Jonathan Walton is a Leeds-based artist working in acrylics, painting on hessian mounted board.

I started painting commissions around 15 years ago, however more recently I have been producing my own quirky portraits and urban nostalgic street scenes. I have been influenced by my father Stuart Walton who produced hundreds of paintings depicting northern gritty street scenes.

Open 5pm-9pm   

Contemporary scenes from Yorkshire. Landscapes and town scenes documenting different stories in the life of our great county. People are always present, apart from one exception (a very special dog).

Used to work as a journalist on BBC Radio Leeds but had to retire after mental health difficulties caused by reporting the pandemic. Art turned out to be my life-saver and allows me to continue observing life, just in a different way.

Open 5pm-9pm   

The Art House is thrilled to present Nature: Sensory, an exhibition that reimagines how we experience the environment. Moving beyond the visual, the show invites audiences to engage with nature through alternative senses such as touch and movement. Featuring work by disabled artists and those living with long-term health conditions, the exhibition offers fresh, unique interpretations of Wakefield’s green spaces. Through their responses to the theme Nature:Sensory, the artists challenge traditional perceptions of landscape, revealing unexpected and thought-provoking perspectives.

You can find out more about Nature Sensory on Instagram @naturesensorywakefield

Featuring artists Amelia Baron, Jessie Davies, Helen Thomas, Sam Metz and Michelle Duxbury, Nature: Sensory is funded with a Culture Grant by Wakefield Council as part of Our Year – Wakefield District 2024, and supported by The Art House.

Open 5pm-8pm   
More details at https://the-arthouse.org.uk/exhibitions/naturesensory/

The Art House Studio and Gallery of Sanctuary offers people in the asylum process the opportunity to reconnect with their creativity and their artistic backgrounds.

All the works have been made from donated or recycled materials. Some of the exhibitors have been professionals in varying art fields and others practice different arts for pleasure.

The Art House will display various artworks in Studio 3, which is at the rear of the building on Mulberry Way.

People displaying work will include:

Mehrdad – practices Persian Calligraphy

Mohammad – enjoys portraiture

Biniam – is a young self-taught sketch artist

Bryam Mucheriwa – has been in the asylum process for many years and is displaying trees from his ‘Long Walk’ artwork

Studio 3   
Open 5pm-8pm   

The Wakefield Railway Modellers Society is building a model of Newland Basin at Stanley Ferry on the Aire & Calder Navigation. The development and use of the waterway as a route for the transport of goods is an important part of local history, and is still remembered by many today. The Navigation was used extensively from the 1830’s to the 1980’s, principally to take coal from West Yorkshire collieries to the Port of Goole for export to Europe. Coal was moved in compartment boats colloquially known as ‘Tom Puddings’. Each could take about 40 tons of coal. About 20 of these would be tied together and towed by a steam powered tug to the Port of Goole. Here, specially designed hoists would bodily lift the Tom Puddings into the air and discharge their contents into the holds of sea-going ships. Normally, these were loaded from waterside staithes, but the St John’s colliery of Normanton did something different. The boats were taken over a mile by rail on special bogies to be filled at the pithead and then returned to the water at Stanley Ferry.

Open 5pm-9pm   

10 YEARS EXHIBITION (A CONTINUATION)
10 Years and Beyond

Last quarter in November 2024, Robert P. Clarke exhibited his digital and photographic canvases as part of the Artwalk at Wetherspoons Six Chimneys. For this January Artwalk 2025, Clarke will be responding to some of those older pieces to create new works.

“I am a new media artist using photography, video, sound, digital media, drawing and performance. My main influences are figurative works, everyday life and capturing a moment or action”.

The artist has exhibited widely in the United Kingdom in Galleries over the last 35 years and has been published internationally in art books and produced self-published books.

Included in this Exhibition will be Rob C Poetry Half Hour at 7pm followed by the launch of a new book related to the Exhibition, with book signings throughout the evening.

Anyone wanting an open mic poetry slot as part of Rob C Poetry Half Hour please email create@artcollab.co.uk.

Project Space   
Open 5pm-9pm   

Introducing Paint 'n Prattle, a group of six local artists who meet weekly to paint and chat about all sorts, along with a cuppa and a biscuit and some great music.
Come and meet Steve, Rob, Andy, Brian, Janice and Linda to see what we get up to on Wednesday evenings.

Studio A1   
Open 5pm-9pm   

Join us at Empath Theatre CIC's studio (Studio A4 at Westgate Studios) for an exhibition of readings, artistic work and live performances that give an insight into the complicated history of the West Yorkshire Pauper Lunatic Asylum. Shows will be on at 5:30 and 7:30pm.

Humanising Mental Health is made possible with a Culture Grant from Wakefield Council and Live Well Wakefield's small grants.

Studio A4   
Open 5pm-8pm   

New and old work form the studio.

Studio B13   
Open 5pm-9pm   

Roger paints images of picnic tables in oil on canvas and recently he has been painting images on dinner plates. A number of his works were in a joint show at Dean Clough, Halifax until January 2025.

Studio B15   
Open 5pm-9pm   

Join us at The Art Exchange CIC for an enchanting exhibition showcasing the unique and imaginative "Trees for Life" created by the talented young artists of our Home Ed Adventures and After School Adventures programs.

These extraordinary creations, crafted by children aged 5 to 16, explore the beauty and diversity of nature through the art of assemblage. Using a variety of materials, each student has brought their own unique vision to life, resulting in a captivating collection of artistic expressions.

Studio B5   
Open 5pm-8pm   

Charcoal drawings and paintings of faces and figures, featuring completed pieces and works-in-progress.

Studio C5   
Open 5pm-9pm   

New work in progress, plus exciting news about upcoming gallery-based studio sale.

Studio C7   
Open 5pm-9pm   

I’ll be opening Studio C8, looking at framing and display. Coffee at 8pm after CoffeeWrite has closed. You’ll love it!

Studio C8   
Open 5pm-9pm   

The Polka Hop main wall, becomes your sketch pad. It's a place to doodle, sketch, write, stamp, stick, and create. Come along anytime between Wednesday 15th and the end of Artwalk day (29th) and art our wall 'till your heart's content! We'll provide pencils, pens, markers & crayons.

Don't just look at the art, be the art!

Main Wall   
Open 12pm-11pm   

Local artist Marie Keen works from a studio at Westgate Studios and has spent the last year experimenting with mediums, subjects and techniques. Her new exhibition at CoffeeWrite will bring together a range of pieces from recent months and may even provide hints about where her practice is heading next.

Open 5pm-8pm   

CoActive Arts is a charity that supports developing artists with learning disabilities. 2024 was our 20th Anniversary year.

As part of our celebrations created a CoActive Chimera (a creature made up of a number of other animals characteristics), this creature is a self portrait of CoActive Arts. The creatures represented in the Chimera express how we see ourselves as CoActive Arts. The creature is a puppet, it has been created using willow and paper and will be illuminated from within. The creatures you may be able to spot in the Chimera are: a dog - representing loyalty, friendship, kindness, exuberance; a dragon - representing creativity, imagination and magic; a butterfly - representing transformation, change and flight; a phoenix - representing rebirth, new beginnings and hope out of difficulty. Alongside our Chimera we will be exhibiting abstract lantern figures in sets of three. This is inspired by our logo of three dancing figures. We developed these shapes from our life drawings of our CoActive dancers.

Open 5pm-8pm   

The Geoturk is a combined hand painting and screen printing on fabric, which was then stitched over intricate laser cut plywood forms. The colourful pieces also incorporate lighting which echoes the bright colours of the textile designs.

This installation brings together concepts of nature, peace and freedom, and is informed by the recent studies of Islamic art and Turkish patterns. The motifs have been developed from the recent large scale mural at Urban House.

This exhibition was up on the Red Box last May in Horbury and now in Wakefield city centre.

Open 5:30pm-late   

The windows of disability arts commissioner Unlimited's new home at WX displays a vision of hope at a time when global challenges - from military conflicts to the climate crisis to the cost-of-living pressures - feel overwhelming.

Artists Katherina Radeva (originally from Bulgaria, now living in Scotland), Alister Lownie (Scotland) of Two Destination Language, along with Nadia Sokolenko (Ukraine) worked with The Art House’s Studio of Sanctuary to craft this series of banners. They invite us to reflect on hope in all its forms. What do we hope for? What might hope look like? How do we nurture it in ourselves and others?

The installation transforms these shared visions into an artwork that celebrates hope as a vital force. From everyday aspirations to dreams for a better world, it’s a moment to pause, reflect, and connect.

The exhibition is to be viewed from the outside so wrap up warm - cupcakes will be available to entice Artwalkers to brave the January temperatures! (standard, vegan and gluten free available).

Open Exhibition lit 4pm-12 midnight. Cupcakes available 5-7pm.   

A large scale 2m by 4m tall depictions of Wakefield's iconic skyline done in layers of mosaic, fabric and paint. 250 people contributed to the project from all over the Wakefield District from 5yrs to 83yrs old.

Reception   
Open 5:30pm-8:30pm   

We will be making Victorian Rose Pouches in The Hidden Gem shop 5.30 pm till 7 pm, and from 7 pm till 8 pm there will be a short story reading written by Gaynor Haycock

There are also history boards in the entrance to The Old Vicarage which tell you a bit about the history of the building and the surrounding area.

Refreshments will be made available in The Hidden Gem shop which is located next door to the Skate Shop within The Old Vicarage.

The Hidden Gem   
Open 5pm-8pm   

Dave worked as a coal face worker and later became a Deputy at Fryston Colliery, Castleford. His work is greatly influenced from his underground memories and experiences in the coal mines. Much of his prints reflect industrial life. He has a strong theme of industrial landscape, mixing the northern landscapes of mines, factories, terrace housing, mills, hill and dales along with finding inspiration from his home town of Castleford.

Open 5pm-9pm   

Mikey3D is an innovative artist who transforms the traditional creative process into a collaborative experience.

Through live streaming on social media, I invite viewers to actively participate in the creation of my art by choosing elements such as the orientation, colours, paint quantities, and even the unconventional tools used, like rolling pins, spoons, or sponges. Rejecting the typical methods of a paintbrush, I thrive on the unpredictable nature of my work, with each piece evolving in real-time based on the input of my audience. This dynamic, interactive approach to art challenges the boundaries between artist and viewer, fostering a unique connection and allowing each piece to take on a life of its own. Embracing spontaneity and collaboration, my work is a reflection of the shared energy and creativity of the online community that helps shape it.

Open 5pm-9pm   

Julie Dawson Gledhill displays an acrylic painting on canvas. At 3ft x 2ft, the painting features Qubana and George and Crown Yard, Wakefield.

Open 5pm-9pm   

An opportunity to view images taken by our members as well as a chance to find out more about our club and what we do. Club members will be on hand to answer questions about photography, our Club and the images on display.

Open 5pm-8pm   

My pieces explore how we view floral imagery in a sensual way, I've also referenced feminity. I like observing now people view and interpret art. This may include hanging pieces and some flower canvases.

Open 5pm-9pm   

This artwork represents front covers of CDs/vinyls/magazines using colour research and bold designs. They express how music can act as a therapy for humans to rely upon within their personal interests, including photography aspects.

Photography Studio   
Open 5pm-7pm