By Fiona Gell
One of Yorkshire’s most prestigious annual art exhibitions – Ones To Watch – returns for its 12th year at the Sunny Bank Mills Art Gallery in Farsley.
The exhibition is focused on talented emerging artists and makers who are based in, or are from, Yorkshire.
It brings together work by artists from across disciplines, from painting to sculpture, jewellery, textiles, photography, ceramics, design and more with much of the work available to buy. It is an ideal way to start an art collection while supporting artists through buying prints and limited editions at very affordable prices.
Sunny Banks Mills’ Arts Director Anna Turzynski said: “It is such a joy to open our 12th annual Ones to Watch exhibition at Sunny Bank Mills. The cohort this year has been incredibly strong and walking into the Gallery each morning and seeing their work here is incredibly energising.
“The artists exhibiting this year are a mixture of people who are graduating art school, leaving alternative arts education or who are marking a milestone in their self-taught practice.
“All the artists share a desire to show their work in a physical space and I invite audiences to support them at this vital time in their practice. Come down to vote for your favourite piece in the Gallery.”
The Peoples’ Choice Award provides an artist with a free three-month residency space at Sunny Bank Mills in which to work. This is a valuable resource for the winner, introduces them to our Mills’ community of 35 artists, and helps to retain talent in the region.
One exhibiting artist will also be selected by a panel of the East Street Arts Team to have a free month-long residency at Convention House in Leeds as part of the The East Street Arts Prize.
Anna added: “Ones To Watch offers so much. As gallery spaces around the UK close at an alarming rate, we love to see artists bringing their family, friends, fans and potential future collaborators into the space to connect and show off all their hard work. I implore the artists to make the most of this opportunity.”
The exhibition explores topics of identity, place, community and cats.
Two of the artists taking part in Ones To Watch are Ellie Andrews and Jessie Davies.
Ellie Andrews is an emerging portrait and figurative artist and the founder of Leeds Drawing Club. She studied Theatre Design at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts and after a period working as a set designer, returned to Leeds to set up Leeds Drawing Club in 2007.
Ellie commented: “I am very grateful for the opportunity to show my work in such a well-respected Gallery as Sunny Bank Mills. It is a very exciting moment for me as an early career emerging artist.
“I think it is an important and positive step that the Sunny Bank Mills Gallery has extended their remit to include those who are self-taught or not recently graduated (like me!) for their curation of Ones to Watch 2025. It is a fantastically interesting show, beautifully and sensitively curated.
“As an artist mother, which comes with its own set of unique challenges, it feels amazing to receive recognition for my work and to feel seen and respected as an artist.“
Jessie Davies is an artist whose work highlights important yet fragile wetland and woodland environments that play a vital role in our wider ecosystems.
Living with multiple disabilities, including paraplegia and autism, Jessie’s access to and view of the rural environment result in an acute observation of small, overlooked objects which nestle in the landscape.
Jessie said: “Being part of Ones to Watch has been, for me, an amazing experience, working alongside other emergent artists and sharing their energy and enthusiasm.
“In recent years, my own artwork has been highlighting important yet fragile wetland and woodland environments which play a vital role in our wider ecosystems. The work which I am showing at this exhibition includes a series of paintings inspired by a freshwater wetland on the Humber banks which was damaged by saltwater flooding. These pieces incorporate reeds, foliage and other materials found on the site.
“Alongside these paintings, I have ceramic works documenting the recovery of a West Yorkshire woodland site affected by wildfire. These ceramics, created on a wheelchair-accessible pottery wheel, reflect my close observation of the site’s forms and textures; some show signs of charring while others display new growth.
“They are crafted with stoneware, wild-clay and slips, and finished with glazes made from natural materials like leaves and charcoal.”
- Ones To Watch is open in the Gallery, Sandsgate Building, Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, Tuesday-Saturday 10-4, Sunday 12-4 until April 27. Closed on Mondays. Free entry.
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