The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery is not very well known in Leeds. I have never before heard my…read morearty friends talk about it, or seen any promotion for it, and I am often taking short cuts through the University Campus. I heard about the gallery whilst doing data entry for an arts company, I was inputting data from a survey to decide why it wasn't very well attended. Since then I vowed that I would go and have a look, as everyone in the survey spoke very highly of it in their comments. You can find the gallery in The Parkinson Building of the University, just to the left of reception through some glass sliding doors. The exhibits I saw today were beautiful. The gallery used to consist of three rooms which have now been converted into one large space displaying the Universities permanent collection. It includes various bronze works, a display of Yorkshire pottery, a suite of glass cases displaying drawn works, and some really beautiful paintings. There is also another room which is used for temporary exhibitions. Today I saw 'Obsession: Contemporary Art from the Lodeveans Collection' which is running until the 28th November (2009). My favorite in this collection were some porcelain models of crushed cans (like coke cans) hand painted with blue flowers, as if they were an old china set. They have a variety of different pieces, from abstract to portrait paintings, sculptures, video, audio, and drawings, so if you are an art lover there will most likely be something for you. It is quite small, but it's free and also not far from the gallery in the city centre if you feel the need for more.

A very modern gallery, compared to other museums/galleries that I have visited this isn't the…read morebiggest but it is so modern and chic. There is a room which shows art and often switches it up

Taken me a few attempts to get in here as I kept getting days wrong etc…read more It was worth it though. The space itself is excellent. Beautiful lighting in all the rooms we went to and a great sense of space. The Barbara Hepworth material on show is outstanding and it was fascinating to read more about her. Quite a lot of other stuff there too which changes constantly. I didn't like the Franz West pieces on show but then it's impossible to please everyone with every exhibit - and besides, I'm reviewing the place itself not the temporary content. One thing I thought was brilliant as the design of the gallery itself. Vast windows offer great views across the river, weir and bridge and these have been carefully sited to get the best possible view of the water rushing past. The silence that accompanies this works really well and was an interesting part of the set up. We had a simple but tasty meal in the cafeteria - sausages and mash is easy to get right but I've known many places get it wrong! The gift shop is full of interesting stuff that is both good to look at as well as being educational. Whoever runs that has bought stock with a lot of care which is great to see. And as the place is free to get into it's terrific value too. We spent a very enjoyable couple of hours looking round and I know I'd like to visit it again. Worth the trip.

New flagship £50+million gallery to house Wakefield's collection plus recent Barbara Hepworth…read moredonations, Ben Nicholson etc. Also changing visiting exhibitions. The building (Chipperfield) is impressive and the interior gallery spaces couldn't be better - reminicent of a better 21st century Hayward Gallery - beautifully lit naturally from above, with panoramic vistas through large strategically placed windows within the gallery. If you are a Hepworth afficianado you might enjoy the insight these plasters and maquettes bring to her story along with the contextualising work of some of her St Ives cronies. I however could have screamed for some work of better quality and range from a greater spectrum of artists. The emphasis on sculpture works well being so close to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, but YSP do it better. The cafe is a joke queuing 31minutes for an Americano! Once Wakefield Council make a mess of running it, It will be brilliant when Tate take it over as a provincial extension to Tate Modern!

The gallery is located at Bradford University, and it's a bit hard to find. I went as part of a…read moregroup visit with my course and so the tutor already knew the way. I think if you've never been to the University you may struggle to find it. When you do find it though it's actually a good gallery space, the member of staff who was supervising the exhibition was very friendly and knowledgeable and gave us loads of information about the work. I keep up to date with exhibitions and art events in Bradford and this gallery tends to show a good variety of work in all disciplines. My only problem is it's location. It's worth a visit here, but check the exhibition program and opening times as being part of a university, it may not be consistent.

Brilliant artist bought 1 of Joanna paintings and love it. Would have no hesitation in recommending…read moreJo to anyone. Her portraits are brilliant especially the one she did of Trigger out of Only Fools and Horses.

Unique! If you want beautiful Original Oil paintings, British or International as an investment or…read morejust for looks, prints, maps and mirrors or want something special framing this is the best place in the North and Mids! First thing that you would notice here are prints of York for tourist traffic. Specialising in British Original Oil Paintings & signed limited edition quality prints, this has something for just about everyone. There is so much choice here, Your best off writing a list of what would fit in to your house and presenting it as you enter. Then cancel your appointments for the rest of the day and fall in Love, probably with something that either wont fit or you just cant afford! I had this but after chatting with the friendly chaps here, a plan was actioned and now i've got Gordon Lees & Edward Hersey Paintings that has everyone that visits my home asking questions like that the most detail i have ever seen in a painting or i didn't see that brush in that door last time! I just love the way the paintings brighten up my sitting room. I've had photos framed here in real chunky oak, fantastic job and even delivered 20 miles away at work for Free as i was a VIP member from buying my oil paintings!

Zarina's House of Cakes sells cakes and also holds cake decorating/making classes. Myself and a…read morefriend attended a cupcake decorating class after purchasing vouchers for it from Groupon. They cost us £15 each for a class lasting a couple of hours. We didn't have to take anything with us except aprons, everything else was provided there. The classes held at Zarina's house, which is nice and big with a massive kitchen. She was really welcoming and there was only three of us in the class so we recieved really individual attention and feedback. We made and decorated six cupcakes each to take home and they looked and tasted really good. Would go back again for another class.

What with being let down once again by Virgin Media, I had to seek solace on such a rainy day as…read moreyesterday, with coffee and wifi. There's a number of spots about town in which to laze the day away with a supply of reasonable coffee, but since The Bowery is so close and it's been so long, I decided to set up here for lunch and respite from the rains. As far as I can tell, the place has gone from strength to strength, providing in-numerous excellent artistic courses for folks to partake of, alongside their range of fresh lunchables and gift-shop-cum-gallery. The programme of lessons looks fantastic, offering up everything from jewellery making to knitting, and browsing the hand crafted gifts about the cafe reveals a wealth of local talent and passion. I hadn't intended to purchase anything (one never does) but couldn't help be drawn in by some of the kitsch and quirky little items. The staff, as ever, are mega friendly, which makes a visit all the nicer. I decided to try the spinach and ricotta quiche, which comes with a sizeable plate of salad on the side. I have to say, whilst the quiche didn't make my mouth sing, the accompanying salad more than made up for this in flavour - the dressing was mouth watering, and the mix of sultanas, sesame seeds and such made this a healthy taste sensation. You can grab a decent sized latte for about £2, a pot of tea which yielded a few cups for the same, and of course the wifi is free. It's not coffee comparable to the likes of Bottega or Laynes, but the space more than makes up for this -and I'm not complaining, it was a good cup of Joe. The atmosphere defines relaxed, and with the array of art and crafts on the walls and in the cabinets, you're not short on excellent things to look at and ponder. The gallery and classroom space is upstairs, and whilst I didn't have an opportunity to wander around, I'll have to come back soon for a peek. I read also that the classroom space is available for hire for most art-related activities, for as little as £5 an hour I believe, which is fantastic for the local community. It's also worth noting that the toilet even has a mini seat that you can pull down, should you have kidlets in your company, which is a lovely touch. Overall, I'm a big fan of this place, and hope that Headingley continues to support independents like this. More of this, please Headingley. Get your senses open and your art head on.

The Bowery is more than just a cafe. Here you can also find art exhibition space, a classroom for…read moreworkshops and an impressive selection of cards and gifts. It's split across two floors and, while the upper floor is light and airy the lower floor feels a little cramped. Possibly because the lower floor contains the cafe and the gift shop but it does seem to work. Naturally, the gallery space is a little quieter but it's a lovely space and I really enjoyed wandering around and looking at the exhibits. It looks like the workshops room is really well used. A group was finishing a crafting workshop as we arrived and the website advertises further workshops as well as a series of short courses that starts in September and a variety of other events. We didn't stay for food but they're certainly popular, which has to be a good sign, and the cakes look great. I'd be tempted to return for a coffee and some treats but even if these turn out to be less than the best in the area The Bowery is doing a great job of pulling together a creative community in Headingley. They describe themselves as The Home of Creativity and I think that that suits them very well.

I'm going to get all Picasso on your mother now. Well not literally or else I'd probably be locked…read moreup for whopping off an ear or something. Hold on a minute was that Van Gough? Anyway, culture vultures pay attention. Let's do the Mercer Art gallery. With such a fine history and elegant buildings, Harrogate is indeed the place to go for some visual delights. The Mercer Art gallery taps into that. It is the home of some 2000 works of art, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection includes works by William Powell Frith, Atkinson Grimshaw, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Dame Laura Knight and Alan Davie. It's an excellent space and has so much to look at. What's more, they do change the exhibitions quite regularly so it's a place you can go back to again and again. It won't be to everyone's tastes though. There isn't much in the way of Andy Warhol or Dali type paintings; it's more traditional than that. Less Pop Art and more portraits. I must confess you are more likely to find me being blown away by some Surrealism or contemporary sculptures but as someone who struggles to draw match stick men I can't help but marvel in the talents of these painters.