All But The Kitchen Sink, September 2026
There’s an art theme running through this month’s All But The Kitchen Sink - not entirely intentional, but we’re going with it!
We're chatting about a brilliant day out we had in Wakefield, an art-drenched coffee spot closer to home, a reminder that you don’t actually have to be good at something to enjoy doing it and a bit of YouTube inspiration to get you started.
As ever, just a few things we’ve been into lately. Enjoy!
GO - The Hepworth Wakefield
We recently took a day trip to The Hepworth Wakefield and absolutely loved it.
It's been there since 2011 but we'd momentarily forgotten what an incredible contemporary art destination it is. Sitting right on the River Calder, the building is spectacular, featuring a collection of huge, angular concrete blocks. But in its grounds, you'll find the most beautiful gardens, designed to reflect Barbara Hepworth’s own connection with the natural landscape. There are sculptures dotted throughout too, including works by Hepworth herself, Sir Michael Craig-Martin and Kim Lim.
Inside, there’s loads worth seeing at the moment. An interesting exhibition of atmospheric paintings from Lewis Hammond called Crystal in the Shade, exploring ideas around home and belonging as well as Mrinalini Mukherjee: Unbound Forms – Women Sculptors of India and Bangladesh, which brings together some properly incredible fibre, ceramic and bronze sculpture.
We’re already planning a return visit for The Hodge Podge, opening next May. It’s being curated by Jarvis Cocker and his wife, Kim Sion, and will bring together a really eclectic mix of work chosen simply because they love it - from Barbara Hepworth and Peter Doig to Jeremy Deller, Mark Leckey and a load of outsider and visionary artists rarely, if ever, seen in UK museums. Sounds right up our street.
GO / COFFEE - Onward, Guiseley
A little closer to home, we’ve recently discovered Onward – a well nice new coffee spot in Guiseley, 15 minutes from Ilkley, serving insanely good brews and bakes.
But what makes it especially good is the art. They regularly host exhibitions by local artists and photographers and, crucially, it’s the sort of stuff you look at and immediately start working out where you could put it at home.
Their latest exhibition, After Sun, is by Tom Archer of Saltaire-based Skógr Studio. We’ve been fans of Tom’s work for a while - he’s probably best known for his Cubism-inspired wooden objects made using reclaimed timber - but After Sun sees him turn to painting, with a series of warm, hazy works inspired by that end-of-summer feeling.
We’re currently on the hunt for some artwork for the new kitchen/living room, so we’ll be heading down for a coffee and trying to snaffle something!
DO - Make some art - even if you’re rubbish at it!
Sensing a theme here?
I’ve been drawing lately, and it’s been fun. I struggle a little with making art, I really want to make it but feel blocked in some way, but I’m starting to get the realise that the more I do it the easier it gets. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing but I think that might be why I’m enjoying it so much.
I’ve never had any formal training, so I don’t know what the rules are – or whether I’m breaking all of them – but there’s something really satisfying about just putting pen to paper and seeing what comes out. No particular end goal, no need for it to be good, no need to show anyone, just making something for the sake of it.
It’s actually become quite cathartic. When so much of life involves screens, time pressures and knowing what the outcome is supposed to be, sitting down with a pen and having absolutely no idea where you’re going feels pretty good.
So this is your nudge: if you’ve fancied drawing, painting, sculpting, sewing, printing, throwing a pot or making something completely weird out of papier-mâché, just have a go. You don't have to be good at something to enjoy doing it!
WATCH - David Choe
I’ve been watching visual and performance artist David Choe on YouTube for a while now and he’s definitely partly responsible for me picking up a pen.
There’s nothing particularly precious about his approach to creativity. If anything, it’s the opposite - he’s big on experimentation, following your instincts, embracing the messy and chaotic bits and just seeing what happens when you stop worrying about whether something is going to be “good”.
There are practical tips in there if you want them but what I like most is his sheer enthusiasm for making things and his pretty infectious outlook on life. It makes creativity feel less like something reserved for people who know what they’re doing and more like something all of us can tap into.
So if you need a bit of encouragement to stop overthinking it and just make something, give him a watch!