Press Freedom

We always look forward to our trips to Richmond Station in North Yorkshire. And on Friday evening we were rewarded as usual with an exciting show of works by twenty of the UK's most popular printmakers.

As we strolled around the building, we were amazed at the broad variety of techniques used: etching, linocut, lithography, aquatint etching, screen printing and engraving. And with an even wider range of subjects and styles there was literally something for everyone to enjoy.

This made it very difficult for us to pick out a couple of particularly interesting pictures to write about. In the end, we agreed that everything was attractive and of high quality. So here are just a few of the things we saw in no particular order of preference.

Tescopolis, by Martin Langford, showed a busy townscape where all the buildings, vehicles and signs were branded or referred to Tesco, suggesting they are taking over the world. The only exception was an advertisement for The History Channel showing a program about Sainsburys.

Vicky's eye was caught by linocuts produced by Colin Moore. He has been influenced by Edward Bawden among others and Vicky instantly recognised the general style. The print "Suffolk" was her favourite with its soft colours and English themes.

Appropriate to the location in a former railway station, Gail Brodholt had a number of pictures showing railway stations and scenes. These were quite atmospheric, and were printed in strong, unusual, almost neon colours.

Ghost by Chris Pig was a detailed engraving that showed a building with ghost-like clouds swirling overhead. Chris has been influenced by film noire amongst other things and the building looks like it has a dark and scary past.

There were several attractive etchings of animals by Sonia Rollo including hares and cows. And Maggie, the cute little dog with big eyes made you just want to say "Ahhh".

We are hoping to win the competition running during the show. The prize is a copy of Nige Barges Past by Anita Klein. It shows a domestic scene which, like our own kitchen, is cramped, limited in space and means we are always bumping into each other. It is also typical of the way we use our kitchen: Vicky likes to cook and Vince likes to clear the cupboards of crisps, biscuits, etc. Hang on, that looks like our oven in the background too!

The show runs until 6th May 2011 and all the prints are available for sale. More details on the Press Freedom exhibition web site.

Vicky and Vince,

Love Your Art

Going Back In Time

I must be dreaming. I am. I'm dreaming. I can't believe it. I've travelled back in time to when I was six years old and I'm surrounded by dozens of pictures of Thomas, Percy, Henry and the Fat Controller. Back then I was a huge fan of Thomas the Tank Engine. Those little oblong books, full of wonderful stories and brilliant pictures, were what childhood was all about.

But hang on, it's 2010 now, I'm not six years old any more (sadly). How can this be possible? Well, I'm at an exhibition of original illustrations from the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends comics. There are over a hundred pictures here; many black and white drawings, some in colour, depicting all the popular characters from the stories, old and new.

To add to the excitement, the exhibition is in a converted railway station, in Richmond, North Yorkshire. And what's more, all the pictures are all for sale!

These original pen and ink drawings were created by the late Timothy Marwood for the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends comics. They include cover illustrations as well as the stories inside the comics.

With so many magical pictures here it is almost impossible to pick a favourite. The quality and detail is fantastic. I must have looked at each picture 3 or 4 times at least. Eventually I recognised the images from a story I remembered reading all those years ago. It told the worrying tale of how Thomas was low on water but found the water tank out of order. The fireman saved the day when he refilled Thomas's tanks from a nearby stream using only a bucket full of holes!

Vicky's favourite was set in the countryside and showed a charming scene with two children receiving an Easter egg from the Fat Controller with Thomas and James in the background. No doubt they were being rewarded for preventing a major disaster on the railway. Sadly, Vicky, quite an avid reader, has never read the Thomas books. Perhaps this visit will inspire her to do so.

I suppose the question on your mind now is whether we bought one of the illustrations. Well, I think you probably know the answer to that already. A charming drawing of Thomas with Annie and Clarabel is now waiting at the signals until we find a space for them on our walls.

The show continues until 31st October 2010.

Read more about the Thomas show.

Visit the official Thomas web site.

Vince (aged 6+),

Love Your Art

A Spot Of Art

We've just got back from the Station in Richmond, North Yorkshire. This wasn't a train journey (the railway in this part of the Dales closed in 1969) but a visit to an exhibition of pictures from over two hundred artists and photographers on display in the restored railway station.

Since opening in 2007 Richmond Station has become one of the region's most popular venues for exhibiting art. Their latest initiative, A Spot on the Wall, is a fantastic opportunity for local artists to put their work in front of thousands of people, who may not otherwise visit an art exhibition or commercial gallery.

As well as local residents, the Station attracts many tourists visiting the region from all around the world. We watched people coming and going all the time, not only to see the art but to visit the shops, the cinema and have coffee or lunch in the open-plan restaurant. This is a thriving centre of the community.

Although we didn't go intending to buy anything (our walls are pretty full at the moment), we were very tempted by many of the pictures and the fact that all the artists are locally based. In fact, we spotted the names of several artists that we recognised from previous events we've visited in the region.

While we were there we chatted to the Curator, Donald Cline, who told us that one lady had bought her first ever picture. This was largely down to the informal surroundings, the easily accessible displays and the wide variety of pictures on show.

Of course, you don't have to buy, the show can be treated simply as a large exhibition of original paintings, stunning photographs and limited editions. It seemed that wherever we went in the building there were pictures; they clung to display panels, paraded along the mezzanine gallery and meandered down the corridor to the shops.

Curator, Donald, is delighted with the response to the show.

"Art lovers have already bought up sixty-five of the pictures on display, raising over £13,000. This is great news for the artists and also helps to support the running of the Station," Donald told us.

We like the idea of this event, giving people the opportunity to see lots of local artists in one place and being able to buy a picture and take it home straight away; you don't have to leave it until the show is over.

The exhibition and sale ends on 3rd September 2010. You can read more information at www.richmondstation.com.

Update: At the end of the show, 110 pictures had been sold, raising £22,000. An estimated 40,000 people had visited the Station while the show was running.

Love Your Art,
Vicky and Vince