Welcome Briony Hallas to the Community Gallery for Wakefield Art Walk

We’re really chuffed to welcome local artist Briony Hallas (or Biz, as she’s known to most) to the Kirkgate Community Gallery this July as part of Wakefield Artwalk.

This is Biz’s first ever exhibition, and it’s a deeply personal one. Her work will be on display throughout the month at our gallery space inside Wakefield Kirkgate Station — a space run by us at LonGBoaT Wakefield to support local creatives of all kinds. You can read more about the gallery here:👉 longboatwakefield.org/kirkgategallery

Biz’s work has been drawn and painted from life — in fields, at home, in fairgrounds, and sometimes in difficult moments. It’s honest, full of feeling, and tells a very human story.

Alongside sketches, you’ll also see glimpses of her fairground art, which now appears on organs across the world.

So if you're in town for Artwalk (or just fancy a quiet look at some heartfelt work) pop by the station and have a nosy. The exhibition will be on display until early September in the Community Gallery on the Island Platform at Wakefield Kirkgate Railway Station.

Briony Hallas

In her own words:

“This exhibition is in memory of my eldest son Joe

There is a further exhibition on the 11th May 2026 in the Queens Mill, Castleford to tell his story but for now, this is my first ever exhibition.

Joe

All my work exhibited has been painted or drawn from life, ‘en plein air’.

In 2020 during lockdown I was drawing and painting most days. Joe collapsed at work late afternoon on the 13th May and died on the 14th May 2020 in Pinderfields without regaining

consciousness, at the time I had the news of his collapse I was painting the Wisteria outside our home. I have never been able to go back and complete it despite trying.

It was only when showing my work to Chris from LonGBoaT Wakefield, telling him the story behind the painting and Chris’s response was that he wouldn’t have known it was unfinished. From that moment I could sign it and name it ‘Unfinished, Finished’

For a period following Joe’s death I didn’t really do any drawing or painting, there were bits here and there, I worked on a couple of organs, painting my little pegs and crafted, my heart wasn’t in it fully, but I tried to keep going.

In July 2022 I decided to get back into drawing, a bit of a kick start, I attempted to do a drawing a day, just a 2B pencil on a sketch pad, starting on the 10th July 2022 with a couple of misses I managed to record 16 drawings.

This exhibition records a portrait from 2019, paintings and sketches during lockdown in 2020 and my pencil sketches from July 2022

My name is Briony Hallas, also known as Biz Hallas.

Biz is a family name from when I was a toddler, I was always ‘busy’ and it’s stuck ever since.

In 2018 I ‘retired’ from my full-time job and became self-employed. I am now a full-time artist / craftsperson, as well as drawing and painting I am a hand spinner, knitting up my yarn amongst other ‘crafty’ things, I enjoy faffing about.

I have always enjoyed drawing and painting, in the early 1980’s I painted a decoration on a small barrel organ, since then I have decorated various fairground organs such as Gavioli, DeCap and Verbeek organs as well as the carved figures on the fronts working with AC Pilmer Automatic Music. My work can be seen in the UK and around the world in Australia, America, New Zealand and Europe.

I have been fortunate to meet and learn from some wonderful people through this, most memorably, Wilfrid, who taught me the traditional ways of painting organs, particularly the carved figures. I continue to work on fairground organs to this day.

In 2024 I decorated some extended panels on a Verbeek for Arthur North Jnr, The organ sits in the centre of a set of Gallopers in the vintage fairground section at Beamish, I also painted 14 decorative panels on a 1931 set of Walzers for Littleboy’s Vintage Restoration.

I hope you enjoy my work

The steam roller is in ink pen as I couldn’t find my pencil and the splash of colour is to hide some accidental staining on the paper!!!