Event type: Exhibition

Shore, Sea, Sky – the North Wales coast project

In this exciting collaborative exhibition, three artists explore the spaces where the shore, sea and sky meet, responding both to the land and seascape of the North Wales coast and to each other’s work. With contemporary artist Jon Clayton, painter David Kereszeny-Lewis and glass artist Helen Smith

Preview evening is Thursday 19th October, 6 – 8pm, all welcome.

Opening Times: Thursday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm

The LAKE gallery is located in the heart of West Kirby, 2 minutes walk from the train station, opposite the Concourse.

To accompany the exhibition, the gallery will be hosting an artists talk on Saturday 4th November, 2.30 – 4pm. Free admission but please reserve your place via the gallery website.

Jon Clayton

Jon’s art is about places, they can be recognisable, detailed representational images but also, looser, abstract impressions, responses informed by connections present and in memory. Many of his paintings depict places of personal significance where he has spent time, often a lot of time. He particularly loves the landscape of Britain. The same small localities he continually returns to. Their familiarity is their strength – it’s what holds and moves him. Revisiting them – walking, running, drawing and photographing – he feels part of something already known. And yet, still, there is always something new, a fresh source of surprise.

David Kereszeny-Lewis

The son of a miner and part time game keeper, David Kereszteny-Lewis’s work is an autobiographical visualisation of his experiences in the landscapes he has come to know and understand intimately.

‘My work is fundamentally about places I know, the emotional connection I have with them and the physical effect that society has had upon them, especially in mining and agriculture. I look for the physical scars our actions have, such as paths, fields and fences.”

David’s work is mostly based in Cheshire, Cornwall, Yorkshire and north Wales and he has painted landscapes in every season of the year. His work has a constant theme of rain and water that adds its own specific atmosphere. Music also plays an influence in his work, most of the titles of the work start life in the lyrics of songs that resonate with both his practice as an artist and atmosphere created within an aural musical landscape.

Helen Smith

Created from kiln-formed glass, Helen’s tactile glass curves are strongly influenced by place. However, rather than depicting the landscape directly her focus is always on the interpretation of found textures within the landscape in combination with a sense of the atmosphere of a place.

“I was delighted when David and Jon asked me to join their North Wales coast project. The pieces I have created for this collection developed from the initial sketches made by David and Jon on their trips to the coast in combination with observations made on my own visits.”

Helen has been working with glass since completing her degree in Applied Arts specialising in glass in 2013 and regularly exhibits both locally and further afield. She is a co-founder of the LAKE gallery.

Presenting a variety of paintings, ranging from abstract to abstract-figurative by artist Daniel Meakin.

Delighting in showcasing his art in public venues and theatres e.g. Unity Theatre, Liverpool, conjuring whimsical and fun elements in his artistic working process.

A Place of Our Own is a group exhibition that brings together the local stories of people across Walton (North Liverpool), Prescot (Knowsley) and Chester town centre.

What connects these three projects is a pride in people’s memories and associations with each place, but also an acknowledgement of redevelopment and regeneration needed within each area. Like many urban areas across the country, and particularly across the North West, there lies a fine balance in celebrating local heritage and culture while making room for the new. And who else is best placed to discuss this issue other than those that live and work on those streets?

Launch event: 28 September, 17.30, with drinks and music from Dance for Plants

Projects include:

A Portrait of the High Street. Photographic artist Tony Mallon has been working in collaboration with local residents from Prescot since the summer 2021. He invited people to set up a local photography group to reimagine the high street and create a contemporary portrait of the area.

With cameras in their own hands, through Tony’s support, the local residents have become the documenters of their own community, using a combination of street photography and portrait techniques to tell their stories.

Suzanne St Clare and Chester Traders. For the past two and a half years Suzanne has been working with business owners trading on the historical Rows in Chester. Together they’ve been chatting about how these business owners came to Chester, their community, challenges, the quirkiness of independent trading and their love and passion for this beautiful, historic city.

Inspired by photographers such as Daido Moriyama, Gregory Crewdson and Julia Fullerton-Batten, the traders and Suzanne have been working together to create a series of stunning images and video works that document the daily lives, stories and individuals who make up this local high street.

Our Home. Our Place. Our Space. A project by photographer Lucy Hunter, Walton Youth and Community project and the wider community of Walton. Lucy worked for over a year in the area with residents, trying different camera techniques and exploring the area through photowalks and portraiture to share their perspectives and experiences of the local area. Photographers Sarah Weights and Tricia Grant-Hanlon also assisted with the project.

There will also be Reflections group exhibition on the Open Eye Gallery exterior wall and cafe area. Artists and photographers have been working with communities whose stories are seldom heard to capture their experiences of Covid-19.