Blog
Follow the life and times of this colourful Lytham Squire as the exhibition takes you with him on his travels throughout the world.
Ken was born in Preston, and being a talented schoolboy artist, painting murals, his parents wanted him to become an Art Teacher. Despite their ambition for him Ken had a greater one – to play football or cricket for England. This didn’t happen, but he went on to have a successful business career in senior management.
Then Ken started to study oil painting at St Annes College, Lancashire. Following retirement, Ken paints full time, either in his studio or back garden in Lytham St Annes. A member of Lytham St Annes Art Society for many years, and a former President, Ken has shown his paintings at most of their exhibitions. He has also held many of his own exhibitions and had paintings included in the Mall Gallery, London. His paintings are in various galleries around Lancashire.
Covering a wide range of subjects, Ken likes to capture and record the atmosphere and feeling of any given scene. Most of his paintings are of the Fylde coast or of places visited.
13 August – 01 September 2019
The Brentleigh Group consists of 3 local artists of different styles.
Liz Ellis is a knife painter, focusing primarily on seascapes. Liz’s work has been exhibited and sold in galleries in Lancashire, Cumbria, West Midlands and Cornwall. Her work has featured in calendars, been short listed for the Royal Academy and she currently sells in galleries in Cornwall.
Anne Taylor is a landscape painter who loves to use texture in her work, having incorporated materials as varied and unique as Icelandic lava into her Iceland range of landscape paintings.
Vivien Unsworth crosses the full range of styles, from abstract painting inspired by colour and form to produce a painting that evokes the senses, to more representational art.
DAVID LLOYD
David’s first introduction to painting took place in the Lake District at Coniston, when he must have been all of 10 years of age; a watercolour artist showed him how to paint a tree which, whilst simple to most, was just magical to David.
Educated at Ansdell County Primary School and King Edward VII School, Lytham, David had a particular flair for art and in his penultimate year at KES won the school’s art prize despite not having entered the competition; apparently the adjudicator spotted one of David’s paintings lying around the art room and, much to the embarrassment of the art master, Mr Harper, awarded first prize.
On leaving school David spent three years at Blackpool Art School where he concentrated on painting prior to moving to London where some of his fellow students were headed. After several jobs, he joined his friend David Whittaker in the fashion business where they produced artwork for two trade journals promoting undergarments and knitwear (ladies of course).
Eventually, now married to Nikki and with baby Jean to support, David returned to Lytham where he joined the family business. He was given responsibility for the showroom in Park Street, Lytham, which he stealthily converted from the sales of fireplaces and bathrooms to a gift and art shop from where he sold his own and other artists’ work.
Apart from painting, David had a great love of music and has been a member of several bands as diverse as Rock, Gospel through to Barn Dance. He has also had much joy in playing his base guitar in different situations on many Lytham Club Days.
David’s philosophy on painting is similar to that of the author C.S. Lewis where he wrote books “he would like to read”; David paints subjects in the manner that appeals to him. Many different artists no doubt influence his work and those who view his paintings will come to their own conclusions about that.
About Roger Lloyd BA Hons PGCE
Born and raised in Lytham, Roger has been involved in ceramics and painting for most of his life and had his first solo ceramic exhibition at school. Roger gets most of his inspiration from the wonders of the natural world, wild places especially the sea…and a true love of all living things, often giving the not so glamorous creatures “a voice “through his work. Rogers recent work is very often characterised by bright metallic finishes and he has built up over the years a sound understanding of working with clay. Every piece is unique and many of them are designed to be hung on a wall.
Recent works include highlighting the indiscriminate use of devastating insecticides (neonicotinoids) by farmers and the recent rapid decline in insect numbers.
1995 started making ceramics again from dug clay from the Westby Brick works site
1997 enrolled as a mature student at UCLAN studying ceramics
1998 student exchange to South Africa
1999 International Ceramics Festival Aberystwyth
2000 Helped build a medieval Kiln with archaeologist Eddy Deighton
2001 BA Hons Uclan
2001 Was invited to work in the international Ardmore ceramic Studio in South Africa
2002 Bolton Institute teacher training college PGCE
2002 Was invited to work in the Xun Khwe bushmen workshop in Platsfontein South Africa. Moved to South Africa
2003 Set up studio in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
2004 Exhibited in Dubai
2005 Exhibited in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and East London
2005 Exhibition in Helsinki
2005-6 Helped set up and co-ordinate various crafts programmes in the Eastern Cape,
South Africa, to transfer skills, provide employment and organised Exhibitions
2006 Was commissioned to make a series of copy Khoi San pottery for St Francis
Bay Golf Club
2007 Returned to the UK
2010 Exhibited at Picture Bute in Scotland
2016 Set up ceramic workshop in Lytham
| “Concepts in Clay” Ceramics by Northern Potters Group 02 – 21 July 2019 |
Northern Potters Association ( WEST ) is a regional branch of the Northern Potters Association ( N.P.A.).
N.P.A. WEST has gained a strong reputation for skill and individuality in the field of Ceramics and showcases the work of more than 20 members.
The show reveals a range of subjects and approaches to working with clay from decorative to functional in a diverse selection of sizes.
Our aims are to promote the Art of Ceramics and provide a network of support to its members.
In his own words:
I live in Lancashire, and make my living as an Artist.
Moving from Bristol to Sunderland and then to Preston, I painted and drew all the time, enjoyed primary school education, but disengaged at secondary school in most subjects apart from Art (eternal gratitude to my Art teacher). I carried on drawing and painting whilst working as a barman, hod carrier, cushion stuffer, forklift driver and 32 other jobs until I returned to education.
By 1992 I was in Scotland at the Glasgow School of Art where for the first time, I considered the possibility of being an “artist” myself – painting for a living.
After leaving Glasgow and returning to Lancashire I found a studio and continued painting, and gradually improved to the point where I ended up with the confidence to exhibit at several national Art events.
I am my worst critic with my work and find it difficult to maintain confidence most of the time but the fact that I continue to receive commissions and my work sells must be a validation. I suppose good art speaks to everyone.
I tutor life drawing and painting classes from my studio and offer one to one tuition, contact me if you are interested.
Email: info@bigmill.co.uk
Elizabeth McMorran
Having studied Art at Oakham College in Leicestershire and attended the local watercolour Artist Alan Oliver’s course, this inspired me to start painting watercolours 35 years ago. A lot of my watercolours were commissioned and received good reviews in the local press.
Having brought up 3 children, helping and inspiring them all with their Art qualifications, I now had the opportunity to continue my creative venture in the form of photographic Art. Inspired by my spring wedding awakening my creativity to illustrate my photographs on canvas, as a progression artistically instead of painting from my photographs, as I had done previously.
Living in Freckleton for the past 30 years, deciding to display my work in Lytham seemed the ideal opportunity as I am developing my portfolio incorporating local scenes, as well as my love for flowers. All with my individual perspective of the scene captured. I participated in Lytham Arts Festival 2015 and won a prize – my work being ‘Highly Commended’, and I also displayed at St Anne’s Music & Arts Festival 2015.
Following on from the local Art Festivals and having created over 200 canvases, I then had the opportunity to curate an exhibition at Park View 4U. My exhibition of 35 canvases reflected a summer feel, personalizing the display with canvases of Park View’s beautiful garden flowers too during September. And being delighted with the vibrant and colourful array of canvases, I was asked to continue my exhibition to reflect all four seasons. Park View 4U brought a great challenge in curating these exhibitions and proved fruitful too in the amazingly enthusiastic comments and resulting sales.
During the past few years I have enjoyed compiling a collection of canvases to display at Warton Hall, Ribble Cruising Club, The Pavilion St. Annes, Dotty Gallery Rutland and for the 2nd time, Lytham Heritage Centre. Here displaying for the 1st time the interesting use of the Oilograph technique on canvas and illustrating the importance of Floriography, the ever present and special significance of the Language of Flowers.
So, Excelsior Arts that was formed when I was a watercolour artist painting and signing my last picture 35 years ago has flourished and matured to the exciting new venture, I share with you locally today.
Email: elizabethmcm@outlook.com Mobile: 07866 023919 Landline: 01772 631963
An eclectic mix of colours and styles by members of The Blackpool Art Society, featuring a selection of artwork in differing media on a wide variety of subjects from members of this vibrant group.
The society is 135 years old this year and maintains a consistently healthy membership and a busy studio at Wilkinson Avenue, Blackpool. New members always welcome.
Further details are available from members present at the exhibition or by ringing :
‘The Studio’ on 01253 768297
“Nature’s Bounty” By Margaret Rodwell
9 – 28 April 2019
About the Artist
Thirty-one years ago Margaret Rodwell took a walk in her lunch hour break from teaching Home Economics at Elmslie Girls’ School on Whitegate Drive, and passed a sign advertising Blackpool Art Society’s Summer Exhibition in Wilkinson Avenue. Interested and with 10 minutes to spare, she popped inside and bought a folio watercolour painting by local artist, Clarice Kay. Margaret had the painting framed and during that summer holiday was so pleased with her purchase that she was inspired to think about starting to paint watercolours herself as a hobby, despite the fact that she had no idea how to start.
The Gazette supplement for Blackpool and Fylde College adult education courses appeared towards the end of August and as a result, she enrolled on the first course of many. The tutor, Norrie Charlesworth, was very enthusiastic and had a great sense of humour that made painting fun. The main piece of advice to beginners was for them to keep and date their first two paintings so that in future they could see the progress that had been made. Margaret did this and you can see them in the cabinet below. These first two paintings of Kilchurn Castle in Scotland were done in September 1988.
Thirty-one years on and many art courses and art holidays later, Margaret hopes that you can see the progress, and that if you can, maybe you will be interested to have a go yourself.
Margaret is a member of Lytham St. Annes and Blackpool Art Societies and has had several solo exhibitions here at the Heritage Centre in Lytham and was very pleased to be invited to exhibit here again this year. She has had solo exhibitions also at the Williamson GaIIery in Lancaster and at the Arts Centre in Garstang. She has received several commendations and prizes for her work over recent years.
Her passion for watercolour painting still continues but she believes that if you love painting then you can paint on any surface and use any materials, hence the pastels painted on sandpaper, or acrylics and oil pastels used together. Margaret hopes that you will gain as much pleasure from looking at this exhibition of her paintings, as she has had in doing them.
