Meet our Artists

Marcia Crocombe

Contemporary Artist 

Co-Founder Oren Art Gallery 

Marcia , based in the beautiful countryside of North Wales ,is a contemporary artist who is influenced largely by the landscape and seascape of North Wales. Occasionally her work may take on a quirky twist to break away from the realms of land and seascape. Her work is evocative, eclectic and her practice is mixed media working with acrylics, inks, pastels and oil . Marcia graduated from the University of Ripon and York St John with an honours degree in fine art and has been working professionally as a full time artist since 2002. 

Gemma Atkins

Illustrative and Graphic Artist  

Co-Founder Oren Art Gallery 

Gemma is a graphic designer, illustrator and artist from Wrexham in North Wales. She utilises a wide range of mixed media, including a collaboration of pen, pencil crayons, acrylics paint and digital tools. 

Gemma graduated from Wrexham University (NEWI) in 2003 with a BA Hons in Children's Illustration. The experience gained in this field has underpinned her work ever since, combining graphics, illustration and fine art. She draws inspiration from her North Wales roots, and is inspired by the beauty and contrast of North Wales and Cheshire.  

Her passion for typography and typeface is a running theme in her prints, and she is interested in expressing how different styles of text can create distinctive appearances. 

Her love and enthusiasm for colour is shown within each style of her work, always experimenting with different pallets and colour schemes.

Gemma's particular niche is her monochromatic approach to a simple yet beautiful sketch. 

Johnny Vegas

Contemporary Artist 

The accursed blessing of ADHD. Johnny works across the medium of ceramics, print, found objects and the sense of evolution in all things, organic or manufactured, reclaimed by nature or stolen from and replicated in engineered form. The spiritual alongside the palpable. Do souls exist only in those that verbally communicate?

"What ADHD denies it equally blesses its host with. The sense of social inadequacy leaves time to find wonder, inspiration and tales yet untold in objects, shapes and constructions sometimes  taken for granted in nature and often in engineering endeavours. 

"I see something beautiful in a shape. Some folk don't get it, family or friends often make fun of my weirdness, but as a loner I've learnt to find beauty, mutual appreciation and ultimately inspiration from the inanimate. Solace in the visually discarded. I'm in no better company than when I glimpse a natural form or a lathe turned attempt to borrow from the genius and beauty of nature. I'm captivated by the background of a photo, not the subject in the foreground. My focus refuses to be dictated to by expectations. What people don't say but mime prompted me to write stories back in my performance days. The daily silent blueprint of human dndeavour sings to me. We reach for the stars yet yearn to prove to our gods that we can create a heaven ourselves here on Earth. We rebel. We are impatient creations in ourselves. We ignore the beauty of evolution as we strive for a perfection we believe we can rush into production. I want to keep a faithful, grateful record of silent achievement, not busy my head further by competing with it. 

Currently, flight, faith, fear of failure and broken/tested faith, are the subjects most fluent in my work. Emotional evolution and how best I can express that in 2 or 3d forms. A thought process, be it linked to hope or fear, captured in time. I've a head full of butterflies and all of them designed with unique intentions of distraction from the task at hand. When I think to exhibit I'm compelled to try and recreate in clay or oil what I've caught in my net that day...before it is once more set free to distract me from the hurried and sometimes ill constructed expectations of normality.

Jennifer Barker

Glass Artist 

Jen has both made and lectured in glass art for over 30 years in the UK.  She runs Cheshire school of Glass where a team of professional glass artists teach all aspects of Glass art to budding and experienced artists at Jen's studio. She is also the creative Director of a glass design company that designs and creates architectural glass for interior spaces. 

Jen studied glass at both Wolverhampton and Staffordshire University to Masters level. She then went on to lecture in Glass Art at Wolverhampton,  Loughborough and Glyndwr Universities for 20+ years prior to setting up her own glass school. 

Jen's work is largely inspired by the patterns and structures found in nature; the marks left behind by transition and erosion on both land and sea play a large part in the pieces she creates. Both gloss and matt glass are used to emulate the way changing light can create atmosphere, depth, shadows and reflections. 

Jen combines glass techniques such as kiln formed glass, painting, print firing marks within the body of the glass using oxides, etching and media blasting. The glass is hand prepared and fired up to 900 degrees Celsius in a large kiln in her country barn conversion workshop and teaching studio. 

Nick Beedles

Contemporary Artist 

Nick is a contemporary painter from the Wirral. His work has often been described as Chaotic Expressionism, that fuses colourful imagery with abstract text, to create edgy wall art that builds a focal point in your house. Nicks work will be a talking point and a thought disruptor, when placed in an environment. Be Bold, be brave, be interesting. Words are powerful, but colour and form will change your whole day.

Helen Mitchell

Textile Artist 

Helen is a textile artist specialising in upcycling fabrics to create one-off bags, clothes, hats and home interior pieces. The basis of her art is to create beautiful, unique objects and reduce waste. MUALA, Made Up And Loved Again was created in 2020.

Preferring to work with natural fibres, specifically velvets, silks, cottons, linens and wools, her textiles are often sourced as very small otherwise unusable pieces. Clothes are preloved and adapted. A variety of techniques are used including patch work and applique to create  simple designs with both beauty and utility. 

 Originally from the South of England, she has lived in Chester for over 30 years. Her professional life was spent supporting students in their career and life planning.  She has applied this personally and followed her dream of designing and creating items of beauty for a living. She now works from a home studio.

In addition she spends significant time volunteering locally and also donates a portion of her income from MUALA to support a range of national and international charities. 

Andrew Johnson

FIne Artist 

Andrew  knew from about the age of six, he would have a career in the art field. So strong was the pull for him to spend his life being creative that even at this early age his heart and mind were set on it. The joy and energy from painting and drawing and the magical escape through art is like another dimension of life for Andrew - a truly magical realm with no boundaries to express himself.

He studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee, and gained a degree in animation. This however is still echoed in his work regarding colour use and the desire to bring his work 'alive' on the canvas.

Andrew opted to progress his fine art career and began to focus on painting full time instead of continuing his Graphic Design career.  He felt passionate enough about his work to take that leap of faith. In particular he paints wild flowers, finding them magical and a witness to a kinder, spiritual realm. Andrew also uses nature’s energy to create his landscapes and forest art. He uses mainly acrylics and enjoys applying and manipulating the paint on the board or canvas. Adding embellishing effects and relief aspects with a variety of other media. He is able to 'feel' the energy of colours and has a sense of exactly where to place each hue.

‘My passion is to spread joy and bring hopeful imagery to a sometimes duller world.'

Juliet Stockton

Portrait Artist 

Juliet paints portraits in a distinctive, vivid style, with vibrant, acrylic paint and bold, energetic brush marks to capture the very essence, personality, and life force of the subject, aiming for the painting to almost leap off the page. 

Portraits to exhilarate, invigorate, and capture a moment in time, full of energy, life and joy to uplift your heart.  Juliet is inspired by; pop culture, fashion history and the rich, tropical colours of her childhood growing up in Papua New Guinea.  

Juliet ended up following the corporate pathway, despite her love of creating portraits since she could hold a pencil and spent a successful 25-year career in Human Resources.  But… she had ignored her intrinsic, creative heart for far too long when she realised that something important was missing.   So, a few years ago Juliet starting drawing again and taught herself to paint.  In 2021, she took a big leap, left her job in HR, and jumped in with both feet to follow her passion and become a full-time artist.  Now, immersed in a world of colour and faces, she’s found her true purpose in life and has never been happier!     

Juliet’s original paintings and prints sell internationally and she is now collecting celebrity clients.  Her artwork has been featured on BBC Radio, in Cheshire Life, The West Australian and published in Portraits for NHS Heroes book (Bloomsbury). 

Juliet is based in Cheshire and works from her studio on the Wirral.   

Jo Gough

Contemporary Artist

Cheshire born artist Jo Gough has always had a passion for painting. Growing up there was rarely a time when she wasn't drawing or painting, but she decided to follow a corporate career path working in IT for her local council for 30 years.

In 2016, Jo finally decided to follow her dreams and devote herself to full time painting, developing her own style with no formal instruction or training.

Landmarks, nature, flowers, trees and hearts are wonderful sources of inspiration for Jo’s artistic expression. Her work embodies a harmonious blend of realism and abstraction, inviting viewers to delve into the layers of meaning within each piece.

Having worked in Chester for three decades, Jo has a deep connection with the city’s history, culture and spirit. Her intimate knowledge enabled her to capture the essence of Chester’s landmarks and fill her work with a genuine sense of love and admiration for this wonderful city. 

Her love of iconic landmarks, flowers and vibrant colours have combined beautifully together to create nostalgic paintings of special places.

Jo is constantly pushing the boundaries of her creativity and her journey as an artist has been a continuous exploration and experimentation. Her love for colour allows her to infuse her artwork with vibrancy, energy and a sense of liveliness and she’s passionate about spreading positivity through her art.

She paints with acrylics using different techniques like blending, splattering or layering to create a highly textured and utterly unique piece and her original paintings and prints are sold internationally. 

During her career as a professional artist, Jo has been signed by London based card publisher Portfolio cards and the market leading contemporary art publisher The Art Group.  Jo was also commissioned by Chester Zoo to paint a bespoke animal range drawing inspiration from their zoo animals.

Jo works from her studio at home near Chester accompanied by her beloved dog Ted.

Eleanor McCormack

Jewellery Artist specialising in Polymer Clay 

El McCormack designs and makes colourful jewellery and crafts from her work space in Parkgate, Wirral. El studied Design at Liverpool Hope University and made the decision in 2022 to become a full-time artist under the name Design Eye Gallery. Her creations are born out of a love of colour, art and pattern. El works in a variety of mediums such as clay, crafting beads in vibrant colours and turning them into bold and beautiful jewellery pieces. Her jewellery also features colourful glass Millefiori and Murano beads, birthstones, crystals and pearls. El's decorative crafts include trinket dishes featuring vibrant decoupage designs, and paper crafts. El's work is inspired by trips to the world class museums and galleries on our doorstep, summer holidays, Ibiza hippy markets, books and family.

Jason Thomas

Woodwork Artist 

Born and raised in beautiful North Wales surrounded by woodland and mountain terrain, Jason (also known as Jase to his friends) enjoys walking the hills and exploring the countryside with the family dog ‘Teddy’. 

During lockdown he bought his first ‘Lathe’. When on his woodland walks he would come across fallen trees and thought he would ‘have a go’ at turning the wood to give it a new lease of life to appreciate the raw, natural beauty. Jason’s ‘have a go’ attitude and self taught wood turning, create’s individual hand crafted items to enjoy for many years to come. 

p.s no part of any tree has been harmed during the making of these items. 

Ciaran Campbell 

Photographer 

Ciaran is a photographer who lives just outside Chester in the idyllic countryside of North Wales. He’s a dedicated photographer who enjoys finding and capturing unique perspectives in subject matter we often take for granted. 

Ciaran graduated from the University of Portsmouth in 2000 with a BA Hons degree in Media Arts and Moving Image. After working in television production, before following a career in business and operational management. Ciaran continued to pursue his photographic passions on both a personal and professional basis including wedding and commercial photography. 

With a passion for the natural world and using aspects of architecture to accent and bring contrast and depth to our surrounding landscapes, Ciaran loves to draw attention to simplicity. Focusing on objects and views with a distinct style that frames them in an original and creative way, by finding a depth and perspective to the natural beauty of the immediate world around us.           

Tim Clough

Contemporary Artist 

Tim is a contemporary artist from the North West and has drawn and enjoyed art since early childhood.

His works are highly textured and employ bold form and colour, resulting in strong and impactful pieces. Exploring the theme of life and the fleeting nature of existence, they have an organic quality opposed to their strong construction and finish. 

Drawing on life experiences, fear, hope and love, he has developed his work and style and is very excited to see where it leads.

‘I love life and family, but I am definitely drawn to melancholy and for me my work is an accurate representation of that. But above all I firmly believe that a piece of art should be

interesting enough to grab your attention and engage you from the start, after that it is up to you to interpret it as you wish. Art can mean totally different things to different 

people and that is the way it should be, I think art is in the eye of the beholder’

Ann Warman 

Pebble Artist 

As a pebble artist Ann uses the positioning of sea and river pebbles as the central focus of her work.

Having grown up by the sea and having lived in the beautiful countryside of North Wales , Ann has always been fascinated and inspired by shorelines , landscapes and texture.

Since retiring as a lawyer she has enjoyed venturing forward into more creative pastures and now has the time and energy to apply herself to her artwork and to be further inspired by the landscapes, vistas and textures around her .