Welcome

Yorkshire Dales artist and printmaker.

Inspired by the wild outdoors, freedom and adventure.

I create unique etchings that distil the essence of landscape and my interpretation of being there, in that place and time. My etchings are all hand-pulled, archival quality, signed, limited edition prints from my hand-made etching plates. I usually etch onto zinc and aquatint the plates to obtain the desired tonal values.

My paintings are vibrant, atmospheric oils.  I paint seascapes and racing action; mountain, moorland, forest and dale.

I take commissions for paintings or etchings; please contact me directly to discuss options! Pet portraits are usually in pencil, watercolour or pastel on paper; special places or events usually in oils on canvas. My last commission was a wall mural and co-ordinating painting for a local business. I'm happy to accommodate your preferences and purpose for the artwork.

My etchings are currently available from the Hope Gallery in Hebden Bridge. I also have etchings at different times in various exhibitions, print fairs and the North Yorkshire Open Studios events.

Original paintings and signed, limited edition giclee prints are available to buy directly from this website, linked to Paypal for online purchases. Orders are despatched within 14 days.

Where my paintings or etchings are in exhibitions, the galleries control sales. Online purchase of these paintings is usually possible via the gallery website. Watch my news items or follow me on Instagram for details of where I am currently exhibiting!




News

Arctic Expedition, August 2023

In a long-planned trip and after three previously unsuccessful attempts in 2020-2022 (Covid, Covid, knee injury) I'm now all set to go way North: to Svalbard, then Iceland for inspiration. I'm doing a 'wilderness camp' by kayak and on foot with Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions to see the glaciers and mountains at close quarters and hopefully get some (not too close) glimpses of the local wildlife including polar bears, arctic fox and walrus. I'm then joining the Rubicon3 yacht 'Hummingbird' to sail (and whale-watch) 1,000nm across the Arctic Ocean to Iceland, stopping off at the tiny Jan Mayen Island en route if conditions allow. Finally, a few days on Iceland to do more sketching and let it all sink in. Needless to say, on my return to the UK I'll be producing lots of Arctic-themed new work, starting with taking part in the annual 20:20 print collaboration.

So I apologise in advance that I won't be able to post any website purchases until after my return to the UK, on Mon 28 Aug. Craven Arts House in Skipton has lots going on during August and fellow studio holders will be able to sell my unframed etchings on the 'open studios' weekend 26-27 Aug. If you can't wait, the WYPW gallery in Mirfield and Sunny Bank Mills Gallery in Farsley also have unframed etchings of mine for sale. I've still got framed etchings of Dales and Cairngorms scenes at the lovely Hope Gallery in Hebden Bridge.

I will be participating in the North Yorkshire Open Studios Winter event on 1-3 December this year, with a preview on Fri night and open 10am-5pm on Sat and Sun. That's where you'll see my initial response to the Arctic trip. How much new work I'll have and what it will be I have no idea! Hand-editioned prints from my Dales and Cairngorms etchings will also be available.

For anyone that wants to follow my Arctic journey, I'll do my best to post regularly on my Instagram art account @fionaarmerartist so please follow me and see what I find to share. Yes, the photo is from my last Cairngorms trip in March this year, I've not been to the Arctic yet!    


North Yorkshire Open Studios - June 2023

It's finally here! I'm participating in the 2023 North Yorkshire Open Studios events this June and December. My printmaking studio at Craven Art House in Skipton will be open to the public, with a display of my work and information about etching, printmaking and my creative process.

I'm open 10am-5pm on Sat 3/Sun 4 June and again on Sat 10/Sun 11 June, then I get a breather until the first weekend in Dec. If anyone can't make it in on those dates, I'm usually able to make alternative arrangements. This is my working studio though, so it may be a lot more messy!

I finally got organised with shelving, so I now have unframed etchings available as well as paintings and giclee prints. I sourced acid-free mount board and plant-based wrapping to keep my carbon footprint down. I use oil-based inks, but these are cleaned up with vegetable oil.


New studio:

After many months of waiting (and making good use of the facilities at the West Yorkshire Print Workshop in Mirfield), I've finally moved into my brand new studio at Craven Arts House in Skipton!

It's in a converted school, only 5 minutes' walk from Skipton town centre. I'm still setting up my etching press, easels, etc but really looking forward to getting it operational in the next few days. I'll be participating in the prestigious North Yorkshire Open Studios in June, so you'll be able to come and see it then. 

Under the Bed sale:

Our next group exhibition at Craven Arts House is an informal "Under the Bed" art sale. It's opening on Sat 14th January and running until late February, open 11am-4pm Tues-Sun. We're selling paintings and prints off the walls (and floor) at prices you won't see again for quite a while...

I'm using it as an opportunity to show an eclectic mix of legacy paintings from past solo exhibitions - and to share the joy. I do think art should be on people's walls bringing joy, not carefully wrapped and stored away in artists' attics. These are all original oil paintings of mine that just haven't found their forever home yet.

We're all feeling the pinch, so I can't afford to give away my paintings, but I've temporarily discounted everything in the Under the Bed sale by 25-75% from the previous price. My website prices for those paintings have now been reduced to match the Under the Bed sale prices, so you could still buy direct from this website at those prices if you can't get into Skipton. I hope to create a lot more room in my studio for new work!

Rosenstiels:

Six of my original oil paintings recently had a short holiday down to the production offices of the fine art publisher Rosenstiels. They will be producing fine art prints of those six paintings from very high resolution images taken by their experts. Rosenstiels sell worldwide and can reach a much wider market with their high quality fine art prints than I ever could.

My original paintings were very well looked after and are back in stock now, still available for sale. I look forward to seeing what Rosenstiels do with my images!