Dave Price writes about his mother Mr G Price and her long term collection of dolls.
My mother continued to love her dolls and added to her collection over another 20 years. As with the article details, she continued to both buy dolls and make dolls from kit form individually styling them in clothes she gleaned from many sources such as:
Her imagination, her past, Fashions she had seen in books and magazines, representative of Characters off TV, Film Opera, etc
Everybody was roped in to some degree… Dad for his woodwork skills and the kids, me included, for the “Blue Peter” sticky backed plastic, cardboard and painting brigade.
If the local press had run a follow up article years later they would have found her family of dolls had grown to number over 750 and evident within 5 rooms of our house.
Some of the dolls are for sale at Lytham Heritage Centre. Pop in to have a look.
Latest Exhibition: “Art for your Home”
Paintings in different media by “The Brentleigh Group” from 15 August to 3 September at Lytham Heritage Centre
The Brentleigh Group was formed in 2013 and consists of 4 artists:
Anne Taylor, Beryl Davenport, Liz Ellis and Vivien Unsworth.
Whilst differing in their styles and inspiration they all share a common interest in contemporary art and this is their 3rd joint exhibition and their 2nd time in Lytham.
Their varying styles of work range from landscape to abstract, and from water colour to mixed media.
This wonderful new exhibition at Lytham Heritage Centre is open Tuesdays to Sundays including Bank Holidays from 10am to 4pm. Closed from 1pm – 2pm for lunch.
Joan grew up in Wrea Green, where her creativity was nurtured from a young age by her parents who were writers and painters themselves, and who encouraged an appreciation of the natural environment. These artistic leanings were also supported by teachers at Queen Mary’s School and she went on to study Art along with Education at Warwick University, with a specialism in ‘Creative Work with Fabric and Threads ‘ – she made huge textured embroideries and tubular wall hangings, always with natural materials.
Joan’s art then took a back seat for a number years, whilst she enjoyed exploring and encouraging creativity as a wife, mother, teacher and singer. Turning her hand to Amateur Operatics and Dramatics, Joan is probably better known in the Fylde area as Kiss Me Kate, Eliza Doolittle or The Merry Widow.
Inheriting her mother’ s watercolour paints catalysed Joan’s art and the adoption of a new medium. There was something comforting about using that same palette and, whilst spending time in the Lake District and abroad, she found that watercolours were just right for recording and interpreting what she saw.
Her love of the natural world, its colours, textures and shapes, and the smell and meditative absorption of walking in the countryside or by the sea, is what motivates a lot of her painting.
Pictorial pieces are inspired by four main subject areas: ‘In the Hedgerows’, ‘Trees Alone’, ‘Seas and Skies’, and ‘The Feeling of a Place’. Often, her work is a mosaic of different things arranged into a composition.
Her abstracts are also rooted in the natural world but the subjects are more fantastical and interpretation is open-ended. Joan believes we are all wired according to both our nature and nurture therefore we each see and appreciate different things from the same painting, which can also change with our mood. A number of her abstract paintings can be hung in different orientations to allow for shifting perspectives and interpretations.
‘Natural Inspirations’ – Contemporary Watercolours by Joan Aitchison 23 May – 11 June 2017
The completely reworked second part of the Tom Mellor Exhibition starts today 14 February at Lytham Heritage Centre. Why not come and have a look at this fabulous exhibition. 10am till 4pm. Open Tuesday to Sunday until 9 April 2017.
A new book by Brian Turner . Only 100 copies of this interesting book have been printed. Only £7.50.. Brian will be signing copies at the Archives in Lytham Library on 8th February between 1pm and 3pm. Do not miss out. See you there
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 30 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 27 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 for my work being ‘Highly Commended’ and I have 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 a pumpkin head being the centre pieces for my October Autumnal display. Being delighted with the vibrant and colourful array of canvases, I was asked to continue my exhibition which reflected a Winter/Christmas theme. 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 year I have enjoyed compiling a collection of canvases to display at Warton Hall, Ribble Cruising Club, The Pavilion St.Annes and presently on display at Dotty Gallery in Rutland.
So Excelsior Arts that was formed when I was a watercolour artist painting and signing my last picture 30 years ago has flourished and matured to the exciting new venture I share with you locally today.
Lytham’s best known landmark, the Windmill, contains a seasonal museum with a series of exhibits focused on the “History of Mills and Milling” and the “Heritage of Lytham St Annes and the Fylde Area”.
The Museum, which annually attracts an average of 25,000 visitors from all parts of the world, was established in 1989 by Lytham Heritage Group. It is run voluntarily by The Group’s members and houses exhibitions and displays spread over 4 floors, including explanations of the milling processes and a history of the grade II listed building. The basement shows a tableau of life in Victorian Lytham.
Fylde Borough Council man a Tourist Information Point during the season.
“The Collodian Collection – Lytham” –Exhibition at Lytham Heritage Centre
Press Release – February 2016
“The Collodion Collection – Lytham” Unseen Glass Slide images of Lytham taken from 1880-1909 by local Lytham man, Alfred Thompson, produced by Lytham Heritage Group.An exhibition from 09 February to 06 March 2016 at Lytham Heritage Centre
Latest Exhibition: “Art for your Home”
Their varying styles of work range from landscape to abstract, and from water colour to mixed media.
