The enterprising team at Southport Contemporary Arts in Eastbank Street came up with an inventive way to keep their members busy during the COVID lockdown, and the impressive results will be revealed at the ArtHouse gallery later this month.

Amanda Clark-Price explains: “As a lead up to the easing of lockdown, and our Spring Open exhibition at the ArtHouse, I had the idea it would be good to do a piece which brought us all back together through our artwork.”

Amanda Clark-Price

Using holiday brochures, magazines and photographs, Amanda and co-instigator, Suzanna Gregg, created a composite collage of easily identifiable Southport landmarks that was then divided up into 16 sections and distributed for individual SCA members to re-invent in their own way.  Ranging from ceramics to embroidery, SCA’s impressive rosta of creatives have certainly not disappointed in the variety of their artistic endeavors.

“Something small which wouldn’t be too daunting for those of us who have maybe fallen out of practice, but which, when assembled, would have visual impact. I’ve done similar pieces before and it’s nice to see the different interpretations and where things don’t quite ‘match up’. Reminding us of our diversity of approach and experience but how art unites us.”

Each artist was asked to prepare their submission as a 6×4 postcard sized replica from the original, although, because all of the artists were working independently at home, there have been concerns over how the individual pieces will eventually ‘join’ up.

Christine Brown

It was ‘luck-of-the-draw’ who got what but all the artists have risen to the challenge.

For her ‘Postcard from Southport’, Christine Brown, who has recently swopped her oil paints for watercolours, explains: “The images on my section were very iconic of the town. I wanted the feet of the little statue to dance down Lord Street and for the area under the bridge to depict something of the fabulous skies. The suggestion of trees had to show lights with a small window leading into ‘hospitality’.”

Southport amateur artist, Sandra Hazeldon (pictured above), who confesses to ‘painting when she can find the time’, decided to bring a contemporary interpretation to her treatment: “I was given the front half of an ice cream van and decided to paint it using acrylics and give it a bit of a ‘Pimp My Ride’ makeover so added some gold bling and shiny bits!”

Margaret Maule

Margaret Maule, who always enjoys exploring alternative approaches to art, normally works with glass and paint but came up with a substitute approach for her submission: “I decided to use linocut for my abstract interpretation of my segment of the collage. I felt it required an injection of colour to lift the image so I decided on yellow to mirror the yellow of the daffodil.  I am very pleased that I managed to get the textured feel I wanted for the ironwork of the pier.”

Don’t miss seeing the results when the ArtHouse reopens on the 13th of April with its ‘Spring Open’ Exhibition.

ArtHouse, 65 Eastbank Street, Southport PR8 1EJ Tues-Fri: 10am-3pm/Sat: 11am-4pm

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