How do you rattle an artist? Well, I’m sure there are lots of ways, but I saw a good one in action at the latest private view at Gallery 150 in Leamington.
I was talking to painter Martin Johnson about his works (including Woodland Rendezvous, above) and he was explaining the concept behind them when one of the gallery walls started receding behind me.

We looked round to see Leamington Studio Artist chair Gerry Smith, who’d enlisted the help of photographer Ray Spence, moving one of the gallery’s rather wonderful walls-on-wheels to provide more space in the front part of the gallery.
Watching several of his works that were hanging on the wall shuffling around for a few minutes clearly unsettled Martin and he told me he’d only pay me any attention again when the wall had come to a standstill.
Thankfully the gallery’s spaces were soon sorted out and Martin was happy to carry on his interview – you can see Friday’s Coventry and Warwickshire Telegraph for the concepts behind his work.
The moveable walls do add another dimension though as the space a work is hung or otherwise seen in is so important.
The gallery’s central position in Leamington is still proving very important to its success – a recent Saturday saw more than 400 people coming through the doors, Gerry said.
Let’s hope an exposure to art in an easily-accessed shopping street will send some of them scurrying off to the Leamington Spa Art Gallery down the bottom of the Parade which has its own excellent permanent collection and touring exhibitions, or even further afield.