Group Seven: Fine Art Now Contributors
Janine Denby’s six Bradford scenes have a joyful quality, which reflect her feelings for the city.
“I now live and work in Bradford but I grew up in the suburbs of Pudsey. As a child, whenever we went to a big city like Bradford or Leeds it felt like a huge treat seeing all the bright lights.
I begin with initial sketches and photographs, going back time and time again to explore. Rather than get a sense of one specific moment, I try to portray the feeling of movement and timelessness. I often work on 5 or 6 pictures at one time. I create collagraph prints, done in reverse with a lot of grout, PVA, and acrylic. Each takes about a month to do the block, and the work develops with the test prints.”
Visitors have marvelled at Bill Major’s three giclée prints.
“You could not see any of my pictures in reality. I take literally hundreds of photographs as raw material, returning on different occasions. I then build these rather like you would paint an oil painting, layering and manipulating over 700 hundred photos in Photoshop for each one. I am in control of everything – colour, tone, atmosphere – nothing happens by chance.
The picture of County Arcade in Leeds took eight months to complete. I started these pictures about 6 years ago with a study of Leeds Market. Up until that point I had never clicked a computer mouse! Digital photography was starting to make an impact so I bought an amateur camera, computer and taught myself from scratch.”
Kath Tarpey’s acrylics are all locally based.
“I like to paint landmarks people recognise, though I try to have a different angle. I find my subjects by walking around with my camera in tow. I will take 50 to 100 photos looking at all aspects and try to capture the feeling of a place when I paint, though all the angles are actual. This is the second time I have painted the Black Prince statue in City Square, Leeds. I wanted to show the high rise building behind him and the disrespectful pigeons who have as much right to be there as him.
I was originally more of a printmaker and only started painting more seriously about 5 years ago. I like to painting city scenes that are common to everybody else but make them that bit special. My next move will be into portraiture.”
Cath Brooke’s current work explores an industrial theme.
“I had previously been doing more landscapes until I went on a sketching trip to Fiddler’s Ferry Power Station. It was pouring down and I was working outside with watercolour pencil and the rain added to the texture.
I started looking around Leeds at the massive changes to the city landscape with regeneration. Buildings were being torn down but you could be sure what was going in their place. There are four scenes of Yorkshire Chemicals, where demolition had exposed the internal skeletons of the building. I love all the lines and spaces created. I plan to carry on along the industrial route.”