I stumbled upon the What If Gallery whilst shopping in Dartford, and I was pleasantly surprised by…read morewhat I found. Dartford is a little lacking in places for artistic folk to display their creations so this for me was a welcome addition to the town centre. The gallery itself is situated in an old shop which was disused and awaiting redevelopment and is divided into several rooms. This is a perfect venue for local artists to show off their work and potentially sell some of it. On entering, I found the staff to be friendly and warm and enthusiastic about the project. As far as I know they are all volunteers. I enjoyed walking around the gallery - not only were there paintings on display but some craftwork and cards too. The great thing about this place is that not only do they encourage painting and art, and they hold some art classes here too, but I was told there is also a music rehearsal room for hire here at quite a competitive rate and I got the impression that they supported all other types of artistic expression and creativity too. A welcome addition to Dartford town centre and hopefully they will be able to find permanent premises before they have to move out when the redevelopment takes place.

I have walked past this gallery many times, but I had never really taken the time to see what they…read morehad to offer. As I wet in I wasn't surprised, it is just not the kind of art I can truly appreciate and enjoy. However, I can understand why they might be very successful in more commercial arenas. Such as, taking up commissions to decorate the interiors of an office building, or art of government institutions, or banks, or any of the sort. I wouldn't personally pay £3,000 for a painting of the sea, which was what Rebecca Lardner proposed with her work 'Coastal Life'. Nevertheless, 'To the Limit' by James Blinkhorn touched on a more resonant matter; the sprawl of urbanisation, traffic, air pollution, some in black and one which were quite striking. The space it self is not big and you may get distracted from some black columns in the outside structure of the gallery, takes a bit away from the work. Even so, it never hurts to have a look at other people's art regardless of whether I personally like it or not, they must be doing something right if a gallery is willing to have their work for sale.

Great place to go when you have a spare moment whilst on Chiswick High Road. Always a great…read moreselection of art work on display and most pieces are reasonably priced. Staff are amazing, always offering Proseco, champagne and nibbles. Many a lunch break has been spent in the lemongrove and not a moment wasted

This is a tiny gallery on Redchurch Street with a rather mixed bag of a programme. I have seen…read moresome really great stuff but on occasion been left wondering what the point may be - but that's a good thing, I suppose, contemporary art is not about pleasing the masses. I like the fact that it doesn't even look like an art space but more like a grubby garage. It's most fun on First Thursdays when the whole of Redchurch erupts into one big art party. By contrast, I have walked in on random weekdays and not met a soul.

If you live in West London, a trip to the South London Gallery is a bit of a trek. The directions…read moreon the website say it's a 10 minute walk from Peckham Rye station. That's probably about right, but it felt much further - mind you, a good opportunity to taste a different flavour of London. The current installation by Thomas Hirschorn is well worth the visit, and I'm glad I made it just in time before closing. The book shop and cafe are also very inviting and I am sure to find another excuse soon.

Strange how great things can be right under your nose but you just don't get around to checking…read morethem out as often as you should do. Well for this resident of Nunhead the South London Gallery is a case in point; it's no more than a very leisurely 15 minute stroll from door to door but this Sunday was my first visit in an age. Thanks to some gentle prompting from B we decided to keep it local and take in some culture in Camberwell this weekend so we made our way down the ever busy Peckham Road to check out the Manon de Boer exhibition before it ends on 23 January (just my kind of arty Dutch film offering). This must be one of the most stunning exhibition spaces in the country let alone London. It has had a lot of work done on it in the last year or two, extending the facilities into the once derelict house next door, and there is now some more small scale exhibition space, a fantastic cafe and a beautiful garden which is home to the wonderful Clore Studio. There is also is a shop which sells a great selection of art, film and music books and magazines along with postcards and other interesting bits and pieces. Unlike most of the galleries in town, such as both the Tate and the Tate Modern which can be a nightmare a lot of the time, you will find this is quite a tranquil experience and you are unlikely to need to elbow your way through a crowd or clamber over a buggy to get sight of the work. Exhibitions here are free and there are various talks, live events and general arty "happenings" throughout the year which are either free or very reasonably priced. If you are into contemporary art or just fancy a decent lunch in some lovely surroundings this would be a very fine way to spend an afternoon south of the river. In February there is a retrospective look at the work of Goldsmiths graduates Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard which I would recommend.

This light contemporary space in West Smithfield is attractive with its floor to ceiling glass…read morewindow front, allowing the art to be seen from across the street. There was work 15 living artists when I visited, all from Barcelona, and there was a predominantly 'street art feel' to the exhibition. However the shows change every couple of weeks and the gallery does not specialise in any one particular style of artwork. It was totally unintimidating and although my friend and I were the only two in there, we felt at ease taking our time around the room. It is nice place to pop in when passing by, and to enjoy a creative talent of living artists without needing to dedicate a whole morning or day to doing so.

This gallery for hire is a well appointed space to the north (City-side) of Smithfield Market. Very…read morenear Farringdon Station (and actually not too far from Barbican or St Paul's Tube stations), it's nearby a handful of excellent restaurants, cafes and pubs ... as well as some interesting sites such as St Bartholew's Church and, of course, Smithfield Market. The lighting is awesome (surprisingly, this isn't always the case in London galleries) and the exhibition space is open and "vanilla" enough for any variety of shows to slide in and set up. I was there recently for the awesome Barcelona XL: Homage to Catalonia (http://ontolondon.blogspot.com/2008/12/barcelona-xl-spanish-street-art-at.html) street art exhibition. I was really blown away by that show and felt that the gallery was perfect for displaying the exhibition's different artists and their varying styles. It wasn's my first time to the Smithfield Gallery but it was the catalyst which will now ensure I keep better track of what' s on there.

Stour Space describes themselves as "a not-for-profit exhibition and performance space devoted to…read morepromoting contemporary art for the benefit of the public and the artists involved" and they're hosting a monthly Designer-Maker Fair on the last Saturday of each month. There was a good selection of fashion, accessories and artwork, with prices starting from 50p upwards. It's certainly worth a look (especially if you combine it with breakfast at the excellent Counter Cafe, just down the street).

10 mins on the bus from me, is a really fantastic place for artists…read more I popped in here on a Sunday during 'Open Studios' a weekend when all the artists in Hackney Wick open up their studios to showcase their work and methods to the public. A couple of tables outside of the space looked promising to wait for a friend, but I was soon dragged inside by a beautiful voice singing about activism and human right with her acoustic guitar. The queue for the cafe was pretty extensive, but I've been told its not usually that busy, and stretches out onto a pier area in the back where you can eat next to the canal. Prices were good, portions a little small. The gallery is free to everyone, and showcases work from local artists and performers. There's a great range of stuff, and definitely perfect for a day out, particularly on days when there's events on. RECOMMENDED!

Interesting gallery with couple a few cool original and signed artworks from artists such as…read moreBrainwash and Shepard Fairey, but overall I had a mixed feeling as the mood and attitude of the people working there felt like they were more managing a project than a real art gallery. But if you plan to go to Notting Hill and Portobello stop by, but otherwise doing a detour just for that gallery might leave you with a disappointed feeling.

Graffik shows (and sells) a good selection of urban art,…read morewith the private views attracting a motley crew of Notting Hillbillies, skaterboys and more serious looking art collectors. I like to see graffiti popping up all around the neighbourhood whenever another artist is about to be shown. The current show of rock photography is well worth checking out.

I was ambling down curtain road with a friend with the intent on visiting the white cube, when we…read moresaw a man in sportswear and white trainers, covered in paint daubing a wall next to a bar I once frequented. Stopping to wonder whether it was a commissioned piece he was doing, I discovered that he was actually a painter, rather than a graffiti artist and furthermore, that he had a show exhibiting in a gallery right next to us. The signal gallery is a tiny, single-roomed space with exposed brickwork that looks more like one of the local fashion showrooms than an art gallery. It therefore gives work that exhibits a there an edgier feel than they might have had if they were in your usual pristine white box. Not to say that the work I saw there wasn't edgy enough. It was a shown called echoes and exorcisms, by Dale Grimshaw (the name of the man I learnt was painting outside). It was a series of unintentionally autobiographical works (hence why all of the paintings looked faintly like him) mainly in black and white, with decidedly eerie-looking reflections, aggressive paint splashes and deep contrasting shadows. The story was one of a lot of pain and internal turmoil, and his next show, Heart in Darkness promises to carry on that theme.

I can't fault them for trying to get more into the street art side of things. I mean who isn't…read moretrying to get into that these days, but what always drives me barmy, is, as with the gang over at the Pure Evil Gallery, they charge West London prices for these things, when you can get better value in the area elsewhere. They have interesting shows and it's definitely worth being on the mailing list and going to previews, but as with the aforementioned galleries, I look forward to breaking that mold and making my first purchase.