Bothy Stones return to smallest Gallery

A new exhibition of bothy stones is now on display at Gallery on the Green in Settle.

Local artist Alex Pilkington first exhibited at the gallery in spring 2021 with his unique collection of paintings of mountain huts on stone.  Since then Alex has been busy adding to his works and now features a new set of painting of these huts whose stories are as fascinating as they are extraordinary.

The Gallery on the Green is housed in a former BT telephone box in upper Settle and is thought to be probably the world’s smallest art gallery.

Alex explains: “Not everyone is familiar with the word ‘Bothy’, so as a simple explanation… It is a mountain shelter that is open for people to stop over for a night, take refuge in poor weather, or just visit for a picnic or lunch. There is much more to the Bothy than this as they are all individual and have rich histories, both from the peasant farmers and shepherds that used to live in them with their families generations ago, to the mountaineers that have used them on epic and pioneering winter climbs. They are a wonderful asset to have in the UK's wilderness areas and a night in one can enhance any visit to the mountains, as well as the chance to have a great social encounter with other like-minded mountain visitors, of whom you may of never met before, nor meet again – but often those stories told and memories will never be forgotten.

“I have been visiting the bothies for a number of years using my mountain bike to bike-pack between them, sometimes doing 3-4 day trips, or sometimes just a night, sometimes with friends, sometimes with family and quite often just on my own.

“During the pandemic, the Bothy stone painting became a good escape for me and I found it very therapeutic, I have created some 30 images on a range of stones, most from my own photographs of Bothies that I have visited. There is a wide range of landscapes from sunny coastal vistas to winter mountain-scapes and those under the crisp night sky, similarly, the stones are all varied and provide a nice medium on which to paint.”

The exhibition is now open and runs until 17 November.