Event type: Exhibition

After what has proved to be a outstanding year for solo exhibitions, the ArtHouse in Southport will be playing host to Southport Contemporary Arts’ keenly anticipated mixed-classes group exhibition at the end of August.

The SCA network began in 2009 and was set up to embrace the fact that Southport is home to a host of different art practitioners working across a broad variety of disciplines.

This year’s showcase at the ArtHouse is now able to draw upon the diverse range of SCA’s current weekly taught art classes and workshops – Kaleidoscope Arts – that continues to attract a wide selection of Sefton artists and designers toits well equipped studios at ArtsLoft and ClayWorks in the town centre.

Phred Brown from Southport easily sums up its addictive merits: “I spend all day at the ArtsLoft on a Thursday and it is a real sanity saver – laughter, friendship, creativity, what’s not to like? – Love it!”

Aimed at nurturing the creative talents of the individual, although each class is introduced to the same skills, it is the way in which each artist then goes on to apply them in their own work that is important.

As Norrie Beswick Calvert, one of the SCA directors, emphasizes: “We are really proud of the developments that our students make and seeing their individuality shine through is an added bonus”.

Since its inception SCA has annually gone from strength to strength, adding the ClayWorks studio in May 2016 in response to the need for local artists who wanted to work in ceramics.  In April 2017, the suite of craft studios above ClayWorks – ArtsLoft – was set up to deliver hands-on participation across a wide range of art and craft based workshops.  In accord with its all-embracing policy to engage with as many local artists and practitioners as possible, a stair lift was added to provide full access to the first floor studio space.

Deliberately keeping the groups small and informal, the convivial classes cater for beginners, improvers and experienced creatives alike. Over the last 12 months Kaleidoscope Arts has offered regular Textiles, Throwing, Felting and Mixed Media activities in addition to specialist workshops led by professional and experienced artists from the SCA fraternity covering such activities as Book Binding.

Creative Textile student, Barbara Briddock from Crosby confirms: “I have learnt loads over the years. Brilliant class and great teacher, all very relaxing.”

Local textile artist from Formby, Jo Landy, who runs the Thursday class, confirms: “The Creative Textile class is a joy to teach – all abilities are catered for and the class members derive a great deal of inspiration and encouragement from each other. We cover all aspects of textiles including print, stitch, felt making and heat techniques and it is lovely to see new skills being learned and translated into finished pieces. Everyone works at their own pace and they continue to surprise me with very individual and quality work”.

Regular attendees, Chris Rimmer from Ainsdale and Helen Page from Southport are both unanimous in their praise for the activity: “Fabulous class, excellent tuition as well as a friendly group. A really enjoyable class” and “I look forward to Thursday afternoons, lovely company and a great teacher”.

A popular addition to the Kaleidoscope Arts’ diary is Amanda Clark-Price’s Young Creatives Club aimed at aspirational 7-15 year olds who are keen to further develop their budding artistic skills including Drawing, Painting, Printing and 3-D.

Each Friday afternoon there is also an Adult Autism Friendly Art Class led by mixed-media artist from Banks, Linda Heavon. Built around nurturing creative skills in adults that have Autism spectrum challenges, each student is supported to freely experiment using a variety of media as well as promoting positive interaction with the group as a whole.

More information about SCA’s current series of workshops and classes can be found at www.sca-network.co.uk or by emailing to arthousesca@gmail.com.

‘Create It Together’ is a celebratory exhibition and sale of work that certainly confirms the diversity and resourcefulness of these talented homegrown artisans.

SCA’s Kaleidoscope Arts Mixed-Classes Group Exhibition will be on display at the ArtHouse, Eastbank Street from 27^th August – 14^th September 2024.  The gallery is open Tuesday – Friday 10.00-15.00.  Saturday 11.00-16.00.

Explore the imaginative worlds of artist, author and animation creator Curtis Jobling. From beloved children’s TV shows to captivating young adult novels, this retrospective showcases Jobling’s creative journey, highlighting perseverance, determination, and boundless creativity.

The exhibition features original stop-motion puppets and models from Bob the Builder, Frankenstein’s Cat, and Raa Raa the Noisy Lion, showcasing the meticulous craftsmanship behind these beloved characters. Visitors can also marvel at Jobling’s vibrant Biteneck Beatniks paintings and delve into his original sketchbooks to see the evolution of his iconic characters.

Additionally, the original manuscript of the first Wereworld novel offers insight into his creative process. Through Jobling’s diverse works, visitors will journey through the compelling worlds he creates, from construction sites to fantastical realms, while also gaining a glimpse into his ongoing and future projects driven by his passion for storytelling.

Curtis Jobling was born in Blackpool in 1972, moving to Warrington when he was 2 years old. A former pupil of Penketh High School, the school’s motto of Perseverance has proved an inspirational watchword throughout his career.

Artist and researcher Hayley Reid presents the Bring Back Old Billy Committee (BBOBC), a quest to reunite Old Billy’s bonce with his hometown of Warrington.

We’re talking about the world’s oldest horse on record here – Victorian-era taxidermied head and all! The BBOBC is a collaborative effort between artists from Warrington who have created visual art, performance, poetry and music inspired by Old Billy in an effort to entice his head back to the museum.

A BBOBC exhibition will accompany Old Billy’s head at Warrington Museum, with art and music from Beth Davenport, Sammy Reid, Ryan Smith, Joel Rutter, Ketwig Salon, Cameron Brown, Waspdodger, Hayley Reid, Mooncup Theatre, Georgina Burton and Lucianne Canavan.

Part of Warrington Arts Festival

An exhibition featuring James Hallinan & Julie Lawrence

23rd August – 5th October

An exhibition showcasing a complementary duo; James and Julie share a reflective temperament on the impact of their body and mind through experiencing nature, solace and changes in environment. Their abstract figures boxed into rooms or distant on vast beaches are obscured, creating opportunity for the viewer to find a character and themselves within these works.

“I walk every day through local woods and heathland and am fascinated by the way experiences of changing light and weather influence memory and perception. As I contemplate the movement of my own shadow passing through that space, I consider how this is transformed by memory too.”

Julie explains more about her work; “The paintings selected for this exhibition are a response to my walking shadow; my shifting, momentary intuitions, where light and shadow improvise unanticipated harmonies experienced on this simple daily walk. Using predominantly pastels and water-based media, my work reveals my shadow as a transitional, ambiguous figure moving through space – an unresolved tension within the landscape that evokes the fleeting mixture of memory and perception. My instinctive working process involves building up layers of wet and dry media on a small scale. The ambiguous images that emerge strive to invite the viewer into a quiet psychological territory and a liminal space which hovers between nostalgic association and something unknown.”

Julie Lawrence is a Wirral based artist and her work references the spiritual painting language of the Visionary Landscape Tradition. She holds a BA (First Class) and an MA in Fine Art from Chester University. Her most recent exhibitions have included ‘The Pastel Society Annual Open’ exhibitions at the Mall Galleries in London, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Here she was also awarded the 2023 Yoshimoto prize . She is also pleased to have recently contributed to ‘The Drawing paper Show ‘ publication and exhibition and also Platforms Project in Athens. Her work is currently included in The Lady Lever Art Gallery artist spotlight on five female landscape artists working on the Wirral today.

James Hallinan is an artist based in Liverpool who primarily works on canvas using oils, acrylics, and pastels. James’ work has been featured in galleries in Ireland, the UK, and Mexico. James holds a BA in Visual Communication and a PGcert in Fine Art from the University for the Creative Arts London. James’s current work deals with themes surrounding heightened periods of emotions and the effects it has both on the mind and body while reflecting on the root cause. Using the body as a focal point in his work, James creates a visual language that externalises these internal experiences using symbolism throughout to represent past experiences or present beliefs.

Since moving to Liverpool James has used colour and composition discovered and documented while wandering around his local area which are then developed further in the studio. James uses this process to connect to new surroundings, unpack the emotional experience of emigrating from Ireland while drawing on the historical past and present of the area as well as his own. This can be seen in his current series of works, such as No Parking, Identity and Hill Street. The latter two along with the series Rooms are represented in the exhibition Figures in Space.

All artworks are for sale.

Join them for the Private View of the exhibition on Thursday 22nd August from 5pm-7pm.

All welcome, but please register here:

figuresinspacepv.eventbrite.co.uk

The dot-art Gallery can be found at 14 Queen Avenue, Castle Street, Liverpool, L2 4TX (just 5 minutes’ walk from Liverpool One).

Opening times: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am-6pm

The exhibition runs 23rd August – 5th October 2024.