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Visual Arts & Exhibitions

Open Studio: Hannah Elizabeth

Open Studio: Hannah Elizabeth

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…
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Images and Words Take us Into The Light

Images and Words Take us Into The Light

Review-Linda Hampton Into the Light – an exhibition by Kate Eggleston- Wirtz at Urban Arts Studio My regular monthly visit to the Urban Arts Studio this weekend, for the launch of the latest exhibition of a local artist’s work, was a joyous evening as always. Into the Light featuring artworks by Kate Eggleston-Wirtz is an opportunity to not only see the artist’s visual creations but also potentially catch a glimpse into her mind as well. At first glance the monochrome drawings displayed around the walls beckon us in to examine the details of these intricate creations. They all have a…
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Elbows at Dawn Exhibition Review

Elbows at Dawn Exhibition Review

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…
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Punk Rock Cartoons – Shaws

Punk Rock Cartoons – Shaws

I had seen David Worth's rock and pop cartoons in HMV in the past.  I hadn't really appreciated he was a local artist until I saw he was the latest to exhibit at Shaws.  The opening night was today (Thursday) so I went and had a look. David started doing his cartoons in 2010 and is self-taught.  The first cartoons he drew were of Public Image Limited and these were published on johnlydon.com and also on pilofficial.com.  Although his repertoire does indeed include a large number of punk rock icons there are many other rock and pop acts included.  I…
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Open Studio May 2018: Fine Artist, Andy Ostin

Open Studio May 2018: Fine Artist, Andy Ostin

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…
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Bees, Birds and Bentleys Exhibition Review

Bees, Birds and Bentleys Exhibition Review

At Urban Arts Studio in St Annes I learnt all about the birds and the bees from a very different perspective. And a bit about Bentleys too. The launch of the latest monthly art exhibitions, entitled Bees, Birds and Bentleys, enlightened me in methods of printmaking. Five printmakers, brought together through their association with Art Lab in Preston, are exhibiting their work and all favour different techniques of the art. Rita Robson uses wood engraving to create her miniature fairytale fantasy inspired works of art. She kindly gave me a crash course in how it’s done. Working in miniature, creating…
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Retired Performers  – A Photography project paying homage to Blackpool performance

Retired Performers – A Photography project paying homage to Blackpool performance

In 2013 Claire was photographing Showzam in Blackpool and met a "retired foot juggler" who told her that her husband had performed for Hitler. After searching for a long term photography project, Claire realised that there must be a whole community of hidden stories attached to Blackpool and noted that her own family had such connections with her aunt being a Circusette in the 70's and literally "running away with the circus". The Retired Performers project was born. The Retired Performers Project, 'Time and Tide,' is an Arts Council Funded Photography series, exploring stories around retired performers with connections to Blackpool, active…
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Kick Back At The Art Break Hotel

Kick Back At The Art Break Hotel

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…
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Elbows at Dawn – a new exhibition at Abingdon Studios

Elbows at Dawn – a new exhibition at Abingdon Studios

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…
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Marking the Martyrs – an exhibition at Blott Studio

Marking the Martyrs – an exhibition at Blott Studio

Coinciding with major celebrations and events nationwide, on the 4th June 2018, Blott Studio will be hosting an exhibition marking the death of Emily Wilding Davison, the first martyr to the Suffrage cause. Curated by Corrine Streetly, Marking The Martyrs will focus on the sacrifices our foremothers made and the ongoing struggle that women still face, and will feature work produced by three regional artists, Zoe Cox, Tina Warren and Corrine Streetly, and three national and international artists. Hazel Reeves, MRBS SWA FRSA, winner of the Emmeline Pankhurst sculpture commission 2017 will be exhibiting one of her acclaimed maquettes of Emmeline, titled ‘Rise…
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