Art Gallery
West End House
Art Gallery
Paint Your Own Ceramics and Personalised Gifts
Contemporary gallery in beautiful Smarden. A glorious mix of artworks at all prices, from artists near and far
www. westendhousegallery. co. uk
Pottery Painting Parties Gift Shop Workshops Takeaway Kits
Suitable for all ages and abilities!
Best Art Gallery in Kent
Open Tues- Sun 10am- 4pm
Water Lane, Smarden, TN27 8QB. 01233 770261 email: girls @ westendhousegallery. co. uk
BOOK at www. slapndash. com PHONE 01580 755674
Located on the Hawkhurst Fish Farm, TN18 4RT
Accessible to Wheelchair users-Ample Parking-Cafe On-Site
Leigh Witherell
Leigh Witherell’ s work exists in the space between what is seen and what is felt. Through figurative painting, she explores the human body not simply as physical form, but as a vessel for memory, grief, intimacy, resilience, and emotional truth. Rather than pursuing exact likeness, Witherell is drawn to essence, creating work that speaks to the quiet, often unspoken experiences that shape a life.
Her paintings hold emotion in its rawest form, yet they do not shout. They move through subtlety, quiet conversations, and moments where feeling exists beneath language. Much of her work inhabits unresolved spaces where grief, longing, tenderness, and healing coexist. The loss of her daughter in 2021 profoundly transformed both her life and artistic practice. Painting became a way not to explain grief, but to hold it.
Witherell’ s process is deeply intuitive. Visible brushstrokes, muted palettes, unfinished gestures, and layered emotional textures preserve honesty within the work. She allows the surface to remain human, lived, and imperfect rather than polished. Ultimately, Witherell paints to create connection, inviting viewers to enter the ambiguity, find something personal, and feel seen in ways words cannot always reach.
www. leighs. art • leighs. art @ witherell. net • www. instagram. com / leighsartfl
46 • www. insidekent. co. uk