AN ongoing art exhibition on Bradford’s big screen is returning in May after a winter break.
The partnership between the Not Just Hockney website and the City Park screen resumes with another Past and Present showcase of artwork by local artists.
Arts supporter, Colin Neville, from Silsden, set up the Not Just Hockney project and website to showcase the array of artists who live and work in the district.
The latest presentation will run from May 1 for two months.
Mr Neville said: “The presentation matches the artwork of local past artists with those very much of today who follow in the same style, subject matter, or use of art media. It highlights the strong art tradition in the district and shows the important connection in the visual arts of the past to the present.
“Nothing is in a vacuum, and who we are, what we do, and where we are heading is a product of our past lives and experiences. This is as true in the arts as it is in other spheres of life.”
The three pairs of artists involved this time are Bobbie Beswick and Anji Timlin; George Brumfit and Bob Barker; and John Busby and Alex Jacob.
He added: “In this Big Screen presentation, for example, there has been a long tradition in paintings of story-telling, and with the work of locally-born George Brumfitt, who died in 1993, you have the artist connecting to his childhood memories of growing up in the district. These included the strong ties and resulting memories he had of his extended family. Bob Barker, painting today from his studio in Eccleshill, follows this story-telling tradition and connects with his own and other people’s memories through his art. The artwork of George Brumfitt and Bob Barker help people evoke and reawaken the past for them.
“Not surprisingly too, in the district and beyond, local artists have been drawn to paint the striking Yorkshire landscape and the impressions this has made on them. Bobbie Bewick, from Clayton, who died in 2015, responded to the landscape of Yorkshire in his own unique way, painting the experience and impact on his senses that it made, rather than trying to reproduce exactly what he saw. Anji Timlin does the same today, sketching her impressions of a landscape, then painting in an expressionist way what the scenes meant to her on the return to her studio.
“John Busby, a member of the famous Busby family of Bradford, who died in 2015, was drawn to the landscape too, and particularly to the bird life that fascinated him. His bird studies were widely admired and he was also well-regarded for his impressionistic landscape and sculptural artworks. Local artist, Alex Jacob too, painting today, feels the same fascination for bird life, as well as gaining inspiration for his art from the changing seasons and impact on the landscape.”
More details on the six artists are:
Bobbie Beswick (1933 -2015): painter and teacher:
The painter, Bobbie Beswick, was an art lecturer at Dewsbury & Batley Technical & Art College and exhibited his own predominantly landscape artwork widely across Britain. Examples of his work in public galleries can be found at the Abbot Hall Art Gallery, the Salford Museums and Art Gallery, and at the Hepworth Wakefield.
Anji Timlin: landscape artist
“I'm a landscape painter. I love the rivers, moors and overpopulated, post-industrial valleys of West Yorkshire, and the stark dramatic fact of our landscape. I make sketches outside, and from fleeting everyday memories of places, experiences and journeys then create joyous, expressive paintings in the studio.”
George Brumfitt (1917 -1993): artist and teacher
The artist and teacher, George Brumfitt taught art in senior posts at both the Blackpool and Doncaster art schools. In the early 1970s, George created a set of 'Things Past' narrative paintings, each recalling a Bradford childhood memory. One of these was exhibited with the Royal Academy.
Bob Barker: painter
“I paint in mainly oils from a studio in Eccleshill. My paintings feature a lot of my memories, with a strong narrative running through the work. I usually get inspiration from my own and hopefully other people’s nostalgia. My work has been described as Northern Impressionism.”
John Busby (1928 - 2015): painter, sculptor, wildlife illustrator
John Busby was part of the family who founded the Busbys department store in the city. He became a wildlife artist, specialising in bird studies, but was also well-regarded for his impressionistic landscapes and sculptures. He was the writer/illustrator for over 30 books on natural history.
Alex Jacob: artist, mixed media
“There are these moments when you look at something: a bird with its twisting neck, a landscape full of contrast and the changing seasons, a gnarled face that shows of life’s journey and the passing of time. Whether it is awe, peace, joy, interest, or curiosity, these are the moments that I love and want to share with you.”
The Not Just Hockney exhibition runs every day at 12.30pm on the big screen in Bradford’s City Park.
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