Our Winter Collection is in full swing here in the gallery. If you haven’t called in to see the full collection in person it really is worth it. But if you’re not able to visit we hope that we can help you experience the collection from the comfort of your home.
We have selected 8 fantastic artists to feature in our Winter Collection and in this first part of a two part blog post we will be looking at our first 4 artists.
Phil Benton
North East based photographer Phil Benton took up photography some years ago after suffering from a long illness. It was love straight away. Phil has a deep passion for photography which has followed on from a love of creating images through artwork. He thrives on the challenge of creating different types of work from Landscapes to Still Life, creating visual images that are outside convention. Originally from the Lake District, Phil has embraced the beauty of the North East since moving here over 17 years ago, he recognises how special the region is. Over the years Phil has won a few competitions for his work and has had photos published in books world wide.
We chose Phil to feature in our Winter Collection with his wonderful range of snow covered winter senses. Perfectly capturing the North East in a rare winter wonderland moment.
Peter Davidson
Newcastle based artist Peter ‘Deetz’ Davidson has a love of art that goes all the way back to his childhood. A time when a pencil was never far from his side. As he grew up art became less and less achievable as life got in the way. But in recent years Peter has been able to turn his love of art into an occupation with his work now being sold all over the country in many well established galleries. Peter started out working in pencil and explored all the mediums as he progressed until settling on the oil paintings he currently produces.
‘My work is inspired by the things we did and saw whilst playing out in the back lanes and streets as kids, heavy with nostalgia, a little bit of fun and hopefully seeing the beauty in the everyday things that surrounded me. My work takes me back to a much simpler and innocent time.’
Deetz was an instant choice for our Winter Collection with his nostalgia filled paintings filling our heads with childhood memories. They are a perfect picture to take your mind away from the winter blues.
David Holliday
David Holliday has been working as a professional artist for just over 20 years. He is best known for his twilight cityscapes. Using his preferred medium of watercolour, David has a distinct, bold style. With the use of intricate line work and fresh, rich colours, he manages to capture a jewel-like quality to his paintings. David has a BA hons in design and illustration. This can be seen in his well-balanced compositions and meticulous detail. Before starting a new painting David visits the place or subject matter that interests him. This can vary greatly from an old industrial site to a city centre, or perhaps a trip to the Farne Islands to study the wildlife. While on location David takes his time to absorb the atmosphere of the place. Once the mood has been established, David paints several small studies hoping to find the right colour combination to reflect this.
David Holliday was selected for our Winter Collection as his paintings are filled with winter chills. His purple colour palette used on cityscapes filled the air with icy chills, you can almost feel yourself walking down those winter city streets.
Joe Hush
Washington based Joe Hush is a traditional landscape artist who likes to paint in Acrylic, Oils and Watercolour. Joe finds inspiration in the countryside of Northern England. He is a self taught artist and now teaches others, tutoring art classes for the W.E.A. at Chester-le-street. He also does demonstrations and workshops for art clubs/societies throughout the North East.
‘I am inspired by the landscape to paint but I am not a slave to it. Often she will show you little gems. These, along with compositions, I take, to utilise in my paintings. I am always mesmerised when the painting gradually appears on the paper as I paint. I hope I never lose that feeling. My paintings are developed from pencil tonal sketches and painted sketches. This preliminary work is an important first stage to get down what I see in my mind’
With a collection of snow filled originals that showcase the winter sun Joe Hush was a must for our Winter Collection. Another artist whose work captivates you to the point of feeling the snow against your skin.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this insight into our Winter Collection. We’ll be posting the second part of this two part blog in a few weeks. Where we will be looking at our final 4 Winter Collection artists!
See the our Full Winter Collection here or take a look at our Winter Collection Catalogue
