Artist’s joy as first solo exhibition
AN artist who has painted for more than 50 years is ‘overjoyed’ at securing her first solo gallery exhibition.
Anne Aspinall has lived in Macclesfield for 33 years and operates from the Longden Gallery on Shaw Street.
Her show is called A Welsh Connection and launches at the Contemporary Six gallery in Manchester on May 12.
It celebrates the strong affinity that people from the North West have with North Wales but also includes a couple of winter scenes closer to home of the hills in the village of Rainow.
Gran-of-three Anne said she is continually drawn back to North Wales to capture the majesty of the landscape and scenery.
Anne, 68, of Chester Road, said: “Macclesfield is a great place to be for a painter, there are so many other artists living and working in the town and we give each other encouragement and support.
“I don’t know what it is about the place. I lived previously for 15 years up the road in Hazel Grove where I made numerous lovely friends but never met a single other artist.
“I’m overjoyed to have my first solo show at such a lovely gallery.
“I have always loved that North Wales hides its best places and keeps them a secret. If you are open to its charms, it’s a place that gradually seeps into your being.
“I am drawn to places where people have lived and worked over centuries, the edge of land and sea, harbours, hill-farms, the remains of the early Industrial Revolution.
“Chapels also fascinate me, their original role all but gone, but they survive as a link to the past and continue to have a place now as community centres, play groups, artist’ studios and family homes.”
A Welsh Connection takes place at Contemporary Six on Princess Street, Manchester.
It begins with a preview afternoon on Saturday May 12, from 1–5pm, in which Anne will be available to chat with visitors and will run until May 31.
Contemporary Six owner Alex Reuben said: “Anne is one of the most technically gifted painters in the North West, and this exhibition is an opportunity to see many of her beautiful works.
“Her landscapes appeal to all kinds of art-lovers, and they will make you love the Welsh coast and countryside as much as she does.”
Anne Aspinall trained at Manchester College of Art and Design and her work can be found in collections in Europe, the USA and Australia.