I nipped into Dalesway Gallery, situated in the lovely little market town of Ilkley, just to…read morepurchase some birthday cards actually. I work in an office with a great deal of people and as a rule we generally make an effort to buy birthday cards for people's birthdays. I'm usually pretty useless at this sort of thing, and I've little excuse, but I am forever forgetting to give cards. In a surprising moment of preparedness I made the move towards Dalesway in order to stock up. Although cash-wise this was a bad idea (it wouldn't have worked out to bulk buy according to my wallet ... ) it was a great idea art wise to pop in! I hadn't actually noticed that they sold art works as well as cards, I was being that one track minded! Inside there were a number of lovely special arty cards, some funny ones with animals, some beautiful landscape photography ones, some vintage style ones and so on. They also had a number of prints and art works on sale too. There were these huge framed prints in the window, one of a vase of flowers (a proper above-the-fireplace type of picture) and another two of these purple field scenes. As well as those they had some interesting 'fashion' prints of men and women dressed in lovely clothing only none of those images included the person's face. I realise as I write that it sounds macabre, but it wasn't really! Anyway, an interesting bimble worth the visit.

Ulverston Gallery have a fantastic range of paintings. Some of them are by local artists. The…read moreowner,Tim also does framing, not just of pictures. I saw him struggle to get a football shirt, absolutely perfect, so that it could be given as a present. When he framed one of mine he had a good range to choose from, and it cost very little. He sometimes stocks woodcarvings. I have bought a couple. They are beautiful. The shop is run by Ann, who is there, because Tim is so busy, and will shoot off somewhere else without warning! I always feel free to browse without pressure to buy.

Great shop on three floors: art, cards, gifts, kitchenware, jewellery, clothes.. And a fab little…read moreself service coffee shop on the first floor. Tea, coffee, hot choccie.and some lush cakes. Cosy sofas, great music playing (Bob Dylan as I sit here writing this). Oh and free wifi :)

There is nothing intimidating about Novus Contemporary Art, a family owned gallery in Didsbury, and…read morethat's what I love about it. There are probably some art purists out there who hate the concept of a gallery that is warm, welcoming, reasonably priced and varied, but for me these can only be pluses. Supporting local artists as well as established names, you can see everything from abstract to still life in originals, limited edition prints, sculptures, ceramics and glass. I've become something of a familiar face in here because everyone is so welcoming and happy for you to spend as much time as you like appreciating the art. There's nothing bad I can say about this place.

This is such a beautiful building, and the perfect space for such a wonderful gallery. Dedicated to…read morepromoting originals from top UK artists as well as emerging artists, you can tell that a lot of care goes into displaying and maintaining the paintings. Hung on the tiled walls, they have works from my personal favourites, James Lawrence Isherwood and Arthur Delaney to name but two. Apart from the wonderful canvases, there's a bespoke framing service and a very large selection of cards and unique wrapping papers which I'm sure serves as the gallery's bread and butter in between artwork sales. A delight.

This is a lovely spacious old sandstone building with a high ceiling and a fine display of fine art…read moreprints and contemporary paintings. The guy that works in here is so chilled out, and will personally see to your art needs being carefully dealt with. There is a large counter which displays the wide range of bespoke frames offered here. On sale also is a good selection of greeting cards including the National Trust range and wrapping paper of various sorts. You can pick up a well framed unique piece of Art for around £200.

This is a great little venue, good for people watching. The cafe has a nice contemporary menu, all…read morefood made fresh and home-made soup and cakes. I get all my picture framing done downstairs in The Gallery (which has a different feel to the upstairs) as Chris gives discount to artists. He is one of the best in the business and has a real flair for presenting your picture in the most eye-catching way and is not afraid to advise you on what will look best which I find really helpful. While I was there he was framing a football shirt and claims he can frame anything! There is some fantastic original art and prints down there too and frequent new exhibitions. It is worth a look even if you do not need any pictures framing and Saltaire has a good vibe, it is worth a visit anytime.