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 new entry to Albion Street in the centre of town is truly a breath of fresh air. This…read moreparticular street is quite clogged with coffee shops and eateries as it is and so the addition of an art gallery shop is the perfect answer for diversity. The store itself is laid out like an art gallery with relaxing white space with which to adorn the artwork - perfect for maintaining an uncluttered feel with such a variety of artists on show. There is the main space on the ground floor and a further gallery down the narrow stairs. The lady who was working when I popped in was absolutely lovely, she was really friendly and talkative about the shop, but didn't push to sell me anything which I always appreciate. The art itself was wonderful and diverse, from the kitsch cutesy cow art by Caroline Shotten, to the modern pop-art stark portraits of Simon Claridge, to the bold graffiti art of Ge Feng there was something for everyone. My difficulty is that I could have purchased all of their pieces, since diversity is what I like best, however at around £400+ per painting I simply couldn't afford to be impulsive. I certainly don't think that it is overly expensive - art is quite often underpriced and undervalued, but in my current state of pauperdom I would have to really fall in love to make such a spend. If you are lucky enough to have that kind of cash to spend, I suggest you search for a gift in this gallery. You will find something unique and delightful herein.

I couldn't agree more with the first review. This is such a wonderful place to step into and at the…read moremoment they have a sale on so there are loads of completely juxtaposing pieces. From cartoon like paintings to classical fine art portraits of bare ladies. Rather scruffy looking as I was at the time I was pleased coercive such a warm welcome from the lady, Angela, who was working at the time I entered. Some truly breathtaking art work on display and ready for someone to buy and proudly display, unfortunately I need a new par of climbing boots before I buy anything else.

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.

Tucked away next to the co-op, at the end of a small 18th century terrace of stone built…read moreresidential properties in the centre of Honley village is the Lupton Square Gallery. Accessed up a short flight of stone steps at the side is a small, pleasant gallery which showcases the work of several local artists. Inside, the gallery extends over 3 floors, the top floor reached via a lovely wooden spiral staircase and it also includes the tastefully renovated basement. You will find lots of craft work, sculptures and ceramics as well as the paintings. As well as the normal displays, the gallery often holds special exhibitions which are well worth a visit.

Not many people seem to be aware that Wakefield has an art gallery, which is a shame because it has…read moresuch great potential. Even more of a shame is that this potential has not been developed - the gallery is small and cramped, has few exhibits and those that there are are not that inspiring, which I find incomprehensible considering that the area has spawned such artistic talent. They do run various workshops and activities for children, which I have not attended and may be worth a visit, but personally, to see art in the area, I would recommend visiting the sculpture park in Bretton instead.

Small art gallery on 3 floors. Very cramped, but some interesting work. Some exhibits are changed…read moreon a reasonably regular basis. Some art trolly's dotted round the place for kids to draw pictures and complete activities. Worth a visit if you've nothing better to do but not worth and outing in its own right (in my opinion). Due to be replaced by The Hepworth gallery in 2009/10 which is currently under construction.

Well you'd be hard pushed to get in or out of Halifax without noticing the Dean Clough building…read more It's nationally renowned as a prime site in Halifax and it's not just a business emporium. It does house quite a few private businesses and office space but it has so much more to offer than that. First up take some live theatre and music. The Crossley Gallery has fast become a key place for many Jazz acts to come and ply their trade. You've also got the Viaduct Theatre which attracts classical music and of course live stage productions. If that's not your thing then the art galleries are pretty impressive. They get some really interesting exhibitions and change them about quite regularly. Add to that a nice design shop, café and a restaurant and it's a treat that you'd maybe not expect to find in these industrial looking walls. Loving your work here.

I work in this building and have to say - it's quite a nice place to be…read more The offices are a bit mixed - some are lovely and refurbished and some are a bit old and grotty but I think they are in the process of doing up the whole place. It's a nice central clean building. The viaduct cafe is nice and the Design House Restaurant is pretty decent too. I like the galleries here - it's quite nice during a stressful day to wander downstairs and look at the pictures or sculptures - helps calm me down and face the day. There is also a very nice gift shop.

A very well maintained gallery - there is always good quality & interesting art available with a…read moregood rotation of works available. The staff are very friendly, knowledgable & helpful and a warm welcome always awaits, this gallery doesn't feel stuffy unlike some I have been into in other towns.

It's a curious side-effect of being in the presence of true talent that one's own efforts suddenly…read morefeel incredibly shabby and irrelevant. It's also telling that despite being there for the opening night a full two weeks ago, every word I've attempted to write since in praise or portrayal still seems as clumsy and malformed as a pre-schooler's crayoned Christmas card greeting. Regardless, here's the skinny... Modifications of the Host by Rachel Goodyear is an exhibition of works inspired by her time spent in the Canadian wilderness plus one or two other bits, and includes drawings, animations and porcelain sculptures. It's at the Bothy Gallery in the amazing Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The vast majority of Rachel's works on display here are her trademark style of finely detailed drawings, the recurrent theme (I guess) being one of contradictions, often removed from their traditional context and/or relationship. The influence of the North American countryside is telling, with wild animals from the region featuring heavily in many of the new pieces, their intricate level of detail itself in direct contrast to the vast expanse of the white canvases on which they exist. Men and women, human and nature, pleasure and pain, beauty and horror, all are explored with a keen eye for succinct comment and no little wit and mischief at times, leading to a collection that is as accessible and entertaining as it is clever. The animations are fairly subtle, and are more like enhanced versions of a still canvas drawing rather than noisy reinterpretations that intrude upon your own subjective understanding of the artist. I think these were done in collaboration with a technical expert but they definitely complement the rest of the collection rather than detract. A lot of people turn their noses up at contemporary art in the belief that it's all giant rhinoceroses made of crisp packets and bogeys***, but Rachel's talent at combining technical excellence with common social experience means that I would recommend the show to art-snobs and casual meanderers alike. The upside is that even if you think it's rubbish you still have the whole of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park to go and play in. Free entry, parking £5, restaurant on site, bring a brolly. Exhibition runs until 3rd January 2012. ***originally written as a joke but I think there's one on display at the Tate in Liverpool.

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.