How it all began

Patricia Hawkins (Pia)  After years of being bored in the confines of Sunday services, I became entranced by the stained glass windows. I followed my passion and learnt how to lead up windows and then stick and glue glass together in a kiln to make things that made me happy. Suddenly had too many things, so went on to try and sell with the South East Open Studios...and did rather well. I was spotted by the two ladies that were running the West End House Gallery in Smarden and they invited me to exhibit my work there. I wouldn’t say I was a great artist, but was amazed at how much they managed to sell. One day they asked if I knew anyone who would like to take over the gallery... straight on the phone to Karen Papworth. 

Karen Papworth (Spike)  Many moons ago, I completed a foundation course at Middlesex, then graduated from Kingston with a First in Fine Art. Carried on with all things creative with a fantastic career in advertising, until it was time to leave and try something new. Like run a gallery perhaps. One Sunday I received an excited phone call from a mad woman I barely knew asking if I wanted to take over the West End House Gallery.  Well, the rest, as they say, is history and 11 years later we have made the gallery our own, taken ourselves to the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea and have become the best of friends. We get to share the absolute delight of selling artworks on behalf of our wonderful artists to equally wonderful customers. 

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