service.

EC Collective Australian Distributors of Bay Gallery Home's 'Alana Pink' fabric

EC Collective, part of fabric and wallpaper house Elliott Clarke selected our ‘My Country’ fabric and wallpaper collection to join their artisanal design stable. Australian’s looking to source our products in Australia can use our website as a tool for the various fabric bases available and order them through Elliott Clarke. Wallpaper stock is held in Australia and can be sent out the within a day or two of your order.

Alana Pink is from an original artwork by Alana Ngwarraye Holmes who paints her Country in the Central Australian desert. Bay Gallery Home went out to the Communities we represent in the Central Desert to seek permission to translate artists paintings onto fabrics and wallpaper. They receive a royalty from the sale of each of our products benefiting them, the community and maintaining the art centre.

The fabric colour may differ dependent on the device you are viewing it on.

If you have any questions please get in touch with alexandra@baygalleryhome.com

Bay Gallery Home has reopened!

Bay Gallery Home is very excited to welcome people back into our gallery now the lockdown has finally ended for non-essential retail.

This lockdown was harder than previous ones as we barely recovered from the Summer one before being thrust into the next two so it’s with great relief we can reopen giving you the opportunity to see the beautiful paintings we have imported during lockdown in the flesh.

We’ve also used the time we’ve been shut to make more velvet cushions and pouffes. You are going to love them! They feel and look amazing.

Come and feast your eyes on artwork by the oldest continuous race in the world. Indigenous communities across the world were particularly under threat from Covid but as the communities closed, very early on in the pandemic, across Australia they remained safe and in good health. The art centres are cautiously reopening so we’ll have more work arriving over the next couple of months.

Wishing you all the best and look forward to seeing old and new faces in our Tetbury, Cotswolds gallery.

Keep your eyes peeled for fabulous New Art as we are listing paintings

Shorty Jangala Robertson, Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming) this magnificent Shorty has hit the market and we are in the enviable position of having secured it to sell through our gallery.

In preparation for our reopening we have many new paintings winging their way from the Central Australia Desert to our Tetbury Aboriginal art gallery. If you like what you see online don’t miss out as on our last reopening the paintings were snapped up! We send our works ready to hang all over the world via Parcelforce and DHL .

There’s more going up each day on the website. Some will also feature on our Twitter and Instagram feed.

We can’t tell you how excited about having lovely clients back in Bay Gallery Home on 12 April.

'My Country' wallpapers bring Spring to your home

In the UK Spring has arrived with lambs tripping across daffodiled fields. To bring some of that beautiful outside spirit in your home our Joycie Yellow is the perfect choice. Joycie Yellow is often used to brighten bathrooms and kitchens. The many colours artist Joycie Pitjara Morton used in the original painting have translated splendidly onto the wallpaper. The oranges and greens pop depending on the light and angle its viewed at so there’s endless choices of fabric colours for blinds or other soft furnishings you can pair it with - including our own fabric collection. Or you can opt for one of our other ‘My Country’ wallpapers which are equally as endearing with their depictions of sacred outback Australian land.

Our wallpapers suit many residential and commercial projects and have been used across the world in English period homes, French chateus , and contemporary houses who’ve opted for minimalism but needing a pop of colour and design with soul.

What’s your favourite?

Stock is held in Australia so if you’re an Australian customer please be assured your ordered will be sent from there. If you contact us and you don’t get a reply please check your Spam. We always reply immediately.

Lockdown 0.3 - here we go again!

Our Ruth Red Goanna Dreaming velvet cushion on one of the amazing sofas you can find at Treacle George in Tetbury, the Cotswolds.

Sadly we have had to close our doors again but we’re still trading online and by appointment during this winter lockdown. If you follow the gallery safety protocols you can pick up any purchases safely or we can send them to you via Royal Mail, Parcelforce or DHL.

Please keep an eye for new paintings on the website and Instagram, you’ll also be able to see new developments in the ‘My Country’ collection. Our made in Britain new cushion collection is online and we’ve uploaded photos of our made to order ottomans. Fabric is available by the metre so if you want to practice your upholstery or sewing skills we have beautiful fabrics in the gallery you can’t get anywhere else.

Don’t forget Tetbury’s small independent shops during this lockdown. We’re all working so hard to bring you things of beauty you can’t get anywhere else.

We watched with horror as the queue snaked down the road from the post office as people returned lockdown purchases to Amazon. Please shop locally and/or from independents across the UK.

More paintings have arrived!

On our website you can see new paintings by some of our many talented artists. They arrived yesterday and we sold one this morning so if you have your heart set on any of the paintings please don’t delay in ordering it.

The pandemic has forced people to reassess their lives in many ways. In the gallery we are finding people wanting to cover their walls in meaningful, exuberant art after staring at them for so long during lock downs across the world. As such we’ve selected artworks which keep you captivated letting your eyes wander aimlessly across the canvas. The new selection is a mixture of bold blues, oranges, greens and reds for those that need an uplift during Zoom calls or afternoons with the children. We’ve also catered for people who need a calming influence after a stressful day with pastel blue, pinks, browns and yellows.

The Aboriginal people have suffered so much but remain incredibly resilient. It serves as an inspiration to us every day to do the best under the circumstances - we’re hoping that the artwork will serve as uplifting inspiration to you too.

Room Style Directions: ABORIGINAL BOTANICAL with Telescope Style

Sugarbag Dreaming by Rosemary Ngwarraye Ross as featured in this months Telescope Style Newsletter

A lush and verdant Australian Aboriginal art canvas provided the inspiration for this room scheme style direction. Blues and greens should ALWAYS be seen, especially against a restful, neutral backdrop with lively pink accents!

Take your cue from any global style – and avoid the dreaded ‘themed room’ – by juxtaposing authentic elements of pattern, colour and form with sleek, modern shapes and materials. Whether your budget stretches to designer pieces or thrift shopping rules – follow the pointers below for a look that is directional and full of personality, yet won’t date.’

Create a calm, pared back space with culturally-infused colour that zings!

1. Start with the art… 

We fell in love with this large scale, original, Australian, Aboriginal art canvas sold amongst many other canvases, by one of our suppliers, Bay Gallery Home. We decided to use it as the starting point for a room scheme. What appealed most was the combination of lush botanical detailing (up close the brushwork on these artworks is just breathtaking) with a lively, verdant colour palette. Vibrant limes, jungle greens, sky blue and pretty shades of pink all accented by electric blue convey the colours of the native Australian flora as seen through Aboriginal eyes.

To read more about how to achieve the perfect themed room follow the link to:

https://www.telescopestyle.com/australian-aboriginal-art/

Thank you to our visitors since we reopened

It’s great to be open again! Yesterday was especially fun and our ‘My Country’ facemasks were flying out the door. Thank you to all those who have visited us over the last two weeks.

Bay Gallery Home has been busy making more small lavender pillows after sending some out to the Neuro Critical Care Unit in Addenbrooks Hospital, Cambridge. We have begun work on a larger lavender pillows so let us know which fabric you’d like it made with via email: alexandra@baygalleryhome.com and we’ll send one out to you. The small lavender pillows are £10 and larger ones £25.

Our protective system for customers is working well so please drop in assured you’ll be safe if you follow the guidelines on the door.

Bay Gallery Home reopening Monday 15 June 2020

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.

Brands To Love: A Stunning Home Collection by Aboriginal Artists by Patricia Martin

Patricia Martin is an American author, speaker, and analyst who tracks changes in the culture who recently featured Bay Gallery Home in her blog: Brands To Love.

Posted by  Patricia Martin 

http://patricia-martin.com

Good art is redemptive; just looking at it lights the lamp from within. When a brand meets that standard, it deserves a good long look.

Founded in 2008, Bay Gallery Home was started by former journalist, Alexandra O’Brien. She emigrated from the UK to Australia when she was four, before returning to England 20 years later. The gallery is nestled in the English Cotswolds in Gloucestershire and represents a range of artists from the communities of Australia’s Northern Territory. Featuring a breadth of works by emerging talent, as well as established artists, prices reflect that range from just over $200 to $5,000 US.

The award-winning My Country home collection, provides revenue streams for indigenous artists while expanding global awareness for their art. And oh, the art translated onto these wallpapers and fabrics is alive with flora and wild animals. Bold, beautiful abstracts drawn from Aboriginal mythology and culture explode with colors and patterns from the Australian outback, a place that stubbornly sits on my bucket list. Ms. O’Brien’s passionate approach is living proof that a visionary brand can deliver meaningful value to artists and their communities and everyone prospers. Sublime!

Take a look at Bay Gallery Home’s Australian Aboriginal art, ceramics, wallpaper here: baygalleryhome.com

Artist’s work featured in photo: Daisy Kemarre Turner

Photo Credit: Adam Carter Photography

'Stay Alert' - how to buy from Bay Gallery Home in the new lock down phase

Our Bush Onion cotton velvet floor cushion sits on our Water Dreaming wool rug.

Bay Gallery Home is hoping everyone is well and stays safe as the UK emerges from lockdown. As a gallery we’re in a grey area as to opening but each day I’m working in the gallery space (with no commute) so our products continue to be sent out via the post office and DHL. Everything is online so you can peruse the paintings, giftware, accessories and our award winning ‘My Country’ interiors collection then pick your choice up from the gallery (contactless) or it can be sent out.

We’ve noticed across Twitter and Instagram there’s been lots of lock down birthdays so you can choose something soulful and unique from Bay Gallery Home for your loved ones and friends.

Please get in touch via email or call Alexandra on 07776 157 066 with any queries.

Covid-19 update

Bay Gallery Home wants to reassure you that over the coming months, while the world deals with this dreadful pandemic that our gallery will stay open until the authorities tell us otherwise. Online orders will be fulfilled while the post office remains open. DHL has assured us that they will maintaining their delivery service for the foreseeable future. If circumstances change will let you know via the Blog, Instagram and Twitter feeds.

Sadly one our art centres has been forced to close so there will be no new works from them until the danger of infection has passed. We will post images of our latest shipment from them on our Instagram and Twitter accounts @baygalleryhome .

We hope that you all stay in good health and wish those affected a speedy recovery. If you have elderly relatives in the Gloucestershire area who need anything from the shops and you can’t get to your relatives please get in touch and we will try to help.

Wishing you all the best

Bay Gallery Home

Rubbish Art - beware buying fake, appropriated or sweatshop Aboriginal art

Athena Nangala Granites, Yanjirlpirri or Napaljarri-Warnu Jukurrpa, (Star or Seven Sisters Dreaming)

Bay Gallery Home often gets approached with people wanting to us to sell Aboriginal paintings they’ve bought. Sadly time and time again we have to inform them that the paintings, despite having [questionable] certificates of authenticity, are from disreputable sources. Most likely they are fake or they have been acquired under sweatshop conditions. Aboriginal artists are particularly vulnerable if they are not working within the protection of an Aboriginal owned art centre.

Bay Gallery Home won’t deal on the secondary market as we only work with art centres ensuring the artists are renumerated for the paintings we sell. We’ve been wanting to write this blog for sometime as it’s evident questionable works are making it into the UK market. There are several reputable dealers in the UK so if you want an authentic work please approach any of us so we can ensure you have a work you can be confident is genuine, you can resell and that you are assured the artist will be compensated for their work.

To help you work out how to buy good Aboriginal art not “rubbish art”:

1. Look up address of gallery and thoroughly go through their website. Many of the questionable paintings or “rubbish art” we are offered are for sale with only a PO Box as the address. Sometimes the sellers name alerts me that something is up. In the 15 years I’ve been dealing Aboriginal art I’ve never come across a gallery operating under the name or the dealers name appearing on the certificates I’ve been shown. Look carefully at the photo of the artist on the certificate. Does the artist look happy? I’ve been shown certificates where the artist clearly looks distressed, others where the artists head doesn’t even appear in the picture. Sometimes the background itself is distressing - a dirty bit of carpet they’ve been sitting on for hours painting an artwork surrounded by shopping trolleys out the back of a building. These should all ring alarm bells.

2. You may be offered paintings by carpetbaggers. Carpetbaggers are people who approach artists and offer them very little money for the paintings then go on to sell them for a large profit. Often these people were professionals who came into contact with Aboriginal communities through their work. The prevalence of carpetbagging is one of the reasons art centres were established.

3. The works should be on good quality linen. If the work is painted black to the edge and the “canvas” feels plastic then it’s best avoided. Art centres do not offer paintings like that. In the past we have been offered paintings like this and could not authentic where or by who they were painted.

4. Beware of sheer bulk of work offered. If you are offered a choice of hundreds of paintings (remember the ones on a plastic feeling canvas) approach with care. Many of the Aboriginal communities are small with 30-150 artists painting at any one time. These works are then chosen by established galleries around the world.

5. If you want an Aboriginal painting try to buy one from a gallery with bricks and mortar not just an online presence. You should be able to see and feel the painting. Ask lots of questions about the stories behind the painting, the artist and the community. A legitimate Aboriginal art dealer will be able to answer all your questions as well as offer you anecdotal stories because they have been to the art centres and met the bulk of artists they represent.

6. Ochre paintings have employed “chemical fingerprints” so as to identify works produced by Aboriginal artists (ochres are mainly used by artists in the Kimberly region). The chemical is mixed with the paint so as to distinguish authentic art from imported art done by non-Aborignal artists.

7. Sometimes people comment that our paintings aren’t perfect. Funnily enough imperfections are what you are looking for in Aboriginal art. Many of our paintings will have bits of the desert in them, human or dog hair and we’ve even had one with tomato seeds! Dogs are central to Aboriginal communities and form an important part of art centre life so are often sitting close to the artists so it’s no surprise their hair makes it into some of the work. While the artists are incredibly gifted with geometric patterns if you have a work that’s gone slightly awry then it’s more likely authentic.

8. Steer clear of sites like eBay where a lot of fakes or paintings done under duress are offered.

9. Cultural appropriation is a major threat to the authentic Aboriginal art industry. Moves have been taken to curtail this, like the Australian Government initiative  ‘Fake Art Harms Culture’, but we ask you to be mindful when buying didgeridoos, boomerangs, digging sticks etc. A lot of these are imported from Indonesia and China. A shocking example of this in the UK was a fake work used in Ricky Gervais’s tv show After Life. The painting used was a copy of a painting by Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, Tingarri Dreaming (1987). Derek Productions, Gervais’s production company has since paid compensation to the artist and obtained a retrospective license to use the painting. Timna Woollard, the artist commissioned to copy the original art work has said to was among those commissioned for a UK television and prop company in 1989.

The List - House & Garden

Bay Gallery Home is hugely honoured to be included in the interior design industry bible, House & Garden The List. This is the first time an Aboriginal art gallery or interiors collection, has ever featured on The List so we feel like we’ve really achieved something special on behalf of Aboriginal artists. Hopefully this will pave the way for more Aboriginal designs to be explored and used within interior design. Our ‘My Country’ interiors collection is manufactured in the UK as we also wanted to support the British manufacturing industry.

Bay Gallery Home has achieved it’s goal of getting Aboriginal interiors on the world stage but we always need the support of our clients to help it grow so please keep supporting Bay Gallery Home and the Artists we represent by visiting us online or at our Gloucestershire gallery.

You can go click on the link to see our listing.

https://thelist.houseandgarden.com/united-kingdom/gloucestershire/service/bay-gallery-home

New Products arrive at Bay Gallery Home

Alma Nungarrayi Granites, Seven Sisters Dreaming umbrella

Amongst some of the fantastic new products we just had delivered are the Aboriginal design umbrellas. There’s four in the collection: Alma Nungarrayi Granites, Ruth Napaljarri Stewart, Theo Faye Nangala Hudson, Judith Napangardi Watson.

The umbrellas are a beautiful quality with a handle you can hang from your arm, buggy or walking aid. It also stands alone leaving no need for a ‘brolly bucket’ when you’re out shopping.

The umbrellas are available from Bay Gallery Home in Tetbury, Gloucestershire or online at www.baygalleryhome.com

Australian Catastrophe 2020

View of Country, Margaret Ngwarraye Long

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