Lockton artists help mark 75th anniversary
Agroup of artists who are all residents of the village of Lockton in the North York Moors National Park will be combining their talents for an exhibition for the first time at the Inspired by… gallery in Danby next month. With the theme Threads and Pathways, the Lockton artists will be exploring how their individual work shares a common thread, that of demonstrating the power a special place wields over their inspiration.
The exhibition, which is part of the National Park’s 70th anniversary celebrations, will run alongside two further displays of work in the gallery by local artists, Gail Hurst from Port Mulgrave and Pauline Brown from Farndale.
The Lockton artists’ exhibition will underline the wealth of talent that lies within a village where there are less than 300 permanent residents.
On display will be the work of nine of the artists within the group, including unique ceramic forms by Hester Salt who has taken inspiration from the fungi on trees in the woods near
Lockton; patinated and gilded treasure houses by metalsmith Marcus Steel; and intentional camera movement images of Dalby Forest by photographer Mike Nowill.
The Threads and Pathways theme has also prompted some of the group to try new techniques and take their work in a new direction. For instance textile designer Sarah Peart has extended her embroidery techniques and introduced a new colour palette inspired by the surrounding forests and woodland.
Meanwhile, with summer changing to autumn, a second exhibition entitled Connections to Landscape will showcase the work of artist Pauline Brown whose drawings and paintings are influenced by the different seasons, colours and moods in and around Farndale.
For her Our Land, Our Sea exhibition, Gail Hurst reflects on the natural world and having a sense of place, drawing inspiration from her coastal surroundings and her own bee and butterfly garden at home.
The North York Moors is a landscape of stunning moorland, ancient woodland and historic sites. Celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, it was created on November 28 1952, becaming Britain’s sixth national park.
Covering an area of 554 square miles, the National Park has 26 miles of coastline, two national nature reserves, 840 Scheduled Monuments and more than 3,000 listed buildings, attracting an estimated 8.4 million visitors a year.
The National Park has two visitor centres, Danby Lodge National Park Centre and Sutton Bank National Park Centre, providing opportunities for cycling, walking, eating, picnicking, shopping, crafts and wildlife-watching.
The centre in Danby also houses the Inspired by… gallery, which features changing exhibitions by artists who draw their inspiration from the North York Moors.
The three exhibitions begin on Saturday September 17 at the Inspired by... gallery, Danby Lodge and will run until Monday November 7. The Threads and Pathways exhibition will have meet the artists sessions every Friday at 11am and 1.30pm until November 4.