It is our ambition that the North York Moors is a place where creativity thrives for the benefit of the environment, communities, and the nation.
The North York Moors, so dramatic, so varied, is a magnet for artists and makers who have made it their home, capturing the natural beauty, changing light and seasons in a variety of media, be it panoramic vistas and seascapes, powerful photography, unique ceramics, or colourful textiles.
From nineteenth century authors Lewis Carroll to best-selling author Philippa Gregory and internationally renowned artists Laura Knight, George Weatherill, and Gillies Jones all have used the landscape as a source of creativity.
Today, the North York Moors is home to many artists and creative professionals.
Artists
There’s something deeply personal about the way inspiration strikes – and about the direction it can take an artist. For example, the gorgeous handcrafted bowls by artisan glassmakers Gillies Jones might seem entirely unrelated, but each shows a clear and deep affinity for the Moors and its natural forms. For Stephen Gillies and Kate Jones, their art continues a glass-making tradition in Rosedale Abbey that dates back to Elizabethan times, when French Huguenot glass-workers fled religious persecution to settle in rural English dales to continue their trade.
It's a who's who of internationally and nationally renowned and established painters residing here. Based high on the cliffs at Boulby, Len Tabner, an en plein air master creates his elemental works outside, capturing the ever changing power of the sea and the raw landscapes surrounding him.
Work by William Tillyer is found in galleries across the world, but whether working in America, Italy, France or Australia, the North York Moors have never been far from Tillyer’s heart – or from his art. It’s a landscape that forms part of Tillyer’s everyday life, one where – according to the artist – “the sky becomes dominant and cloud-watching an addiction”.
Peter Hicks, arguably the leading contemporary landscape painter in North Yorkshire and based in the Esk Valley finds solace in the landscape, and feels blessed to have the variety on his doorstep that the North York Moors provides.
Keep your eye out for the annual open days at Scotch Corner Chapel, a rare opportunity to see inside this fascinating and intriguing hidden gem in the North York Moors. Built by local man and Ampleforth College master John Bunting (1927-2002), the Chapel is a war memorial to those who died in the Second World War and, in particular, to former Ampleforth College pupils who fought in the war. It is also home to many of John’s sculptural pieces, including a stone sculpture of a recumbent solider in paratrooper's helmet and commando boots. Bunting was Master of Drawing at Ampleforth, where he taught Anthony Gormley. His own sculptural pieces were much influenced by Henry Moore. Members of John Bunting’s family are on hand at the open days to talk about his work, providing a unique insight and personal perspective on the place.
At the Mouseman Visitor Centre in Kilburn, discover too the legacy of Robert Thompson, the furniture maker, famous for his oak pieces incorporating a small carved mouse which can be found in many places across the area. See if you can spot any when exploring Ampleforth Abbey, and churches in Kilburn, Goathland, or the Church of St Peter and Paul in Stokesley.
From sought-after wildlife artist Andy Broderick, to the creative, emotive and narrative photography of Nicola Taylor, and Emma Stothard's beautifully crafted willow and wire animal sculptures, the area continues to inspire new generations of artists and makers too.