Laura Green, Author at Blackpool Social Club

26 Sep

Open Studio: Fine Artist, Tina Dempsey.

Laura Green0 CommentsVisual Arts & ExhibitionsArt, artist, studio

Above the hustle and bustle of the town centre a collective of artists share a space that is well known for drawing in some of the best contemporary practitioners in the area. The entrance to this studio is a large brown door nestled between two shop fronts on a busy shopping street in Blackpool town centre. Up a flight of stairs and you are suddenly faced with a row of unassuming doors, each one leading to a studio space behind. A hub of creative activity that often goes unnoticed by the people going about their business below. Through the first…

12 Jul

Interview with The Fandangoe Kid Part Two

Laura Green0 CommentsVisual Arts & ExhibitionsArt, artist, Blackpool, interview, local history, story

Last month a series of mysterious artworks started to appear around town catching the attention of tourists and locals alike. These bold text-based pieces brightened up the corners of Blackpool with messages of hope and words of wisdom about living after experiencing trauma and loss. With a little help from the creative community I managed to track down the artist and speak to her about her work. In the second of two pieces for altblackpool The Fandangoe Kid tells me about her current practice and her plans for the future. Could you tell me a bit about the work you…

10 Jul

Interview with The Fandangoe Kid Part One

Laura Green0 CommentsLocal News, Visual Arts & ExhibitionsArt, artist, Blackpool, heritage, local history, story

Last month a series of mysterious artworks started to appear around town catching the attention of tourists and locals alike. These bold text-based pieces brightened up the corners of Blackpool with messages of hope and words of wisdom about living after experiencing trauma and loss. With a little help from the creative community I managed to track down the artist and speak to her about her work. In the first of two pieces for altBlackpool I talk to The Fandangoe Kid about her special connect to the town. What brought you to Blackpool? A lot of my work looks at…

27 Jun

B&FC Fine Art Degree Show

Laura Green0 CommentsLocal News, Visual Arts & Exhibitions

The Fine Art and Professional Practice Degree students, along with those on other creative courses from Blackpool and Fylde College, opened their end of year show last Thursday night at the University Centre. Three years after finishing my own Degree there I was asked by the fine art students to come along and visit their show; how could I say possibly say no. As an artist I find degree shows to be a fantastic way to check out the new competition. Collectors have a perfect chance to snap up new work. For studio owners and curators, it is a great…

27 Jun

Review – 4 of 71 (Abingdon Studios)

Laura Green0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitions

Opening on the one-year anniversary of the devastating loss of life at Grenfell, Brendan Bunting’s exhibition at Abingdon Studios examines one of the numerous issues that have yet to be resolved since the tragedy. I visited the show on preview night to see the exhibition and speak with Bunting about his motivation for creating work about the disaster. Not afraid to explore issues that some may consider taboo, Buntings socially engaged approach and his determination to explore narratives that are not his own, sets him apart from his peers. It is difficult for an artist to master this field of…

20 Jun

Open Studio: Hannah Elizabeth

Laura Green0 CommentsLocal News, Visual Arts & Exhibitions

As children we build forts from old boxes and climb trees as if we are scaling castle walls. We jab sticks up into the sky as we fight invisible dragons, wear daisy chains on our heads as if they were precious jewels and hunt for fairies in the hedge rows. When the summer storms roll in, we drop our treasures and run back home, out of the rain. We are put straight into the bath (to get the mud off our knees) then if we are lucky a chippy tea and an hour of telly before bed. As we grow…

30 May

Elbows at Dawn Exhibition Review

Laura Green0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitions

Last night, M.I.L.K (an artist led collective based in Newcastle) opened their two-person exhibition at Abingdon Studio in Blackpool. I went down to view the newest in a long line of strong shows that have been facilitated in this space and to have a chat with the artists Matt Antoniak and Matt Wilkinson. The evening was very relaxed, both artists spent their time talking to visitors about the exhibition and enjoying the event. Their friendly demeanour and eagerness to share creative process provided a heightened understanding and appreciation of the work on show. Walking into the project space the exhibition…

23 May

Open Studio May 2018: Fine Artist, Andy Ostin

Laura Green0 CommentsLocal News, Visual Arts & ExhibitionsAndy Ostin, Art, Art Break Hotel, artist, studio

Last month we visited local artist Sam Jayne Simpson at her studio in Blackpool. For May’s edition of Open Studio we head down the coast to meet Andy Ostin in his St. Anne's studio and to peek at the space he shares with another creative, Leo Smyth. Behind the main shopping street at the heart of St Annes is a maze of back alleys teeming with activity. Artist studios and antique stores rub shoulders with plant shops and other curiosities behind a row of old Victorian houses. Off one of these alleyways is a narrow ginnel tucked away from the…

11 May

Kick Back At The Art Break Hotel

Laura Green1 CommentVisual Arts & Exhibitions

Within moments of arriving at Art Break Hotel, I was sitting in a sunlit dining room with a cool drink in hand, chatting away to the manager Andy Ostin and the owner Nataliya Yunda as if we were old friends. I wasn’t sitting still for long however as in every corner of the ground floor dining and bar area my eyes were drawn to pieces of art. Painting, crafts and furniture fashioned by local creatives just had to be investigated. The Art Break Hotel is a treat for the eyes and the artistic soul. A minutes’ walk from the Blackpool…

09 May

Elbows at Dawn – a new exhibition at Abingdon Studios

Laura Green0 CommentsVisual Arts & ExhibitionsAbingdon Studios, Art, artist, Blackpool, Exhibition, photography

M I L K are pleased to present Elbows at Dawn, a two-person exhibition by multi-discipline artists Matt Antoniak and Matt Wilkinson. Elbows at Dawn will feature new work from both artists made specially for the exhibition. Working across painting, photography and video, both artists bring a forensic eye to overlooked objects and situations within daily life. This interest in the trivial imbues the works with surrealist tendencies and a quiet politicism. Matt Antoniak (b. 1991). Recent exhibitions include: Les Boîtes, Suede Gallery, Edinburgh; The Bunt, Ginny Projects, London; People See Nothing, Division of Labour, London; East Midlands Today, curated by ebc, Two…