HOUSE OF SMUDGE
ART GALLERY.
46 Fore Bondgate
Bishop Auckland
Co Durham
DL14 7PE.
Our Winter opening hours are as follows. -
Friday 10am until 4.00pm
Saturdays 10.30 until 4.00pm.
20% SALE ON SELECTED
ORIGINAL PIECES
WHILE STOCKS LAST.
Latest News from House of Smudge
In February 2018, a door opened.
With just £500 to breathe life into a tired space, and a simple plan to stay open for three months and share some of my artwork, we began. I was carried by an extraordinary family, and together, in less than two weeks, we turned a dilapidated shop into a place filled with light, colour, and possibility.
What followed took our breath away.
The response from the public overwhelmed us. Even local television and BBC North came to tell our story, standing with us at the very beginning. Word travelled far beyond those walls, and soon our art was finding new homes across the country — and across the world. Prints and originals made their way to America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.But the true gift was never just the art. It was the people.
Stories were shared. Laughter echoed. Tears were shed. What began as fleeting visits from customers slowly became friendships, and then family. The gallery became more than a space — it became a home.
Now, we find ourselves at a point where the future of the gallery beyond this summer is uncertain due to our current lease situation. We are continuing conversations and also exploring possible options for what comes next.
What I do know is that the heart of what we’ve built does not live in bricks and mortar — it lives in the people who have supported us every step of the way.
Some things in life sit outside our control. What remains in our hands is how we meet the moment.
And we choose hope. We choose gratitude. We choose to keep going.
For now, it is very much business as usual, and we look forward to welcoming everyone through the doors as always while we work out the next chapter.
With my deepest thanks to every single person who has walked through our doors, supported us, believed in us, and trusted us with their hard-earned money to take a piece of our artwork home — you are the reason this journey has meant so much.
This is not goodbye.
It is simply the next chapter, waiting to be written. Watch this space for further announcements.
