blackpool art scene Archives - Blackpool Social Club

12 Aug

Seaside Shuffle: local writers pen Blackpool anthology

Linda Hampton0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Wordauthors, Blackpool, blackpool art scene, books, community, heritage, literature, memoir, Place, poetry, publication, Stories, tea amantes, writers

Local author Linda Hampton (Sailing To The Moon), hosted the launch of a unique collection of writings last week – Seaside Shuffle. As a contributing writer to the collection, she tells Blackpool Social Club readers how work from local writers manifested into a new publication It was a packed house at Tea Amantes Community Arts on Albert Road in Blackpool, as many of the 37 Blackpool-based-or-connected writers, and friends, piled into to celebrate the culmination of nearly a year’s work, the publication of the anthology Seaside Shuffle - an eclectic mix of writing styles, and points of view all summoning…

10 Aug

Exhibition Review: Dave Naden paintings

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsacrylic painting, art exhibition, blackpool art scene, hand painted, oil painting

The HIVEArts gallery above the HIVE coffee shop in Church Street continues to deliver a steady stream of top notch exhibitions. Currently Dave Naden's excellent oils and acrylics occupy the first floor gallery, until 15th August 2026. Dave Simper bused down to join the weekly HIVE jive get together and took in Dave's work, finding time for a brief chat about it. I had viewed Dave's work on several previous occasions and was well aware of its quality. Without being twee, these are paintings that people will actively look to have on their lounge walls. Walking into the gallery the…

05 Aug

Exhibition Review: Linder – the return of Linderland

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsart exhibition, blackpool art scene, grundy art gallery

Internationally-recognised artist Linder has chosen The Grundy for her summer exhibition. David Simper hopped on a bus to the Queen Street gallery to see what it had in store The guard at the Grundy Art Gallery has recently changed, and there was a bit of a buzz about the place as I took my usual service 61 bus to the Talbot Street stop and strolled down to Queen Street. Linder: The Return of Linderland is a reconceived version of the artist's landmark show 'Danger Came Smiling', which premiered at the Hayward Gallery in 2025 and has been touring the UK…

12 Jul

Exhibition Review: Darren Elwell at HIVEArts

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsart exhibition, blackpool art scene, Exhibition, graphic design

Having reviewed several of Darren Elwell's exhibitions previously, David Simper was keen to see how his work had developed. He headed to HIVEArts for the opening night to see the local artist's latest collection, and managed to grab him for a quick chat too. Having caught the service 61 into Blackpool in time for the 17:30 private view of Darren Elwell's new exhibition at HIVEArts, my first impression was that the artist had further consolidated his style since I last reviewed his work. His line is confident and assured, while the compositions are packed with detail that rewards careful viewing.…

25 May

Exhibition Review: Rachel Hey at HIVEArts

David Simper0 CommentsGuide, Visual Arts & Exhibitionsabstract art, art exhibition, blackpool art scene, drawing

Blackpool artist Rachel Hey has opened her first solo exhibition at HIVEArts. Pencil and Paper brings together colourful abstract collages, highly detailed pencil portraits and digitally inspired character work shaped by years of artistic experimentation. David Simper went along to the exhibition launch and caught up with the artist. I've followed Rachel's work for some time on social media and was keen to see it first hand at what is her first exhibition at the Church Street, HIVEArts gallery. On arrival the cafe area was buzzing with visitors – not just for this exhibition but with Blackpool Sixth Form's BTEC…

27 Apr

Exhibition Review: John Spencer at HIVE cafe

David Simper0 CommentsGuide, Visual Arts & Exhibitionsart exhibition, blackpool art scene, painting

Local artist John Spencer is exhibiting at Hive cafe. David Simper, who paints alongside John at Blackpool Art Society meetings, went along to see what he had done with the opportunity for a full-scale exhibition and to catch up with the artist. This collection of bold, vibrant pieces did not disappoint. I had had a little preview of some of these pieces, as they had been part done at the Blackpool Art Society's monthly general painting sessions, but there's nothing like seeing finished work, curated creatively. Of a large scale, the work fills the HIVE's walls easily. Using a deceptively…

23 Apr

Exhibition Review: Louise Giovanelli – From Here to Here to Here

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsart exhibition, blackpool art scene, monet

In the decade since she first exhibited at the Grundy, Louise Giovanelli has become one of the most celebrated artists of her generation. David Simper nipped into our local gallery to see how her work has developed. Blackpool and the Grundy can lay part claim to starting Louise Giovanelli's career as she first exhibited her From Here to Here show in our gallery in 2016. Ten years on, she is recognised as one of the most celebrated painters of her generation. This is a fine follow on show for 2026. The exhibition seeks to present an extensive overview of Louise's…

16 Feb

Art Exhibition: Grundy Open 2026

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsart exhibition, blackpool art scene, The Grundy Art Gallery

The Grundy Art Gallery is currently holding an open exhibition. This give an opportunity for local creatives and makers to have their work showcased in this space. There are currently 150 exhibits which can be viewed. Our writer had attended the exhibition's opening event, which had been a truly joyous occasion, but it was far too crowded to get the photographs necessary for a review. However, they were able to pop back a week later for another, more leisurely look. This exhibition is a local highlight of the artistic year. It's very egalitarian with keen beginners rubbing frames with internationally…

01 Jan

Art Exhibition: HIVEArts Christmas Collective Call Out

David Simper0 CommentsGuide, Visual Arts & Exhibitionsart exhibition, blackpool art scene, hivearts blackpool

The HIVEArts Collective has launched its annual winter show, an eclectic mix of high quality and local work. Our writer David Simper headed down to check out the exhibition, which includes one of his own paintings. The pieces are spread between the upstairs gallery area and the cafe downstairs. There is work from painting, through sculpture, to photography. The HIVEArts seasonal call out has become a much anticipated annual event and one that hopefully joins the Grundy Open, which follows on from this, in local artists' diaries. Tom Lopato has acted as principal curator for this one, working incredibly hard…

08 Nov

Exhibition Review: Back to Front – Lee Cobb at Tea Amantes

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsblackpool art scene, photographic exhibition, photography, tea amantes

The month has turned again and it's time for the new exhibition at Tea Amantes. Following on from Kenny McCrae, the new show features another photo walk stalwart, Lee Cobb. David Simper caught the service 61 bus to the town centre to catch Lee's vision. The clocks have gone back since last month's show launch and so it felt a little strange for Corporation Street to be that much darker as I disembarked from the bus and walked the short distance down Albert Road to the Tea Amantes cafe and gallery. A good crowd was in the house, including many…