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George W. Barnard
George says his ambition to be a potter began "many years ago" in the
early days of television when the 'Interlude' came on showing a potter
working on a wheel throwing a vase. It seemed so easy to produce this
beautiful shape from raw clay, and fun also.
His opportunity eventually came when he retired and met up with a local
potter in a small village in the Calder Valley at Mytholmroyed. There he
learnt how the 'interlude' potter produced his pots, and though it was fun
it was not so easy.
George is now an accomplished potter and a firm favourite at the Gallery.
He has his own wheel and kiln and so has complete control over the
production of his pots. Completely hand building and creating his own glazes
means all his pieces are individual and, he hopes, has a personality all of
it's own.
Andy Beck
Andy was born in 1966 in Bolton, where he still lives and
creates his wonderfully imaginative sculptures. After leaving
the Canon Slade School he trained as a Stone Restoration Technician, and
this is where he first became interested in art and sculpture. Later Andy
was made redundant from the stone restoration company which was when he
began working for Manchester University as a Model Maker and it was here
that Andy developed his skills as a sculptor. He has now been
a practising artist for around 16 years, and has worked in many different
mediums, including stone, wood and plaster. However, in the mid 1990's Andy
began welding and this is when his sculpture really began to take shape. All
the metal he uses are items which people have thrown away or the discarded
pieces from building sites. His inspiration often comes from
the material itself, seeing how a certain shape lends itself to a particular
feature or detail. It then grows and evolves into a strange and wonderful
character which is indicative of his work. Andy is influenced by the work of
Picasso, Max Ernst and Jacob Epstein, of which the disjointed and mechanical
elements can be clearly seen. Like these artists Andy's work can at times
have an underlying element of darkness, and yet remain quite humorous.
Andy's unique work has earned him several awards. In 1996 he won 1st prize
in the National Post Office Open Art Exhibition, also in the same year the
Bolton Art Circle awarded him 'Best Sculpture' in the Recycled Materials
Division. Then in 1999 he was commissioned by the P&O, Manchester, to build
a large piece for their newly refurbished office space. Since his first
exhibition at the gallery in 2003 Andy has become one of our most popular
sculptors. |
Mark Brierley
Mark was born and is still based in Rochdale. AS a child Mark showed
great promise as an artist, not only with his drawing skills but with his
ability to arrange colour and shapes. After leaving Bury Grammar School he
trained at Hopwood Hall Art School in Rochdale where he specialised in
textile design.
He then began working in his family's interior design and decorating
business where he stayed for the next nine years. having worked in a design
environment, he feels he has gained valuable experience in understanding
what people appreciate in colour and design.
His mixed media paintings are inspired by modern life, fashion, and his
vivacious eye for colour. Often painting commissions for specific colour
schemes and interior themes he has become one of the Gallery's most
successful artists, which enabled him to become a full time artist in 2003.
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