A palette of colours awaits at 78 Derngate this September, in an exciting new exhibition

Nine artists are taking over 78 Derngate in an exciting new exhibition from the 29th of August to the 4th of October(10am-4pm Tuesday to Sunday), where art will traverse through the gallery, shop and into the gardens. Free and open to the public, this exhibition will display art of all mediums, including sculpture, mosaics, painting, drawing, printing and glass art.

Furthermore, this exciting group is providing three chances to meet the artists and ask those important questions about art, practice and where to next, running from 12pm-4pm on the 29th of August, the 8th and 22nd of September, so be sure to enter the dates in your calendar. The ‘Nine@78Derngate’ is set within the highly impressive 78 Derngate, a house remodelled by designer, architect and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh, with today’s contemporary artists also carving their own artistic path.

One such artist, in this exhibition of nine, is artist and educator Andrew Wynne, his play and expanse of mediums pushing art into a dreamlike world. Where evoked emotions lead the art to form a life of its own, whether it’s his artwork in mixed-media collage, batik or mosaics. In his batik art there is an explosion of ‘spontaneous abstract imagery’ as he explores the interaction of wax and dye. Led by expressive emotions, his mosaics are calm and reflective, whilst continuing to push and break boundaries of art and extend its possibilities.

Highly-skilled, artist Bill Blyth has a 40-year background in working with trees and timber. His depth of knowledge about how trees grow is now used to create stunning functional art. “I have timber all around me as I work, I’ll be walking past a piece for quite some time, maybe weeks or months, before it’ll tell me what I want to make with it. I have an idea in my head but then as I work with it the timber dictates what I do – bringing these elements together, that’s the creative process.”

A master at watercolour, artist Clare Tebboth brings birds and their natural habitat to life, with a lush array of colours that work to emit the feelings of the season. Her award-winning work having shown across the country, including the International Watercolour Masters 2026. Her process uses highly pigmented watercolours and gold leaf, with a play of colours that carefully surround the underlying structure to which one of her birds take centre stage.

Looking for something new? Deborah Baker, a mixed-media artist, certainly achieves this and more, her fascinating art, through the use of thread and paper, creating captivating one-off drawings. Having studied fine art at Birmingham Polytechnic in the 1990s, Deborah has continued her love of art, with observational drawing at its heart, her themes varied from inspiration of the natural world to figurative works. Combining not only mediums but abstract art with the recording of observed details.

A multi-disciplined artist, Hilary Moralee uses her knowledge across mediums to bring the inspiration of the natural world to each of her artworks. Skilled in painting, mosaics and ceramic illustration, her experimentation in techniques expands on her knowledge as a graphic designer and illustrator. Highly detailed, the animals’ fur bristles with life, while her adaptability in art can lead to a palette knife or brush attached to the end of a bamboo stick where a freedom of expression can be seen.

Glass artist Jill Tisbury is a master in shaping this medium into great artworks and teaches all the glass art disciplines in her Rushden based studio FiredGlass. Award-winning, Jill most recently collected the Christopher Parsons award for Artistic Excellence in 2026. She has created a collection of jewellery specifically for this Derngate exhibition in admiration of Mackintosh’s colours and motifs along with her signature inspired coastline pieces and glass flower collections.

Sculptor Linda Johns is a Member of the Royal Society of Sculptors and has exhibited her work widely across the UK. Public commissions include a three metre by 5 metre sculpture for the Gyosei Art Trail in Milton Keynes, and a life-size pine needle figure for Grisedale Sculpture Forest. Linda mostly works with metal, and sees her entire art practice as a kind of drawing. Sculpting a ‘form’ in plaster or clay, Linda then works with lengths of wire to create lines which are placed with utmost care to describe the subject as much as the shape does. Capturing the energy of her intense art practice in the final sculptures, her ephemeral three-dimensional drawings appear fragile but are actually surprisingly robust.

A strong embrace of colour can be seen in each of the paintings by artist P N Clin, whose narrative storytelling asks ‘just what do you see?’, whilst posing the ‘what ifs’ that surround our present day. Society inspired, P N Clin combines an education in psychology and art to delve into what our subconscious knows and bring it to the forefront of the mind.

For artist Sarah Hutt, her paintings begin with a place but become something more. Inspired by coastlines, changing light and the marks of time, she uses acrylic and rich textures to create emotional landscapes where memory and imagination meet. Rather than telling a story, each painting offers a quiet space for viewers to interpret their own.

The exhibition is free to enter, as are the shop and the wonderful Dining Room Restaurant, which offers a huge selection of beverages and food to enjoy. Tickets can also be purchased to view the museum, and see the remodelled house by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

‘Nine@78Derngate’, hosted within the impressive 78 Derngate, has been arranged in partnership with the Northants & Rutland Open Studios (NROS). This is one of many free events taking place across September, with exhibitions, fairs and open studios transforming the last summer month into an artistic heaven. A collective of hundreds of artists, the Northants & Rutland Open Studios has arranged opportunities to see artists’ works across the county, but if you are not sure on where to begin, their Central Exhibition at Lamport Hall can be a great starting point, running from the 6th of September to the 4th of October. Be sure to check it out, and to take advantage of these exciting exhibitions, including the limited run of ‘Nine@78Derngate’.

‘Nine@78Derngate’

Free Entry – 29th August to the 4th of October. Tuesday – Sunday 10am-4pm

Hosted at 78 Derngate - The Charles Rennie Mackintosh House
Northampton
NN1 1UH