A winter wonderland arrives in Salisbury this December as the Oxfam Art Gallery in Catherine Street hosts its latest exhibition entitled ‘Advent’. Taking pride of place are limited edition prints of the original Sir John Tenniel illustrations featured in ’Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’. Displayed alongside these will be the work of local artists and craft-persons ranging from painting, ceramics, jewellery and millinery. All proceeds from the sale of the illustration prints and twenty five percent from the sale of the other items will be donated to Oxfam.

Since opening in 2008 the gallery, the first of its kind for Oxfam, has gone from strength to strength. The combination of donated items, synonymous with Oxfam, exhibited side by side with original art is also a relatively new idea and this exhibition further expands on the mix of the new and the more familiar as there will be both veteran and first time exhibitors at the gallery.

Amongst those to show at the gallery for the first time is Moira Ross. Moira produces stone carvings and has exhibited across the South including the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens near Romsey during 2010. Also new to the gallery is the work of Lisa Von Hallwyl. Lisa is a fashion and jewellery designer and a graduate of the Winchester School of Art. Lisa’s striking millinery has proved popular at weddings.

Veteran exhibitors include the Eeles Family Potters and Brian Hodgson. Both have an extensive following. Brian recently held a successful solo exhibition at the gallery during the September Salisbury Art Trail and regularly exhibits his evocative oil paintings in London. The Eeles family, from Dorset, are renowned for their imaginative and striking ceramics and they produce those using experimental techniques unique to the family.

Richard Eveleigh, a recent graduate and volunteer at Oxfam, says that he is delighted to work at the gallery. “The gallery is a lovely exhibition space. When it opened I held my first exhibition there and it has proved a massive boost both to my confidence and to my CV. The experience of exhibiting there has allowed me to develop my skills and I have since exhibited across the country, most recently in London. It is also very rewarding to know that art work is supporting such a good cause. This is something that many artists agree with and, next year, we will be pleased to welcome our first international artist to the gallery, Fareen Butt who is based in New York. ”

The exhibition opens its doors to the public on Friday 3rd December and continues until the 23rd December. The gallery is located at 10 – 14 Catherine Street Salisbury and is open Monday – Saturday 10am – 4pm. Entry is free. More information about the gallery and this exhibition can be found at www.salisburyoxfam.org.uk/gallery