This week my solo exhibition of new drawings and paintings of Morecambe bay will open at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal, the lake District.
I was invited to make a new body of new work for a solo exhibition this Spring, so this collection of work is mixed media onto board, all originals, ranging from 30cm x 16cm to 75cm x 45cm.
It was April 2012 that I saw Morecambe Bay for the first time and I’ve been drawing it ever since. On each visit I drive down with a car load of art materials and boards with a view to exploring a new part of the bay and drawing on location. Morecambe Bay is a tidal estuary, the tides of which can range over 10m in parts so I speedily draw the disappearing landscape in front of me. The incoming birds bring a sense of urgency and excitement.
I’ve explored the Coast Road from Roa Island around to Heysham in the East, my favourite being the Aldingham area, which can be seen in the bottom image. The bright orange reeds contrast the subtlety of the distant headlands and vast openness of the estuary.
This body of work is my first collection of original Morecambe Bay themed work, with reference material and drawings gathered on my visits over the past 4 years.
The show opens this weekend, the 29th April, coinciding with the weekend of Printfest at the Coronation Hall in Ulverston. The exhibition continues until 10th June 2017.