Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage

19/06/2026

Meet Penny Phillips

Studio: Penny Phillips Ceramics

Artform: Ceramic Sculpture

Penny Phillips is a ceramic artist whose work over the past decade has focused on celebrating British wildlife.

Working primarily in rich red earthenware clay, Penny creates pieces defined by heavily textured surfaces and restrained surface decoration. Works are frequently presented in pairs, encouraging interaction between forms.

This approach gives each piece a dynamic sense of energy and movement, expressed through gesture and composition. Penny’s practice seeks to capture both the inherent wildness of each subject and its underlying vulnerability.

Where:
Kindly Light, Wesleyan Chapel Square, Staithes, TS13 5BA

When:
Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage Weekend
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2026
10am–5.30pm

Preview Evening:
Friday 11 September 2026
6pm–9.30pm, where available/subject to confirmation

Find out more:
Staithes Festival artist page: www.staithesfestival.com/festival/artists.php?artist=49

Artist website: www.pennyphillips.art
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063805672853

19/06/2026

When the village becomes the gallery 🎨

Lovely coverage from Mag North on this year’s Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage, with a special focus on the next generation of artists joining us from The Northern School of Art.

This September, Staithes will once again open its doors as cottages, galleries, halls and unexpected village spaces become temporary exhibition venues for one unforgettable weekend.

We’re delighted to be welcoming approx 15 students from The Northern School of Art, who will be exhibiting at Gulls Haven as part of this year’s festival.

Read the full article here 👇
https://www.mag-north.com/posts/when-the-village-becomes-the-gallery-staithes-festival-puts-the-next-generation-in-the-frame

Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage
Preview Evening: Friday 11 September, 6pm–9.30pm
Festival Weekend: Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 September

19/06/2026

Meet Kate Ellis

Artform: Ceramic Sculpture

Kate Ellis is a ceramic artist based in York. Kate’s creatures are hand built using earthenware or crank clay, with textures added using cutters, modelling tools and lace.

After a bisque firing, underglazes are used to decorate the sculptures, with a transparent glaze applied to the eyes, beaks and claws to create definition and bring the pieces to life.

Where:
Bethel Chapel, High Street, Staithes, TS13 5BQ

When:
Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage Weekend
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2026
10am–5.30pm

Preview Evening:
Friday 11 September 2026
6pm–9.30pm, where available/subject to confirmation

Find out more:
Staithes Festival artist page: https://www.staithesfestival.com/festival/artists.php?artist=48

19/06/2026

Meet Di Guttridge

Artform: Painting

Di paints abstract landscapes using oil paints mixed with cold wax. This creates a rich medium that can be layered and manipulated using a range of techniques to produce vibrant, colourful and textured work.

A regular visitor to Staithes, Di has owned a cottage here for over 25 years. The village is both the subject and inspiration of Di’s paintings, which are exhibited in the Staithes gallery.

Where:
Waverley House, High Street

When:
Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage Weekend
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2026
10am–5.30pm

Preview Evening:
Friday 11 September 2026
6pm–9.30pm, where available/subject to confirmation

Find out more:
Staithes Festival artist page: https://www.staithesfestival.com/festival/artists.php?artist=47

Artist website: https://www.diguttridgeart.com

18/06/2026

Meet Sue M Frater

Artform: Acrylic, Gouache Paintings

Sue lives and works in the North East of England and has been painting for many years, exhibiting across the UK and internationally.

Inspired by the landscapes, seascapes, flora and fauna of the area, Sue works with a variety of media including acrylic, gouache and Caran d’Ache to create texture, depth and warmth in beautifully observed paintings.

Where:
No. 4 Fisherman’s Cottage, Cow Bar Bank (Old Jacks Cottage)

When:
Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage Weekend
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2026
10am–5.30pm

Preview Evening:
Friday 11 September 2026
6pm–9.30pm, where available/subject to confirmation

Find out more:
Staithes Festival artist page: https://www.staithesfestival.com/festival/artists.php?artist=46

Artist website: https://www.suemfraterartist.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sue.frater.37/

Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage has established itself as one of the friendliest festivals on the Yorkshire coast — a must-see weekend in the regional arts calendar.

18/06/2026

Meet Brenda Christison

Studio: Felty and Fabulous

Artform: Needlefelting

Brenda Christison, also known as Felty and Fabulous, is a needlefelter from York.

Inspired by the colours and textures of Yorkshire, Brenda creates unique pictures designed to spread smiles. Needle-felting onto vintage blankets gives the work a distinctive sense of colour, texture and history.

Signature pieces include wild landscapes, hares and cheeky mice, with hand embroidery adding detail and definition.

Brenda is well known locally as a member of Staithes Arts and Craft Centre and Fabrication in York, and is a keen member of the International Feltmakers Association.

Brenda also promotes this mindful, magical skill by creating kits and leading workshops throughout Yorkshire.

Where:
Pelican, High Street, Staithes

When:
Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage Weekend
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2026
10am–5.30pm

Preview Evening:
Friday 11 September 2026
6pm–9.30pm, where available/subject to confirmation

Find out more:
Staithes Festival artist page: https://www.staithesfestival.com/festival/artists.php?artist=44

Artist website: https://feltyandfabulous.square.site/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FeltyandFabulous

17/06/2026

Meet Jon Haste

Artform: Relief Printmaking

Jon is a York-based printmaker creating linocut prints shaped by the landscapes, wildlife and folklore of the North.

Jon’s work is rooted in a close, observational relationship with place, from the edges of the city to the Yorkshire coast and moorland paths.

Alongside landscape prints, Jon develops narrative-led series including Green Man figures and intimate studies of a son growing within the natural world.

Jon’s hand-carved process emphasises texture, movement and detail, building images that feel both grounded and alive.

Where:
Betsy & Bo shop, High Street, Staithes

When:
Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage Weekend
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2026
10am–5.30pm

Preview Evening:
Friday 11 September 2026
6pm–9.30pm, where available/subject to confirmation

Find out more:
Staithes Festival artist page: https://www.staithesfestival.com/festival/artists.php?artist=42

Artist website: https://www.jonhaste.com/

17/06/2026

Meet Christine Hughes

Artform: Fine Art Illustrator

Christine has an alternative, modern interpretation of traditional landscape, using bold, vivid colours and impulsive mark-making inspired by North Yorkshire’s rugged moors and coastline.

Christine’s vast imagined landscapes transport you to an alternative, euphoric realm. Working with acrylics, striking neon colours and mixed media, Christine is influenced by surrounding landscapes and personal memories, composing each piece as a way of expressing “Snippets of Time”.

Christine is also a fine artist and narrator of stories, developing work through illustrations and ceramic sculptures inspired by anecdotal life events and imagined whimsical characters in animal and human form.

Through colour and storytelling, Christine creates original paintings designed to bring a smile.

Where:
Bethal Chapel

When:
Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage Weekend
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2026
10am–5.30pm

Preview Evening:
Friday 11 September 2026
6pm–9.30pm, where available/subject to confirmation

Find out more:
Staithes Festival artist page: https://www.staithesfestival.com/festival/artists.php?artist=40

Artist website: https://www.christinehughesfineart.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christine.hughes.1088

16/06/2026

Meet Michelle Swann

Artform: Painting - Watercolour

Michelle is an artist based in Filey.

Michelle uses a passion for the Yorkshire Dales and surrounding landscapes to create watercolour art. A dedicated member of Filey Art Society, Michelle has held the post of exhibition secretary for the past two years.

Where:
Michelle will be exhibiting at Roraima House, 40 Staithes Lane, TS13 5AD

When:
Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage Weekend
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2026
10am–5.30pm

Preview Evening:
Friday 11 September 2026
6pm–9.30pm, where available/subject to confirmation

Find out more:
Staithes Festival artist page: https://www.staithesfestival.com/festival/artists.php?artist=39

15/06/2026

Meet Adele Karmazyn

Artform: Mixed Media

Adele is a York-based digital photomontage and mixed media artist whose work is rooted in a fascination with antiquities, weathered textures and forgotten spaces.

Drawing from a collection of 19th-century photographs, Adele reimagines historical figures in vivid colour, weaving them together with animals, insects and delicate botanical elements.

Inspired by Victorian costume and interiors, Adele’s compositions balance elegance with a sense of playful surprise.

Adele combines photography, scanning and digital processes before printing onto museum-grade archival paper. Each piece is then hand-finished with inks, paint and gold leaf, creating richly layered artworks that bridge past and present.

Where:
High House, Cinder Path

When:
Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage Weekend
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2026
10am–5.30pm

Preview Evening:
Friday 11 September 2026
6pm–9.30pm, where available/subject to confirmation

Find out more:
Staithes Festival artist page: https://www.staithesfestival.com/festival/artists.php?artist=37

Artist website: https://www.adelekarmazyn.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adele.karmazyn.1