Ian Rayer-Smith's paintings meet seasonal soundscapes and scents in SEASONS at Art in the Stables, Brook Street. Free opening Sunday 8 November, 11am to 3pm.

A gallery in a converted stable block on Brook Street is opening an exhibition this November that asks visitors to listen and breathe in as well as look. SEASONS puts the paintings of Ian Rayer-Smith alongside seasonal soundscapes and scents at Art in the Stables, the gallery space inside Martha Rose Interiors, and opens with a free event on Sunday 8 November, 11am to 3pm.

The organisers describe it in three words, “ART // SOUND // SCENT”, and pose the question behind it: “What happens when you experience art beyond the canvas?”

In their invitation to readers, they call SEASONS “an immersive exhibition featuring the expressive paintings of Ian Rayer-Smith, brought together with seasonal soundscapes and evocative scents”, and “a different way to experience contemporary art”. They sign off simply: “We’d love to welcome you.”

A man standing beside a tall abstract painting in greens, blues and violets, hung on a white wall
Ian Rayer-Smith beside one of his large paintings, as shown on the gallery's artist page. Photo: supplied by Martha Rose Interiors

The artist

Ian Rayer-Smith is one of the artists already shown at Art in the Stables. The gallery’s artist listing describes his work as “bold, large-scale paintings exploring emotion, memory, chance, and the energy of contemporary life”.

His own website bills him as a painter of contemporary abstract expressionism, under the line “Where imagined worlds begin”, and puts it this way: “These paintings aren’t about what you see. They’re about what you feel.” Its exhibitions page lists shows this year at galleries in Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sydney, and in England on the Shrewsbury Arts Trail, which makes a free opening in a Macclesfield stable yard an unusually close chance to see his work.

The venue

Martha Rose Interiors sells flooring, rugs and furnishings from the Old Stables, and runs Art in the Stables in the same building as what it calls “a gallery, exhibition space, and gathering place that brings artists, makers, and the wider creative community into the mix”. The business says the gallery shows “original work from a changing collection of artists”, currently including painters, sculptors in steel and neon makers.

The timber-roofed interior of the Old Stables, with rugs, carpet sample displays and chandeliers
Inside the Old Stables on Brook Street. Photo: supplied by Martha Rose Interiors

The family business is named after the owner Nev’s daughter, Martha, and its about page says supporting local causes and “creating a space where people can come together” has become part of what it does. The stone plaque on the building gives its history: erected in 1837 and restored in 1994.

A carved stone plaque set in red brick reading The Old Stables, erected 1837, restored 1994
The plaque on the Old Stables, Brook Street. Photo: supplied by Martha Rose Interiors

What it means for you

  • When: opening event Sunday 8 November, 11am to 3pm.
  • Where: Art in the Stables, Martha Rose Interiors, The Old Stables, Brook Street, Macclesfield SK11 7AA.
  • Cost: free entry to the opening.
  • After the opening: the invitation does not say how long SEASONS runs. The showroom’s published opening hours are Monday to Saturday, 9.30am to 5pm; ring 01625 204852 to check the exhibition is on before you make a special trip.
  • Getting there: the overnight A523 Silk Road closures near the Brook Street crossroads run 8pm to 5am on weeknights from 26 October to 13 November, so they do not touch a Sunday daytime visit. Details are on our roads and travel page.

More on what is happening around town is in our What’s On guide.