Artistic Oasis

Once you have got over the shock that Stratford upon Avon is not the Artistic Oasis, that you thought it was, even with the Shakespearean influence, and is in fact a town full of tea shops and Estate Agents, I am here to tell you that all is not lost and there is hope.

There are nooks and crannies, hidden places where Art does exist, (and I am not talking about the same-old/same-old High Street galleries that sell pictures of pop stars in sparkling sunglasses for over a grand).

I am of course referring to The Cadabra Art Gallery that lies half-hidden up Stratford upon Avon’s own version of Diagon Alley.

One room crammed full, (at this point I would like to make a reference to the Tardis, you know bigger on the inside than the outside, but I am going to have to stick with ‘crammed full’), with remarkable works of art in every medium you can think of. Old and new, framed and unframed. Work by the long dead or still with us, local and otherwise. A cornucopia.

In other words, exactly what a working Art Gallery should be. A magical place. And all curated by the knowledgeable master collector and supporter of new artists, Graham.

A place where you can get close up and personal (touching range) to what you may be looking for and not the cold, sterile environment of the High Street Gallery of today. (You don’t even have to risk damaging your back by bending down to read a tiny print label that quotes you a price half of which goes to the gallery in er…’commission’).

To find this real Art Gallery you need first of all to get to Ely Street (Stratford upon Avon) and then the Antique Centre. Up the narrow alleyway where, lo and behold and according to the weather, you will either see the imposing figure of Graham himself or the small Gallery itself.

Prepare to be impressed (and tell him Ian sent you).