Liverpool based painter, Sue Stevens, will be re-joining fellow Merseyside painter, Lawrence Johnson alongside the woodworking and mixed media artist, Brian Minnery together with Ainsdale based potter, Chris Hughes, to reform as “QuARTet” for their second exhibition on The Landing in The Atkinson this autumn.
Originally educated in Fine Art at the Liverpool Institute, Sue later undertook a Master’s Degree in Art Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths College in London. Her paintings are impressionistic and have a dreamlike quality that responds to light, height and energy while still retaining some mystery about their origins that invites viewers to project their own imagination onto the artwork. Sue’s paintings have an immediacy that not only makes them attractive at first glance, but beyond which lies an emotional depth rich in life, intensity and complexity. Often intimate and fragile, Sue’s canvasses are carefully considered but also spontaneously painted. It is for this reason that her work is so engaging and personal.
Entirely self-taught, Lawrence Johnson also takes great satisfaction in the different aspects of his work that others see in the finished artworks. Internationally celebrated and represented by various galleries across the region, in 2008 Lawrence was also selected for the prestigious exhibition of “The Best of Merseyside” at the National Conservation Centre which was quickly followed by his first solo exhibition at the World of Glass in St Helens in 2009.
Although his work is often mistaken for the neo-impressionist Pointillist method of painting, where complex patterns of small dots are used to form an image, Lawrence has developed a unique technique of his own to build his imaginative artworks. His exhibited painted landscapes cleverly reinterpret the four seasons, capturing the many colourful changes and the views that encompass a wonderful sense of time and space.
Woodworking and mixed media art came together for Brian Minnery through his introduction to the scroll saw. Now Brian’s masterly of his technique allows him to skilfully generate intricate three-dimensional designs dexterously using the fine quality of the saw and chisels to generate landscapes, nature compositions, fantastical story pieces and even famous faces.
Starting with sketches on paper that are transferred onto the wood – which is usually reclaimed – Brian completes his pieces with acrylic paint, inks, a wood-burner and various chisels and knives to bring his distinctive creations to life.
Although Chris Hughes’ long career in education restricted making pots to during his spare time, once retirement came he has been able to fully concentrate on his pottery in his own back garden. During the summer months Chris is now fully engaged with clay when he takes advantage of the weather conditions that best suit the slab building technique he uses for the majority of his pots. He expertly embraces a varied combination of techniques – pinching, coiling, modelling and slabbing – to build his distinctive flagons, lamp-bases, bowls and plates. The forms often have sharp edges, are finely balanced and occasionally twist and turn to create new variations on the basic shapes.
During the colder months of the year Chris creates large-scale pastel drawings, often using the local landscape as inspiration. Taking full advantage of the beach and the neighbouring woodland, the hills of the Lake Distract and North Wales, the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales also feature frequently. Over time his drawings have become more abstract and are often images of sights seen and remembered during walks and drives along the coast and through the hills. Chris is also a Member of the Art and Craft Guild of Lancashire and Northern Potters and is treasurer of The Southport Palette Club. His work can also be found in local galleries and further afield in Keswick and Llangollen.
This latest display by the group will be on show in the ‘QuARTet’ exhibition at The Atkinson in Southport from 15thAugust – 26th September 2026. There will be an opportunity to meet the artists on the opening Saturday.
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