The Baselineย studio is set in a bijou shop at the rear of M&S on the edge of the Houndshill Shopping Experience. ย Oops! Rewind… Where have they gone?
Baseline established themselves as a place where the great washed and unwashed could experience contemporary Urban Art first hand. Initially set up as a creative place to develop workshops in graphic design and general creativity a few years ago,ย Baseline started to become the home of developing Blackpool talents; Lowdown, Catch22 and Infected by Design, three artists battling hypothermia and the constant questions from a steady stream of visiting inquisitive public. ย Questions such as: ‘What exactly do you do here?’
That question largely remained unanswered. Let me intervene. ย The space was a great high street location for artists, providing a studio and publicย profile.
Like most artists that finish a Fine Art Degree, the boys had that constant frustration over where to go, and with no after support from their place of study it was sink or swim. ย As it turns out they are swimming and actually doing very well.
Lowdown has developed his style over the last few years through events like Sand Sea & Spray and UpFest, together with guest spots in Manchester and around the UK. His work is shown in a London Gallery and is in demand from collectors. With distinctive use of colour and interpretation of faces he is carvinghis career.
Catch 22 has also travelled the UK with guest places at top events and canvas commissions. ย He has begun adding an abstract texture to his constantly evolving work. Heย does not stand still and often changes a piece completely at short notice, forever striving to improve his work.
Infected by Design spends much of his time using his Posca pens to amazing effect. He can paint on just about anything, from skate boards to pianos and canvas to cans, he just never stops. Then there’s Little Ted, an amazing creation which will no doubt become an iconic image. Teds can be found all over Blackpool on Free Art Friday, an initiative ย started by My Dog Sighs which is now happening all over the world. Infected flies the flag, so look out for Ted.
But the Houndshill studio is now empty. So where have the Baseline boys gone? Catch22 and Lowdown are on the secondย floor of the artist hub, The Old Rock Factory, settling in like they were born there.
Infected by Design can be found online and on a Friday just about everywhere.
Baseline has gone… and the spirit lives on.
Featured image by Jill Reidy of Two Old Birds Photography
Show Comments (0)