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Tim recently discovered a rare photograph associated with the iconic album Led Zeppelin IV. Read the full story at Led Zeppelin News or the abridged BBC version below:

30th August – 28th September 2025

Opening Reception 30^th August 5pm: Broad Horizons opening reception at 5pm, followed by Gypfunk live at The Buttery Café from 7pm.

This summer, Doone Valley Gallery is delighted to present Broad Horizons: Recent Landscape Paintings by Murray Hammick, a debut solo exhibition showcasing the recent work of landscape painter Murray Hammick.

After a decade in the army, Murray Hammick sought to leave the defence world behind, venturing into work as an estate agent and magazine editor. Yet the pull of the industry proved inescapable, and he spent the remainder of his civilian career within its orbit. Today, he turns his focus to a long-held passion: painting. His work draws inspiration from the seascapes and moorlands of North Devon, infused with a love of light, space, and atmosphere. From expansive coastal views with a ‘faint whiff of shipping’ to intimate studies of Exmoor’s rolling terrain, Hammick’s paintings capture a sense of place that is both personal and timeless.

Working mainly in oils on unprepared MDF board – often applying paint with a palette-knife – Hammick builds up layers of colour with a confident, intuitive touch. He embraces the unpredictable, allowing each piece to evolve naturally. Many of his paintings are small in scale, designed to invite private contemplation, offering what the artist describes as ‘straightforward attempts to encompass broad horizons in small frames.’

Though new to the gallery scene, Hammick’s art is shaped by decades of quiet observation, from early childhood sketches to more recent explorations of the Newlyn and St Ives schools. His works are a celebration of the open sea, the shifting sky, and the enduring beauty of the English landscape.

Join us on 30th August for an exhibition that offers both the exhilaration of wide-open views and the intimacy of a personal encounter with the land and sea.

Phone: 07539906442

Email: [email protected]

Doone Valley Gallery are delighted to present an exhibition of landscape photography by Mark Asprey with an opening drinks reception at 5pm on Saturday 7th September.

Born in Taunton in 1962, Mark St.John Asprey has dedicated his professional and personal life to the art and craft of photography. His journey began studying Photography at Filton College in Bristol, and subsequently at Salisbury College of Art and Design.

Mark’s professional career took a significant step forward when he became the first assistant to renowned London-based food photographer Vernon Morgan. After gaining invaluable experience, he launched his own business, St.John Asprey Photography, in London. Specialising in food and editorial photography for books, magazines, and part-works, his clientele included high-profile names such as BBC’s Ready Steady Cook, celebrity chef Gary Rhodes, publishers Haldane Mason, Whitecap Books, Japanese Esquire (including front cover), and Waitrose.

Mark’s expertise caught the attention of Getty Images, where he was offered a role during the pivotal transition period from film to digital photography. At Getty, he was taught scanning, retouching, and the business operations, while also testing cameras for suitability for submissions and serving as a consultant. Despite his responsibilities at Getty, Mark continued his professional photography work, focusing on advertising and packaging. After six years, he decided to dedicate himself fully to his business, catering to design companies with a specialization in packaging and advertising. His impressive roster of packaging clients included Pataks, Asda, Colemans, Blue Dragon, Knorr, Askeys, and Doritos. In advertising, he worked with renowned brands such as Smirnoff, Marmite (with an award-winning Guinness Marmite advert), Schweppes, Carte D’Or, Bovril, ASK Italian, Starbucks, Nivea, Fox and Fox English Wines, Paramo Clothing, Nikwax, and Birds Eye. Mark’s work also graced the front covers of Argos catalogues, and he contributed to London Transport promotional campaigns, including posters for Seven Trent Water. Mark’s accomplishments have been recognised through his election as an Associate of the British Institute of Professional Photography.

Throughout his career, Mark honed his skills using a variety of cameras, from 5×4 and 10×8 technical cameras to 120 Medium format film cameras. His current arsenal includes the Fujifilm GFX 100S and Fujifilm GFX 50R medium format cameras, as well as a Leica Q2.

Despite his commercial success, Mark always made time for his passion for landscapes and scenery, frequently visiting Exmoor, whose captivating beauty eventually led him to move there. Now retired from commercial photography, he devotes his days to capturing landscapes, staying true to his unique style. Inspired in part by the incredible photographs he saw at Getty, Mark views his landscape photography as works of art. He emphasizes in-camera techniques with minimal Photoshop work, controlling the entire process from visualizing and capturing the image to post-processing and printing. His meticulous attention to detail extends to choosing the perfect paper, frame, and glass for each piece.

Mark lives in Lynton with his wife Beverley and their border collie, Heather, where he continues to pursue his lifelong passion for photography, capturing the natural beauty that surrounds him.

The Irish Post reached out to Tim for comment regarding an important work by Gerard Dillon that sold at auction for £27,000.

Saturday 30th March – Tuesday 30th April

You are warmly invited to join Lawrie and ourselves for an opening drinks reception from 5pm Saturday 30th April

Doone Valley Gallery are delighted to present an exhibition of paintings by Lawrie Baldwyn.

Born in London in 1942, Lawrie Baldwyn is a British artist currently residing on the edge of Exmoor National Park and in Mortagua, Portugal.

Lawrie’s artistic journey began at the Ealing School of Art, where he studied from 1958 to 1963. Lawrie’s first exhibitions were at the Artists International Association in 1961 and 1962 at their Lisle Street venue in Soho, London. Also in 1962 Lawrie was included in Young Contemporaries at the RBA Galleries, an important exhibition that promoted the best young talents in contemporary British painting. The exhibition, largely run by students, was traditionally a spontaneous and somewhat chaotic event, often lacking in funding and organization. Nevertheless, it managed to attract considerable attention. The 1962 exhibition, served as an early platform for British Pop Art. Amongst the fellow exhibitors were Peter Blake, David Hockney, Frank Bowling, Derek Boshier, Patrick Procktor and R. B. Kitaj. The review of the exhibition in The Times observed, ‘if this year’s brilliant “Young Contemporaries” exhibition is anything to go by, British art is in for a healthy, lively period. The exhibition (particularly the far room) fairly bubbles with bright ideas and visual excitement, which is more important than the fact that some of the talent may prove to be a flash in the pan. Derivative influences abound, but that, too, is irrelevant; one does not ask an apprentice artist to spring fully armed from the head of Zeus but only to be discerning in his choice of exemplars and intelligent in his use of them. Intelligence of this kind is noticeable throughout the exhibition, and it is interesting to see in what directions it is currently aimed’.

The Times - Tuesday 13th February 1962

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The Times - Tuesday 13th February 1962

Lawrie was also included in the 1963 Young Contemporaries exhibition as well as that year’s touring exhibition which visited Cambridge Art Gallery, Ferens Art Gallery, Midland Group Gallery, Towner Art Gallery, Bradford Art Gallery.

Young-Contemporaries-63-touring

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Young Contemporaries 1963 Touring Exhibition Catalogue Cover

Lawrie subsequently worked for Harkers Studios, London. Painting scenery for opera and theatre productions, including the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne, Welsh National Opera and various west end productions. Between 1965-1967 Lawrie shared his expertise teaching drawing at Ealing School of Art.

In 1976 Lawrie was shortlisted for the prestigious John Moores Painting Prize held at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. His painting Nebeul Kasr took third place, with a £2000 prize. In second place was Sir Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017) with Cafeteria at the Grand Palais, and the first place prize was awarded to John Walker (b.1939) for Juggernaut with Plume for P. Neruda.

Nebeul Kasr was later purchased by The Atkinson Art Gallery in Southport.

Other group shows included two at Scribes Cellar in 1980 and 1981, before a major solo exhibition at the Chenil Gallery in Chelsea in 1982.

After a hiatus of three decades, Lawrie resumed exhibiting in 2011, focusing on local venues and marking a new chapter in his artistic journey.

4th November – 24th December

You are warmly invited to join Susan and ourselves for an opening drinks reception from 6pm Saturday 4th November

Doone Valley Gallery are delighted to present an exhibition of Equine photography and etchings by Susan George.

Susan shot to international stardom after her acclaimed performance opposite Dustin Hoffman in the controversial 1971 film Straw Dogs, and has remained in the spotlight ever since. For the past 22 years Susan has been living on Exmoor breeding Arabian horses and capturing their beauty and spirit via the artistic mediums of photography and printmaking.

A portion of proceeds will benefit Susan’s charity Lasting Life, the Simon MacCorkindale Legacy

Artist, President of the Royal Watercolour Society and member of the New English Art Club, Charles Williams will be giving a talk about his work at Doone Valley Gallery on Saturday 12th August from 4pm. All are welcome to attend.

Doone Valley Gallery, Lorna Doone Farm, Malmsmead, North Devon, EX35 6HA