Heritage places and spaces form great new collection at gallery

A celebration of some of the best known heritage sites of Peterborough is captured in a new collection of drawings by city based artist Tony Nero.

As Artist in Residence at the Norman Cross Gallery, where the exhibition is being staged from September 1, this exhibition features a new collection of works, of some familiar heritage sites and buildings in Peterborough.

The focus switches from the Norman Cross site of the gallery - home to the first prisoner of war camp during the Napoleonic War - to the Gates Memorial in Bishop’s Road Gardens.

“There are a lot of places in our city that not only mean a lot to our community, but also mean a lot to many individuals,” said Tony. “We take a lot of these places for granted but there is so much to see and learn all around us.

“It’s always refreshing as an artist, going back to your roots of drawing as a medium, but as well as being exciting to produce these pieces, it’s also been a challenge trying hard not to use paint or colour. The body of work was produced in pencils, charcoal and pastels, but some of the pieces I felt lend themselves to a dash of colour. This was achieved by using pastel and slightly coloured paper. It is amazing what you learn also when observing these buildings and sites.” Tony, who works in a variety of mediums and whose work is always vibrant, said he was often tempted to paint some of the pieces but held back as he really wanted to stick to the basic mediums.

“It’s very strange and also a nice change not doing any painting for so many months,” he added.

Tony was also keen to point out that the exhibition is not the end of this project. More work is being added to the collection and will continue into the months ahead.

To find out more about Tony Nero and his work you can follow artoftonynero on twitter, facebook or visit his website.

The Exhibition - Heritage Places and Spaces - runs from September 1 to 30 at the Norman Cross Gallery, Norman House, Norman Cross, Peterborough, Cambs PE7 3TB.

The gallery is open to the public on Saturdays from 10.00am until 4.00pm, or other times by appointment only. Please ring 01733 245189 or email: contact@normancrossgallery.com