Art Trail

With it’s wide open spaces, market towns, stunning coastline and quaint villages, North East England’s landscapes have been inspiring artists for centuries. And what better time to try your hand at landscape painting than autumn, with its golden light and autumnal palate of colours adding an extra layer of beauty to every landscape.

Take Berwick upon Tweed, home of the LS Lowry Trail, where you can retrace the famous artist’s footsteps and see how the town inspired him to create more than 30 of his most famous works.

Another famous artist to capture the local landscape is JMW Turner. At the Bowes Museum in Durham you can see an original watercolour of his, depicting Gibside near Gateshead.

Going much further back in time, are the prehistoric rock carvings to be found at the foot of the Simonside Hills, in the Northumberland National Park.

From beautiful landscapes to art galleries and museums, the region is spoilt for choice. The Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle is host to an impressive programme of exhibitions, while close by is BALTIC which features a diverse and international programme of contemporary visual art and is hosting the Turner Prize event next year.

At mima, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, you’ll find a contemporary collection of works including exhibits by Tracey Emin and Stanley Spencer. 

When it comes to public art, one of the most iconic examples of modern sculpture is Anthony Gormley’s Angel of the North - one of the most viewed pieces in the world. The landscape in Kielder Water and Forest Park is home to a unique collection of more than 20 pieces of public art, making it the largest outdoor public art gallery in the UK.

If you fancy a short break with a difference, why not brush up your painting skills with Paint and Relax or Watercolour Painting for All holidays based in the Durham countryside and coast.

Budding art buyers can add to their collections at a number of unique galleries across the region including: The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle, FieFieFoFum in Stocksfield, Mary Ann Rogers in Hexham, Mouncey Art Gallery in Barnard Castle and Gallerina in nearby Darlington which quaintly occupies three victorian townhouses and displays an ever-changing exhibition of paintings, glass and ceramics. Kirkharle Courtyard in Northumberland features an eclectic mix of work from garden sculptures and hand crafted jewellery to papier mache artwork.