MEET THE MEMBER – 20 years of Greenstage Gallery
In this edition of MEET THE MEMBER, we are joining Greenstage Gallery as they celebrate 20 years of championing great art! For two decades Greenstage Gallery have provided a friendly and accessible space for people to discover the work of local, national and international artists, on the Herefordshire, Worcestershire border.
We spoke with gallery founder Will Pudge and his wife Sophie about the origins of Greenstage Gallery, how things have changed over 20 years and what they did to commemorate this milestone.
Will opened Greenstage Gallery in the summer of 2005 within The Hop Pocket in Bishops Frome. The Hop Pocket, established by Will’s family in the 1980s, was originally set up to champion and sell rural crafts. Will set about filling the gallery space with original, contemporary art – a difficult task at the start, as it took a lot to persuade artists to exhibit their work at an unknown gallery. Happily, that soon changed and, 20 years later, Greenstage Gallery is thriving. Will even met his wife Sophie through the gallery (she was a very good customer of the gallery!) and they now run Greenstage together.
The name Greenstage has two meanings, 1) initially the gallery focused on representing artists that were at the first stage or “green” stage of their professional careers, and 2) the original gallery space was first used to store hops that had just been harvested – the so called “green stage” of a hop before it is dried.
Establishing trusting and mutually beneficial relationships with their artists is key for Will and Sophie, many of whom they have worked with for almost 20 years. Their very first show, back in 2005, exhibited the work of artists from the Herefordshire Art and Craft Society and they still represent artists from that inaugural show. When it comes to their customers, they seek to ensure that the gallery is welcoming to all, no matter what a person’s level of knowledge is or budget – hence why the pair have maintained partnerships with a number of collectors for the past two decades.
“We hope to bring a fantastic range of original art to the people of Herefordshire and its surrounds, and through our participation in art fairs, we are able to take pieces by our artists into markets they may not otherwise have access to”.
Greenstage represents a selected portfolio of artists in its exhibitions and online. The pair choose to represent artists whose work they like, it’s that simple. They love originality, colour and often lean towards statement pieces in oil or acrylic, but also exhibit sculpture and mixed media pieces. From abstract through to still life, everything is original and much loved the gallery owners.
In 2023, after eighteen years in their physical gallery at The Hop Pocket, Will and Sophie adapted their business model and moved the gallery to their home at Bromtrees Hall – just down the road from the original location. “We continue to exhibit our artists at major art fairs, host pop-up exhibitions locally and offer viewings by appointment at Bromtrees Hall or in clients’ homes on request”, Will explained.
Art fairs have played a significant role in Greenstage Gallery’s journey over the past 20 years. Since their first fair in 2009, they’ve participated in more than 40 events. This March marked an exciting milestone as they took part in their first international fair—The Affordable Art Fair in New York. It was a major step forward for the couple and a memorable highlight in Greenstage’s evolving story.
“Participation in art fairs is invaluable to our business. We can showcase our artists to a much wider audience of national and international customers, and through the fairs we have been able to we have built up a roster of regular collectors who we would not have met without participating”.
In 2009, Greenstage Gallery joined the Own Art community, allowing their customers to spread the cost of their purchase, interest free, over 10 months. Although Will couldn’t exactly quantify how many sales have been made at the gallery using Own Art, he expressed that “it’s often the deciding factor for a customer when choosing whether or not to make a purchase”. He went on to say that “this in turn benefits us a gallery as it enables us to keep trading and ultimately benefits our artists so they can make a living through making art”.
We found out that before marrying Will, Sophie had personally benefitted from the Own Art scheme when she began her art collection. She told us that each time she used the scheme, she gained more confidence in buying art. Sophie commented that, “Own Art makes it possible for so many people to start their own art collection and takes away a lot of the financial worry about making that first investment”.
As gallery owners, Will and Sophie see it as their responsibility to be as welcoming and knowledgeable as possible when interacting with customers – making sure that whether at a pop-up exhibition, an art fair or communicating with someone via an online enquiry, they foster a friendly and accessible atmosphere.
Will expressed that a scheme like Own Art has gone a long way in helping to make the gallery environment and art ownership more accessible. When asked if they would recommend membership to other galleries, they said “Own Art is definitely worth it – as evidenced by the fact we have been members since 2009!”
To celebrate their 20th anniversary, Will and Sophie held a special exhibition at Bromtrees Hall earlier this year which featured artists from all 20 years of the gallery’s history. The celebrations will continue during Herefordshire Art week when even more Greenstage Gallery artists will be showcased. Looking ahead to the next 20 years, Will and Sophie hope to take part in more art fairs, both nationally and internationally, as well as continuing to make it possible for their gallery artists to “make a living making great art”.
Discover Greenstage Gallery for yourself:
Visit their website: www.greenstagegallery.co.uk
Follow them on Instagram: greenstagegallery
With thanks to Will and Sophie Pudge of Greenstage Gallery. This interview has been edited for clarity, length and readability.