Frame of Mine is a gallery and picture framers located on the Lower Ormeau Road. It's not often you…read morecan say a visit to a shop lifts your spirits - however, you can say this about Frame of Mine. I can't imagine anyone would visit this shop/gallery and not love it. Maybe I'm slightly biased as it displays the sort of art I love; contemporary, bright, fresh, illustrative, lowbrow and by local artists. You'll find original art, prints, sculptures, ornaments, jewellery, mugs, novelty items, posters, stationary and cards here. Alternatively if you have a piece of art you can get it framed here too. The perfect spot to pick up an original gift for a friend or relative. Or just pop in for a browse - I think you'll love it...

Queen Street Studios (QSS), now located in Bedford Street instead of Queen Street, is a not for…read moreprofit Gallery and Artists studio space. It provides 23 subsidised studio spaces to Artists working in various mediums. The QSS Gallery also displays contemporary, thought provoking visual art exhibitions all year round. You'll find a range of activities going on including exhibitions, talks and open studio days, which allow the public a chance to walk around the normally closed off studios. I visited QSS during Belfast Open Studios 2015 and was amazed at the fabulous, bright, huge building with art studios spanning 4 floors. We were warmly greeted on arrival by Studios Administrator Brendan O'Neill and Gallery Assistant Aoife Earley, given a warming cup of Suki tea and allowed to explore to our hearts content. The Artists were welcoming, friendly and chatty and it was fascinating to view their personal work spaces and see and hear about their work processes. In particular I loved the studios of Craig Donald, Catherine Davison, Zoe Murdoch, Clement McAleer, Sinead McKeever and Angela Hackett. Unfortunately that's as far as I got, only half way through the second floor. I was on a walking tour of Belfast studios and sadly ran out of time - we had to move on to the next place. However I will return to see more exhibitions in QSS Gallery and am looking forward to next years open studio event when I plan to spend a whole day wandering around QSS. I would highly recommend a visit to QSS to see exhibitions, visit the studio space and purchase a unique art work.

Currently in Bedford Street. Go here if you want to check out some Northern Irish contemporary art…read morework. It is a good location as it is really close to the Dublin Road.

For a while I have wanted to find an everyday sort of picture framer that is reasonably near me but…read morenot in the city centre. Finally, I think I have found that framer on the Woodstock Road. Tom West do all that you might expect of this type of business and have a selection of familiar views and photographs on show, including one of a place that's close to my heart but rarely photographed except by me so far as I know! There are various posters and local picture books on display. The girl in the shop was exceptionally pleasant and I can honestly say I look forward to returning in future.

Amazing little gallery located in Queen's University. Great range of exhibitions. Although small in…read moresize it shows a wonderfully diverse range of art works. Well worth dropping into for a look.

Although Artcetera is a centrally located gallery in the city and I've passed it many times - I've…read morenever previously noticed its existence! Because it sits slightly back from the pavement on Rosemary Street, it is easily overlooked. However, l visited on 03/08/17 with Belfast Art Bus Tour and saw VISAGE, The Face of Drag, a creative collaboration and exhibition by Photographer Carrie Davenport, nightclub promoter Aaron Eakin and Kaisen Print. This consisted of photographic portraits of Belfast-based Drag Queens in both male and Drag identities. It was a fabulous, entertaining and enthralling show. Artcetera gallery itself had a wonderful night club ambience with a lovely bar made from wine bottles - a delightful discovery and a real hidden gem.

This place used to be called Red Barn gallery. Worth checking out if your in the area. Really handy…read moreif your walking in the city centre!

I am in no way an art buff. I'm not an art anything in fact. But I do like to have a look around…read morethese places, even just to seem a little cultured to the store assistant who can obviously seen through my nods of appreciation. From the outside it looks a little more commercial to other galleries in the area. It always has advertisements in its windows, stating silly pointless things that you should already expect to find in a gallery (not signs saying 'pretty paintings!' but close enough). The price range clearly shows that the stuff here really is for someone who wants to make a serious commitment. Paying 4/5 hundred pounds for a painting the size of my palm is the biggest commitment anyone can make in my opinion!

Eakin's my favourite art gallery on the Lisburn Road. A lovely little family run gallery spanning…read moretwo floors of a red brick townhouse. Specialists in contemporary Irish art they also have some pieces from the past as well. You'll find a range of Artists' work here including George Callaghan, Brian Ballard, Neil Shawcross, Dean McDowell, Louis le Brocquy, J B Vallely and Terry Bradley amongst others. I always call in for a look when I pass Eakin. Yesterday I visited to view the beautiful, stylised, atmospheric paintings of George Callaghan. His harvest sunset paintings are mesmerising and I adore his 'Purple Haze' landscapes. A beautiful exhibition for this time of year as we near the end of October. Prices vary, ranging from smaller works for a few hundred pounds to larger paintings for a few thousand. If I win the lotto I may one day be able to buy instead of just browse! The owner Brian Eakin is very welcoming and their website's kept fully updated with all current paintings listed. However nothing beats a stroll through Eakin Gallery to see the paintings in the flesh.

As a lady who likes to paint I have in the last year or so been hoofing it all the way into Belfast…read morecity center to buy my paints, brushes and cleaners - I needn't have bothered as there is a really decent art store right in the middle of Holywood. I have driven past a few times and mistaken this shop for a home decoration or wall paper place it was only after a coffee in the amazing Yard Gallery across the street that I decided to take a closer look. They stock a really great range of canvas sizes, oil and water colours, in fact they have a really great collection of everything you could need. I was after outlining lead for painting on glass and they had run out but the really helpful girl behind the desk offered to order it in for me. Throughout the shop you can also find paintings by local artists which are framed and ready to be sold. This is one of the only shops I have seen that stocks Decopatch - a thin tissue paper like product that can be applied to surfaces to cover or decorate them - the patterns are really cool and there is a huge cow in the shop fully decorated showing you the effect that can be achieved with the paper. I would have browsed for longer but there was a really loud man and really loud kids in the place so I left - I'm a grumpy old hag sometimes!

Charles Gilmore Fine Art stands well out of the way of the other art galleries in the city near the…read moreWaterfront Hall and the Law Courts, That said, if you drive past their often you can hardly miss the gallery. It's small modern, quiet and exclusive holding regular shows exhibiting the work of strong and emergent artists aimed at those who want to invest considerabl sums. The gallery also deals in the well established Irish artists including some no longer alive with Basil Blackshaw, Tom Carr, Lewis de Brocquy and William Conor on the list.