Art Trail
Art @ Blindcrake 2021. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated personal movements and social meeting restrictions, there will be no Art@Blindcrake show this year.
Profiles of past partcipants in the Art @ Blindcrake exhibitions are showcased below.
Rheged Centre Exhibition
The Rheged Centre near Penrith (https://rheged.com) mounted a Through The Locking Glass art exhibition from 26 June to 5 September. This featured artists and the work which has influenced them during the pandemic lockdown. JOAN PRICKETT and KEITH SNELL from Blindcrake both had art works in the exhibition.They were also included in the original book of Through The Locking Glass, available from all bookshops or direct from www.inspiredbylakeland.co.uk .
JOAN PRICKETT
A latecomer to a career in art, my formal training began with a summer school course at Slade School of Fine Art (London) followed by two years at Leith School of Art (Edinburgh) where I was awarded the school's Figurative Painting prize. The human form in various guises continues to be a major focus of my work - from portraiture to life and un-posed people studies, each expressed in oils or mixes of ink and watercolour. I prefer to paint from direct observation and I have developed an approach to oil paint application and use of colour to create an exciting and expressive visual experience as well as record what I see. My work can be found in the UK, Europe, USA and Canada and has been exhibited in 'Upfront Gallery Open', 'Cumbrian Artist of the Year' and 'Lakes Artists Summer' Exhibitions as well as other local galleries. At this year's exhibition there will be a range of paintings, studies, sketches, cards and prints for sale with works-in-progress, travel and working sketch books on display for the interest of visitors. My range of work can be viewed at www.joanprickett.co.uk.
KEITH SNELL
Keith is an international award-winning photographer and holder of distinctions from the Royal Photographic Society (LRPS), the Photographic Society of America (EPSA) and the International Federation of Photographic Art (EFIAP). He is a member of Keswick Photographic Society. His images have received many international medals and commendation ribbons, including prints selected for the prestigious Edinburgh International Festival Photographic Exhibition in 2016, 2017 and 2019 and a commendation in the Sony World Photography Awards in 2015 for his image of a polar bear on melting sea ice. His work is on display in the Keswick YHA café and in Koppers café-bar in Cockermouth and can also be viewed at www.keithsnellphotos.com. His 2019 Blindcrake exhibition, LIFE ON THE EDGE, focused on the visible impact of climate change and the animals endangered by it and by habitat destruction. There are currently over 16,000 endangered species threatened by extinction: 1 in 4 mammals; 1 in 8 birds. The exhibition was a celebration of the beauty of the endangered animals and a reflection of the drama of our rapidly changing natural world.
MIRJA DAWSON
When I took early retirement from teaching science I needed something new and challenging, so having learned to spin wool I decided to stretch my learning to weaving. I enrolled on a two year course on 'Handwoven Textile Design' in Bradford and that is how it all started. My handwoven wall hangings show influences of my Finnish background. Home textiles were always part of my Finnish upbringing. I am inspired by nature in its entirety. The changes of colour and form of trees through the seasons. Geological features of the landscape and rocks, crack and fault lines on rock strata are woven into my hangings which I call 'Earth Lines'. Textures are created by the weave structure and the yarns I use. The wall hangings come ready to hang and adorn your home. I also work felt to create seascapes and 'Deep Space' images which are mounted and framed. I have previously taken part in C-Art and our annual village Art at Blindcrake arts trail. My hangings have also sold in Percy House Gallery, Cockermouth, and been exhibited in various places in Cumbria and around Britain.
JOAN MOORE
Always having had the creative urge, after retirement from teaching in 2009, Joan had time to continue her own interests and discovered the tactile and colourful magic of felt. Feeling compelled to study it further she completed all levels of the City and Guilds Creative Arts courses focusing on Felt Making, over several years at Artybird School of Art and Textiles in Carnforth. After studying traditional felts and feeling excited by the effect of shining light through the felt, she developed a unique method of illuminating her pictures and recently has begun experimenting making felted lamps. Colour and texture are important elements in Joan's work and stitching, by hand or machine, is another technique often used on her traditional pictures enhancing the textural quality. These items will all be on sale at the exhibition together with prints and cards. Living in Blindcrake she finds inspiration from her beautiful locality especially its spectacular sunsets. She has exhibited at Blindcrake art events for several years, around the north of England and in France and her work is sold in Percy House and Thornthwaite Galleries.
BOB JOHNSTON
I have been making bespoke furniture for nearly thirty years. Each piece I make is unique. I work with the customer to reach a design solution that satisfies the brief. I like to think anything I make will endure, at least outlasting me. The timbers I use have varied, but oak always has been the one to come back to. I have built up a collection of timbers allowing me to work with freshly cut 'green' for carvings, more seasoned for chairs through to fully kiln-dried for cabinet work. My inspirations have been two-fold. Firstly the fine craftsmanship and sheer quality of workmanship that is found in traditional cabinet making. Secondly the vernacular furniture traditions from around the world, including Shaker, where functionality is combined with style and a simplicity of form. More recently I started making the green man heads as a doodle , carving with the flow to reveal whatever the wood has to offer. My Art at Blindcrake 2018 exhibition will show a range of current and past projects.
LINDSAY STORSTEIN
Lindsay studied Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art and taught art in Scotland before moving and working oversees for more than 20 years with her husband and children. On her return to Scotland in 1992 she continued her professional development in art and attended courses at Glasgow School of Art and, latterly, Leith School of Art (Edinburgh) and has been painting and exhibiting since that time. She has works in the UK, Hong Kong, Australia, USA, South Africa, Middle East, Canada, Norway and Denmark. Her paintings and painting style have developed and evolved becoming more abstract in recent years combining collage and mixed media. Her inspiration comes from everyday life. Colour and texture continue to excite her and remain the most important focus of her work.
SUE CUMELLA
I've been a leisure cyclist for over forty years and enjoyed both the mental and physical 'buzz' that cycling gives. It also presents the opportunity to explore the countryside and the people one meets on the way. I have always been interested in exploring art and painting and so I felt compelled to put 'paint to canvas' when first starting to watch the Tour De France. I enjoy pushing the boundaries in terms of style and the materials I use in order to get the right feel for my subject. Living on the edge of Cockermouth for over twenty years means that the countryside, in all seasons and weather, is also a constant source of inspiration to paint. I will be showing original paintings and Giclée limited edition prints of my work and I am also happy to undertake commissions.
CAROLE DICKENS
Looking for a new interest after retiring in 2002, I signed up for a two-year course in 'Handwoven Textile Design' at Bradford College which gave me the opportunity to explore my creativity. Since then, I have experimented with many forms of woven textiles but have always been drawn towards using weaving to reflect my personal response to what I see around me. The natural landscape provides me with endless inspiration and I moved towards woven landscapes in the form of wall hangings. I am particularly interested in the interplay between tone, form and colour to create atmosphere and perspective. All my hangings are woven in pure wool and I have experimented widely with felt work to learn how colour and tone work together in this medium. As I weave more landscapes, I continually find new ideas that provide more routes to follow in my desire to distil the essence of beauty in the landscape.
NIKKI CLARK
My work in stained glass stems from a BTEC HND in Architectural Stained Glass at the West Glamorgan Institute of Education (now the Swansea School of Glass, University of Wales). Now, I have my own studio in Gilcrux where I design and make beautiful stained glass. The basic principles of making traditional stained glass have remained unchanged since Medieval times, but using modern tools, equipment and technology, allows a greater freedom of expression and creativity From an initial design, a full sized working drawing is prepared. Sheet glass is carefully chosen and hand-cut, perhaps decorated using specialist paints, silver stain or enamels which are fired in a kiln. The panel is then leaded up, soldered and strengthened before being made ready for display. There is a something very special about the ever-changing relationship between glass and light - a blend of alchemy and magic. As well as this, my third Blindcrake exhibition, I am also taking part in the EVAN West Meander in Cockermouth (23 June - 1st July 2018) and I am delighted to be showing work in The Moon and Sixpence coffee house on Main Street.
HELEN MUNBY
After gaining my qualification in Art, primarily studying textiles and fabric design, I have taught Art in Cumbrian schools throughout my career. My work now concentrates on my first love of watercolours and pastels, using them to produce portraits of animals, both wild and domestic where I enjoy trying to capture each animals' unique character. Colour takes precedence over everything in my work; I love to explore different hues, especially in floral images, landscapes and portraits. The inspiration for my work comes from nature and images of the world around me in the countryside of my Lakeland home. I have held several exhibitions over the years, venues including the Helena Thompson Museum, the Moot Hall in Keswick, the School House Gallery at Crooklands, near Kendal. In 2017 I joined the group of artists exhibiting at Art at Blindcrake, where I obtained several commissions for animal portraits. At this year's show show I will exhibit both framed originals and limited-edition prints, including new animal and floral paintings as well as cards and prints.
DAVE BLANDEN
Dave creates beautiful turned-wood artifacts from seasoned woods making use of and incorporating the natural knots and whorls he finds in the material. He works with a variety of timbers, but prefers yew, laburnum and sycamore and, more recently, re-cycling reclaimed material from discarded furniture and structural timbers.