These are some examples of work by our members, we hope you will be encouraged to join us.
Alan Calvert
I was a teacher at a local school and I took up watercolour painting, and making small items in wood when I retired.
I have always been inspired by the work of Scotish archetect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret, so many of my clock designs are based on his motifs. Recently I have been making boxes too with many of the lids being inspired by the landscapes of the area.
I can also mount and frame paintings for members.
This wall clock is painted black with a pewter insert. It was inspired by the Mackintosh rose
I enjoy painting in watercolour and my subjects are mostly boats and landscapes.
This particular painting is sold.
To see more of my boxes and clocks visit my website
This oak box has a loose lid with an insert of a contrasting wood.
Mary Calvert
I used to teach young children and I loved the way that they played with paint, string, paper and other items. As adults we often restrict our creativity because we want our work to look a certain way. I am trying my best to unlearn a lot of the tight detailed paintings I used to do and letting my latest work flow and so I have been really enjoy working with abstract ideas and experimenting with different mediums such as watercolour, oils, acrylics and charcoal.
I do get bored easily and so never stick with one style for very long. My favourite artists are Michael Morgan, Anne Blockley, Peter Wileman , Ian Mitchell and Peter Iden.
This was a commission I did in charcoal from several photographs.
I was happily splashing watercolour paint onto paper and letting it run to get some textured effects.
This picture was the result of turning it sideways and enhancing some of the lines to produce more contrast.
The original has been sold but I do have prints available.
This painting of the Bridge of Sighs in Venice was painted in acrylic paints with a pallet knife. The gondola and some of the details were completed using a brush.
This was sold from an Exhibition in the Forum
Andy Currie-Scarr
I work as a teacher at Barrow Sixth Form College and much of my inspiration comes from the students I teach. I love helping push their boundaries as artists and the creative environment of the classroom helps me experiment with my own work.
Artists that inspire me include Guy Denning and Shepherd Fairey as I like to have elements of my work fluid and experimental, but with a degree of refined detail, hence I have tried many different media and textural surfaces to work on.
I have expanded my subject matter to wild animals from around the world in recent years. I take time out of painting to visit zoos nationally and internationally for reference material. I am constantly challenging myself and use of media to explore new ideas.
Oil pastel work is a relatively new exploration for me, but I do like the quick ‘sketchy’ feel and the limited spectrum of pastels allow me to exaggerate colours. I thoroughly enjoy doing commissioned animal portraits and I have been lucky enough to have a popular public response, though my dog Darwin and my hometown near the Lake District provides me with ample photographs from which I can try new ideas.
The textured background is a collage of handmade paper and facts about the breed on other papers. It has splashed drawing ink and a blue stencil design which has then been painted over with a dog portrait in thin layers of acrylic.