8 THE ART OBSERVER June 2007 DIDSBURY GALLERY IS A HIVE OF ACTIVITY By Jonathan Drage ONE OF THE  North West’s most thriving art galleries is tucked away down a little cobbled street in Didsbury, just fifteen minutes south of Manchester city centre. Wendy J Levy Contemporary Art Ltd  has been based in this popular town since 2000. The gallery’s director, Wendy Levy, has been involved in the art business for many years, previously running a gallery in Knutsford.   The gallery in Didsbury is a tiny, select gallery showing original paintings, drawings and sculp- ture by eminent artists as well as promoting the work of talented new artists. Some of the artists whose work has passed through Wendy Levy’s hands are L.S. Lowry, David Hockney, Henry Moore, David Bomberg, Josef Herman, Theodore Major, Adolphe Valette, Sir Matthew Smith, Sir Terry Frost, Bernard Meninsky, William Turner, Geoffrey Key, to name but a few. One of today’s most successful artists in the north west, Liam Spencer, has been nurtured by Wendy J Levy Contemporary Art Ltd with the publication of the book Liam Spencer - Painting From Life written by Judy Rose, and the publication of his signed limited edition prints. The gallery is looking forward to hosting his forthcoming solo exhibition of paintings in September. The latest book published by Wendy J Levy Contemporary Art Ltd concentrates on the work of twelve women artists in the north west: Cecile Elstein, Dawn Rowland, Gina Ward, Ghislaine Howard, Jenny Ryrie, Debbie Goldsmith, Michelle Leigh, Lisa De Prudhoe, Julia Midgley, Patricia Niemira, Frances Seba Smith and Sheila Meeks. A Colourful Canvas,  written by Judy Rose and Wendy Levy with a foreword by Michael Howard was launched with an impressive exhibition of paintings, drawings and sculpture by those artists featured in the book. Her own gallery was too small to accommodate such a large exhibition so Wendy hired space at Peter House in the centre of Manchester. The result was a cohesive, dynamic and spectacular exhibition. ONE OF TODAY’S MOST SUCCESSFUL ARTISTS IN THE NORTH WEST, LIAM SPENCER, HAS BEEN NURTURED BY WENDY J LEVY Wendy and Mark Levy with The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress at Peter House Images of the exhibition and book launch at Peter House