The Art Stable

The Art Stable The Art Stable specialises in Contemporary and 20th Century British paintings, prints and ceramics,

The Art Stable specialises in Contemporary and 20th Century British paintings, prints and ceramics, presenting eight exhibitions a year of established and emerging artists. There are two spaces, one presenting solo exhibitions and the second a continually changing selection of other gallery artists. The gallery is situated in the courtyard of an organic farm next door to a farm shop and cafe. The

gallery looks towards the iron age hill fort, Hambledon Hill, so is an ideal place to combine a good walk, delicious lunch and interesting art. Kelly Ross founded The Art Stable in 2006, very close to where she lives in Child Okeford, a village situated between Shaftesbury and Blandford in Dorset. She has worked in the fine art market for nearly 30 years since her first job after university with the European Print dealer, William Weston in Albemarle Street, London. After four years with Austin/Desmond Fine Art in Bloomsbury, she co-ran the Gallery at John Jones before opening the Coram Gallery in Bloomsbury in 1993. After moving to Dorset in 1999 Kelly ran the Summerleaze Gallery in Wiltshire before opening The Art Stable eight years ago. The gallery stock, for the large part listed on this website, is ever changing and offers a wide variety of art from under £100 upwards. We sell to individuals, businesses and interior designers and also purchase or help sell paintings on behalf of clients.



'The Art Stable, a little jewel of a gallery', Fiona Robinson in Proof Directory

Nicholas Usherwood, editor of Galleries Magazine, said of The Art Stable, 'the style of this gallery and the artists it shows.....would not be out of place in the West End of London'. Fanny Charles wrote, 'In just a few years, gallery owner Kelly Ross has established a remarkable reputation for The Art Stable - she has a sharp eye for talent, and confidence in the artistic knowledge of the Dorset community to support exhibitions that bring national and international artists to her tiny gallery in a farmyard.'

It is the last week of our current exhibitions and we are open this week on Thursday and Friday, from 10 am to 3 pm. Pl...
14/05/2026

It is the last week of our current exhibitions and we are open this week on Thursday and Friday, from 10 am to 3 pm. Please note that will be closed on Saturday.

The paintings above are from Georgina Allen’s solo exhibition in the downstairs gallery, beautiful moments captured while painting outside.

I try to capture even an element of what I see, with the light changing every second, while tides advance and retreat, rain threatens and probably falls, and insects wade up the painted sky and die halfway up looking like birds. The paintings are about my pleasure at being there in that particular place at that particular time. Paint itself is exciting too: you never know what will happen, the painting makes itself and although it will only represent a fraction of what is there, I hope the picture will be a thing of its own.

Another little work by Dorothy Bradbury, measuring 14 x 14 cm, included in our current exhibition, Between the Mountains...
07/05/2026

Another little work by Dorothy Bradbury, measuring 14 x 14 cm, included in our current exhibition, Between the Mountains and the Sea. All her work can be seen on the gallery website

Dorothy and Robert Bradbury’s paintings were profoundly shaped by their life in Mallorca. Although both were trained and began their careers in America, it was their move to the Balearic island in the mid-twentieth century that defined their mature artistic identities. Dorothy and Robert settled in the village of Deià during the 1950s, drawn by the island’s dramatic landscapes, wonderful Mediterranean light, and slower pace of life

Mallorca became central to their work. Dorothy’s work captures life on the island and in the villages. She devised a technique of her own devising that straddles the border between printmaking and hand coloured monoprints, using Mallorcan tiles and plaster blocks.

The setting of Deià played a crucial role in shaping both artists’ work. The village, perched between the Tramuntana mountains and the sea, offered a unique combination of natural beauty and cultural diversity. Informal gatherings among artists encouraged discussion and collaboration, yet the relative isolation of the location allowed the Bradburys to pursue their own artistic directions. Their work reflects this balance: it is both informed by broader artistic dialogues and deeply rooted in the specific character of Mallorca.

Georgina Allen’s exhibition in the gallery includes a selection of work from the past fifteen years.My landscape paintin...
30/04/2026

Georgina Allen’s exhibition in the gallery includes a selection of work from the past fifteen years.

My landscape painting owes a lot to Dorset. I first felt the excitement of plein air painting aged 9, sitting in a flowerbed painting a peony at Hanford School in Child Okeford. That set me off wanting to paint. Then at art school, Patrick Symons, who taught at Chelsea and who partly lived and painted in Dorset, would take groups of students to Wimbledon Common - his enthusiasm was infectious. We had to paint within shouting distance of each other as there had recently been a very nasty murder. We all survived. As a city dweller under the impression that winter was grim, I first discovered how lovely winter in the country is, painting from a friend’s flat in Lyme Regis. For years, landscape painting was only something I enjoyed on visits to Pembrokeshire every year, where I had family connections - the main focus of my painting was elsewhere - but gradually the bug began to bite until at the moment it has almost taken over.

There is nothing like the thrill of painting outside - or in my car if the weather is bad, as it often is because I particularly like the colours, bare branches and brooding skies of autumn and winter. I use my car as a studio and tether it, as Monet did his boat, wherever I find something I want to paint, hoping it won’t get stuck in the mud.

We are opening tomorrow in our upstairs gallery, an exhibition of work by Dorothy and Robert Bradbury. Illustrated is a ...
17/04/2026

We are opening tomorrow in our upstairs gallery, an exhibition of work by Dorothy and Robert Bradbury. Illustrated is a small piece by Dorothy. All the work can be seen on the gallery website.

Dorothy and Robert Bradbury’s paintings were profoundly shaped by their life in Mallorca. Although both were trained and began their careers in America, it was their move to the Balearic island in the mid-twentieth century that defined their mature artistic identities. Dorothy and Robert settled in the village of Deià during the 1950s, drawn by the island’s dramatic landscapes, wonderful Mediterranean light, and slower pace of life

Mallorca became central to their work. Dorothy’s work captures life on the island and in the villages. She devised a technique of her own devising that straddles the border between printmaking and hand coloured monoprints, using Mallorcan tiles and plaster blocks.

Robert Bradbury, by contrast, was particularly drawn to the structure and atmosphere of the Mallorcan landscape. Working en plein air (with his paints hidden under particular rocks), he captured the landscape of gnarled olive trees and grazing sheep. Unlike Dorothy’s work, people rarely appear.

The setting of Deià played a crucial role in shaping both artists’ work. The village, perched between the Tramuntana mountains and the sea, offered a unique combination of natural beauty and cultural diversity. Informal gatherings among artists encouraged discussion and collaboration, yet the relative isolation of the location allowed the Bradburys to pursue their own artistic directions. Their work reflects this balance: it is both informed by broader artistic dialogues and deeply rooted in the specific character of Mallorca.

We are opening tomorrow a new exhibition, Landscape Paintings 2010 to 2025 by Georgina Allen, beautiful oils painted out...
17/04/2026

We are opening tomorrow a new exhibition, Landscape Paintings 2010 to 2025 by Georgina Allen, beautiful oils painted outside, which capture the atmosphere of place.

All the paintings can be seen on the gallery website.

We are also opening an exhibition of work by Dorothy and Robert Bradbury in our upstairs gallery.

We have some beautiful paintings by Georgina Allen on the walls, ready for the opening of her solo exhibition on Saturda...
15/04/2026

We have some beautiful paintings by Georgina Allen on the walls, ready for the opening of her solo exhibition on Saturday, 18th April. We will be open from 10 am to 3 pm, as well the café and farm shop.

My landscape painting owes a lot to Dorset. I first felt the excitement of plein air painting aged 9, sitting in a flowerbed painting a peony at Hanford School in Child Okeford. That set me off wanting to paint. Then at art school, Patrick Symons, who taught at Chelsea and who partly lived and painted in Dorset, would take groups of students to Wimbledon Common - his enthusiasm was infectious. We had to paint within shouting distance of each other as there had recently been a very nasty murder. We all survived. As a city dweller under the impression that winter was grim, I first discovered how lovely winter in the country is, painting from a friend’s flat in Lyme Regis. For years, landscape painting was only something I enjoyed on visits to Pembrokeshire every year, where I had family connections - the main focus of my painting was elsewhere - but gradually the bug began to bite until at the moment it has almost taken over.

We had a wonderful talk in the gallery last weekend by Julian Francis, and the day was a wonderful celebration of the li...
11/04/2026

We had a wonderful talk in the gallery last weekend by Julian Francis, and the day was a wonderful celebration of the life and work of Rena Gardiner, (1929-99). Thank you to everyone who came and patiently squashed into the gallery. We sold a lot of books, but still have more for sale, all of which can be seen on the gallery website.

Rena Gardiner’s guidebooks to historic places, buildings and the countryside have an idiosyncratic style that was unique in post-war British art. Every page is an original lithograph, a beautiful art work in itself. Rena produced about forty five books, all of which she wrote, illustrated and printed herself, and of which no two copies are the same.

Rena was completely dedicated to her art, creating everything in a studio in her cottage in the heart of Dorset. Combining the great tradition of British topographic artists with the rich era of auto lithography of the 1940’s and 1950’s, she created her own very personal and individual visual style. Uninterested in publicity or fame, Rena created an artistic legacy that is instantly recognisable for its exuberant use of colour and texture.

On Saturday we will be serving drinks in the gallery from 10am - 3pm to mark the closing of the current exhibitions. H...
19/03/2026

On Saturday we will be serving drinks in the gallery from 10am - 3pm to mark the closing of the current exhibitions. Humphrey Jennings was an immensely interesting figure and there have been many enthusiastic conversations in the gallery about Humphrey and his work. So we welcome visitors on Saturday who would like a last look at the work, a chance to read the books and material that we currently have in the gallery, and to talk about him.

Emsie Sharp will also be in her glass blowing studio on Saturday with a sale of her work.

And the cafe and farm shop will also be open as usual.

Had a lovely visit to the studio of Georgina Allen this week and selected some beautiful work for her solo exhibition wh...
13/03/2026

Had a lovely visit to the studio of Georgina Allen this week and selected some beautiful work for her solo exhibition which will open in the gallery in April.

We have two new paintings by Kimberley Day in the gallery, of the dunes at Studland, close to where she lives.Kimberley ...
11/03/2026

We have two new paintings by Kimberley Day in the gallery, of the dunes at Studland, close to where she lives.

Kimberley lives on the Isle of Purbeck on the south coast of England, Dorset. Her abstracted landscape paintings are a response to places that may seem familiar but with the use of composition and colour she looks to focus in on something undefined, to offer up the essence of a place whether local or afar. Using colour and mark making initially as an investigation, then searching through the process to unlock something unexpected allowing the act of painting to take her on a journey. Kim will often start her work en Pléin Air then move back to the studio to allow that transition from recorded observation to creating works that are felt as much as they are observed.

The dunes are a regular theme in Kimberley Days work, something she keeps coming back to. Partly in the constant variation of form and texture, light and atmosphere but also because there is something about their shifting nature and impermanence that she connects with personally, reflecting constantly changing emotions and experiences.

Kimberley Day has a BA (Hons) in Fine Art and an MA ind Design For Screen from the NFTS (RCA) and hasworked in the UK film industry for over 20 years, creating concepts for sets, costume and environments. Over the last 5 years she has returned to her first love of painting, and has recently won Landscape Artist of the Year (2026) with her work now part of the National Gallery of Irelands collection.

Address

Child Okeford
Blandford Forum
DT118

Opening Hours

Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

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