Kevin Holdaway's talk and demo at Hot Bed Press

On Friday night I went along to Hot Bed Press in Salford for Kevin Holdaway's talk and demo, which I found fascinating. It was great to see his enthusiasm and passion for linocuts shared with such a big crowd.

Kevin has an exhibition on at the moment at Stockport Art Gallery, which I got along to today: http://stockportartgalleryproject.com/kevin-holdaway/ including some great images of Manchester and Stockport:

Some prints have 33 colours - mind boggling! I really enjoyed the talk and picked up some great tips. Particularly interesting to see the condition of the lino plates at the end of the reduction process, the templates and the record of printing dates and colours.

Thanks for a really interesting evening - and a great insight into techniques developed over 30 years. Loved it! My personal favourite remains the original inspiration in Florence:

Stockport Open Contemporary Images

Today I visited Stockport Art Gallery - perfect for a rainy Sunday! I've included some pictures of my own work and also some of my favourite pieces below...well the ones I could take pictures of, as this can be tricky with the lighting and reflections of natural light. Enjoy!

'Bridgewater Canal' etching & aquatint

'Hideaway' original 3 colour lino cut (centre top)

The lino cut below is by Kevin Holdaway, winner of the SKarts Award with another lino print. This one attracted me because of the unusual approach and fascinating cut marks. 

Below is another favourite - a close up of a watercolour by David Evans, called 'Lifting Clouds':

And finally an oil painting by one of the judges this year, Rob Miller:

Stockport Open Contemporary is OPEN!

The Stockport Open Contemporary Exhibition is in its third year and runs until Sunday 31 August 2013. I have 2 works in again this year - an etching 'Bridgewater Canal' on the ground floor gallery and a 3 colour lino print 'Hideaway' in the upstairs gallery.

It's a lovely, varied exhibition, primarily featuring artists from across the North West - admission is free and most work is for sale. Come along and have a look!

I'll be adding photos shortly. It's great to see the SKarts Award go to printmaker Kevin Holdaway's work 'Athenian rooftops with Lykavittos' which was one of my own favourites.

Save Stockport Art Gallery!

Stockport Council is planning to close Stockport Art Gallery & War Memorial during the week, instead they propose to open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons only. The council will also end temporary and community exhibitions at Stockport Art Gallery & War Memorial, which it has done since opening in 1925.

SKarts have revitalised the Stockport Open Contemporary exhibition in the last few years - and fear that this will be the death of the gallery because there will be nothing to draw the public to it. It is also an issue of great regional importance because Stockport Art Gallery & War Memorial is one of the few public galleries in the region where emergent artists can exhibit their work. As someone who has benefited from the chance to exhibit, I would love to see Stockport Council review this plan and support local art and artisits.