It has been a bit of a whirlwind. Summer 2024 kicked off with a guest appearance at the first Thornton Open Studios and Art Trail. I had the pleasure of showing artwork in good friend Bev Morton‘s creative space at the South Square Centre and, unexpectedly, at the Brontë Birthplace. I had started a large, experimental painting a year earlier in Bev’s back garden, painting loosely with big brushes on her patio flagstones. There was no particular intention then other than to Paint Big and try out some special acrylic paints made by Yorkshire-based art materials manufacturer Wallace Seymour (thanks to fellow artist Anji Timlin).
When Bev invited me to show work in Thornton, I decided to cut the huge canvas in half and made one of them about the Brontë sisters because they were born and spent part of their girlhood in Thornton before moving to Haworth. Without any particular plan in mind other than to keep using Wallace Seymour paints on this piece, I just started painting and reading some of Emily Brontë’s poems. When I came across A Little While, A Little While, it resonated with me and this developing painting. What resulted is a lyrical and dreamy painting that is a bit of an exciting departure for me. I named it Deepening Still the Dreamlike Charm (a quote from Emily’s poem) and brought it to Thornton.
To my delight, the Brontë Birthplace invited me to hang Deepening Still the Dreamlike Charm in the front room of the birthplace house and showed me around the rest of the house. It’s currently under complete renovation after a community purchase so most of it is off limits to the public. I managed to hang my painting with some curtain rings across a bamboo pole. Maybe not the most elegant solution but somehow the rawness worked in this very raw context. The painting got a wonderful outing that day and a very kind mention here.
The Thornton Open Studios event was incredibly well attended. From the minute it started until the last visitor left, we had a steady stream of lovely, interested people. I showed Leonie, my blue lady painting, in its almost finished state. She looked pretty swish against that stunning mustard coloured wall.
Photo of Persephone exhibition courtesy of The Old Lock Up Gallery.
A few weeks later, my painting Angelique headed down to the beautiful Peak District of Derbyshire for the Persephone group exhibition at the historic Old Lock Up Gallery in Cromford. (There she is on the easel at the left of the photo.) It was my first visit and I was heartily impressed by the lovely village, its excellent bookshop and of course, the gallery. The exhibition’s fascinating theme explored the fertile ground of the Persephone myth, particularly the light and dark sides of nature.
At this writing, the Old Lock Up Gallery is about to host its annual Secret Postcard Show. This year I have three original, hand-painted postcards in the mix. I can’t share which ones because it’s secret! But if you go onto their Instagram page during the Opening Night, you can bid for any card and you might get one of mine for only £20.
September is right around the corner, bringing new buzz and new ideas. Enjoy the rest of your August!