A NEW exhibition featuring the work of three painters opened this week at Jane Fielder’s Bingley Gallery. But that’s only part of the story, as Jane explained.

She said: “It’s been a busy few months. I desperately wanted to paint the Bradford & Bingley building before it disappeared forever.

“It features in so many of my paintings and I was sad to see it slowly being eaten away by Flannery, Gill and Forshaw – the demolition machines – but I must confess the area does look lovely without it, with the cherry blossom and trees in all their glory.

“Next was an unexpected painting trip to Shanghai. My good friend, life model, poet and novelist Sue Vickerman was there for a year teaching English and working on her own writing.

“Out of the blue she said, ‘You must come Jane, you’d love it, it’s bonkers. We may even be able to get you a show, it’s like that in China – things just happen.’ “It was too good a chance to miss, so I swapped the building site of Bingley for the building sites of Shanghai.

“I found a flat, booked a flight and there we were approaching Pudong, a never-ending black worm with legs snaked its way across the sea into infinity.

“As we descended, I realised this was a roadway with cars moving along it. It was the first of the sights that I will never forget of my three week odyssey.

“Each day I went out, improvised portfolio in hand, and drew all around the city, returning to our flat at night to convert the meagre sketches to paintings.

“Space, not making a mess (in our pristine rented apartment), limited materials and time were restricting factors.

“Usually I work large and free, so to be confined to the smaller pieces of paper, the biggest we could fit into our suitcases, was challenging. I soon burst onto some huge pieces of found cardboard, and was away.

“I will never forget the amazing sights, sounds and smells of this remarkable city, but the memory that will remain with me forever is the friendliness, respect and ‘can do’ attitude of the amazing people we met.

“Then it was straight back to our latest exhibition at The Bingley Gallery which continues until May 31. Paintings by Barbara Place, Mary Johnson-Green and Josie Barraclough.

“Big vibrant colourful still lives and landscapes by Josie, who is head of art at Bradford Grammar School. Wonderfully moody, atmospheric depictions of the Dales, the Lake District, flowers and even a trip to New Zealand by Barbara Place, an artist I have always much admired. In contrast to the others are Mary Johnson-Green’s sensitive, gentle, quiet portraits and paintings.

“At the beginning of June we will be showing the pictures of Doug Binder, whose work I first came across in an exhibition at Cartwright Hall. The haunting images of horses heads in dazzling yellows and browns is with me still. “I love Bingley and have lived here longer than anywhere else. I get many requests for all sorts of things from folk, but the latest is a real treat: helping children with their art homework.

“One delightful boy even set up a camcorder and conducted a highly professional interview with me about my life as an artist. He must have spent hours preparing the questions." I was most impressed.”

The Bingley Gallery, 29 Park Road, Bingley, is open Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 6pm, and Saturdays and Sundays 10am to 5pm.