Gazette Article

This is the publicity for my exhibition at the Kiln House courtesy of Robin Duke.

Blackpool Art Society publicity for Booths exhibition (with me in it!)

Wow, imagine being told that this was in the Lytham St.Annes Express (and I nearly missed it).  Any promotional literature or photos are of course good for marketing and bringing people in to the exhibition and raising its profile - but I am secretly honoured and bashful at the same time.

Below is the actual photograph (without article) which was very kindly donated by the photographer - 

John McVitie

Paul Talbot-Greaves demonstration

http://www.talbot-greaves.co.uk/

Had a demonstration by acrylic and watercolour artist Paul Talbot-Greaves at the Blackpool Art Society (last Thursday - sorry I've got way behind with my blogs due to my exhibition promotion etc)

Anyway he is a very good demonstrator and easy to follow - not just interested in a routine polished finished product, but looked at it as an individual piece of art work.  Also liked the way he sketches the tone in on the trees and then leaves it there to paint over.  The highlight for me though was the way he dealt with the undergrowth (this as you may now have guessed was a landscape!) by flicking paint at it and some areas just scumbling it in, almost like doing calligraphy.

In-Flux at the Kiln House Gallery

In-Flux at the Kiln House Gallery

Printing and Distributing...

Another day of printing posters, artist statements and bits and bobs - (they make all the difference!)
...... and another day of distributing posters - (the art work is easy, it's all the marketing and promoting that's hard!)

My poster for my solo exhibition at Kiln House Gallery

setting up day for my solo exhibition at the Kiln House Gallery

out of the ashes, masterpieces arise

The FyldeCap ceremony for the artists/community attended by the Mayor

The Mayor (chain)  and Marjorie Nye (hat) 

Adrian receiving a prize for his art - well done Adrian! I won't tell you which category his was in (he'd kill me!)

And it was Graham's retirement day too - (I bet the Mill will fall down without him now!)

My two submissions at the Fylde Gallery exhibition

Building II

Angel study

Amendment to Blackpool Art Society Exhibition

Due to a double booking mistake by the Museum Heritage Society, our Arts Society has to cut short our exhibition by 2 days.  The posters have obviously already gone out and all the extra publicity involved in organising such an event has been done, so it's a bit of an inconvenience, especially when you also take into consideration the already organised pack up day/van/helpers etc etc...
Anyway I've been placing a few amended posters around the area today.  Some shops are really friendly and accept a poster with a smile - others namely a particular newsagents in Lytham wanted to charge 2.50 per week!!! I was not very amused!

Blackpool Art Society preview evening

Yes, after all that hard work (mostly by Carole), the preview evening at Fylde Gallery, Booths went really well with a good turn out. Everything looked very professional and things were ship shape.  I even got to shake the Mayor's hand as I was awarded with a prize (canvas) for runner up for the poster competition for the exhibition door (it was very embarrassing, but a lovely surprise - again thanks to Carole).  It was nice to have another look at the artwork we'd put up, but with a different eye.  There is a good variety and a very high standard.  I shall be doing a duty sitting later on in the month which will be a first for me - so that should be fun.  I was even thinking of taking a sketchbook and making use of the time, but based on the amount of visitors the exhibitions attract, I doubt there'd be time (also I'd probably be too self-conscious!)

BLACKPOOL ART SOCIETY EXHIBITION at FYLDE GALLERY 4 AUGUST - 4 SEPTEMBER

Here's the poster just in case anyones reading this who's in the area!

Blackpool Art Society Exhibition at Fylde Gallery set up - two days

Been helping set up the Blackpool Art Society Exhibition at Fylde Gallery (Booths).  Yesterday was the unpacking and basic layout day and today was obviously the final hanging day, along with numbering, labelling and final adjustments - all ready for tomorrow nights unveiling and preview evening with the mayor.
It's funny how suddenly in the midst of the chaos how everything suddenly comes together.  Who can beat team effort hey! (and of course a lot of organising, preplanning and worrying by Carole!)

My work in closer detail....

It was really hard deciding on what work to take up - especially as space was of a premium - however, what I decided to do was to include a cross-section of some of the work that I have done over the past couple of years.  Some of it was a selection of my degree work, starting with my Angel studies (which I must admit are my real passion), which then lead on to my 'building series' which was based on Yates' Wine Lodge and the demolition of the building.  This started with elements of architectural enquiry and then moved on to my other passion of mixed media, as I tried to depict the collapse of this monumental site.
The bright abstracts were my own inventions purely for 'fun' as it were - as they were not a part of my university course.
I hoped that I was able to encourage and provide a talking point for most people - as different disciplines/mediums appealed to different people - some people wanting clarification and others just in awe of some of the processes and end results.  All in all the feedback was very encouraging, as it is quite a scary feeling just getting your art out there and under scrutiny.  When people see my things in a gallery, mostly amongst colleagues work, they expect to be taken on a journey, surprised, intrigued, with preconceptions and with answers to their questions, based on artists statements.  However, out in the 'real world' where people can come face to face with the artist and their artwork, away from the conventional/traditional exhibiting forum, it is laid bare (as am I).

PROM ART - GRANGE

www.promart.info

 a car load arriving at Grange - (definitely fits more than my Smart!)

the masterpieces

art lovers (with good taste obviously)