blog
Visual Artists CPD / Training Survey
We are currently conducting research into the demand for Professional Development and Skills training for artists in the North West. The information we gather will help form the basis of a series of funding applications, to allow us to offer a range of valuable training and development opportunities for visual artists across the region. There are only five multiple choice questions, (see below) so we promise it won't take up too much time! Thanks very much for your help.
Liverpool Chamber of Commerce 160th Anniversary Art Exhibition
Liverpool Chamber is celebrating its anniversary year with an exhibition of Liverpool themed artwork. The exhibition opened at the 08 Place in Whitechapel on Thursday 15th July and runs until Friday 10th September 2010. (more details here)
The exhibition was suggested by the Chamber's Arts & Culture Committee and has been curated by Lucy Byrne of local arts organisation, dot-art. The city of Liverpool is the reason that the Chamber exists - the port and the industries that were attracted to it where what made the city grow. The exhibition features work by eleven local artists and focuses on diverse themes of Liverpool life from distinctive cityscape, maritime culture and visitor attractions to heritage and popular aspects of local life. Maresa Molly the Chamber's Head of Policy & Information said:
"We are celebrating the chamber's anniversary while also recognising that arts and culture is a key driver of our economy. We are keen to use this as an opportunity to bring corporate buyers, visitors and members of the public in contact with some of the art being produced in the city at the moment. We chose the 08 place for its footfall and reach within these sectors. We hope this exhibition will provide commercial opportunities for the artists taking part."
Exhibiting artists: Matthew Thomas, Susan Finch, Gary Beach, Alan McKernan, Michelle Burrows, Daniel John, Dan Forrest, Joe Forrest, Joe Thompson, Richard Pryke and Jane Adams.
Merseyside Women of the Year Awards 2010
On Friday 2nd July, the Hilton Hotel Liverpool hosted the Merseyside Women of the Year Awards 2010, where dot-art Director Lucy Byrne was delighted to be awarded the Runner Up Award in the Arts and Culture Category.
Organiser Jean Gadsby said: "This is the eighth year of these fabulous awards, but the first time that me and my team have run the event. We had 75 nominations this year, which is by far the most yet, so it was a really difficult task for the Judges to pick the category winners."
Art @ The Orchard - Un / Familiar
A look at the work of two artists - Matthew Thomas and Andrew Collin - who take familiar objects and images, and manipulate them in various ways to create new, interesting and often visually confusing works of art.
Andrew is an experimental, semi-abstract photographer whose images deliberately confuse 2D and 3D surfaces, to create ambiguity. He particularly tries to create original work, often from the simplest objects and scenes. The works are produced in ongoing series, and new series are introduced if experiments produce results of interest.
Matthew is a photographer who merges the “decisive moment” with concept and montage. He says: “I use photography and digital imaging technologies to create visceral layers that question historical and cultural concepts of time and space. Each project often consists of multiple works, grouped around specific themes and meanings. During research and production new areas of interest arise and lead to the next body of work... The concrete, repetitive nature of this work frees my imagination and provides many opportunities for a "happy accident" to influence the finished product.”
Exhibition runs 11th June - 20th August 2010
See the what's on page for more details...
dot-MATRIX Event
Events for Artists to Meet, Create and Learn
MATRIX (def): "A situation or surrounding substance within which something else originates or develops..."
Building on the success of our launch event in March, dot-art Services will be running a series of FREE events for visual artists to meet, create and learn. The first of these informal networking and information evenings will take place on Wednesday 16th June from 6-8pm, with food provided by the excellent Souperfood and live music from Loungecore. We will also be hearing from a fantastic guest speaker at each event. For the first event, we welcome IAN JACKSON of artinliverpool.com, who will be giving us some background to his organisation, a round up of current activities, and how you can get involved. And as always you will have the chance to find out what dot-art Services is up to and planning for the future, as well as how we can help you.
To register for FREE tickets, please visit: dotmatrix.eventbrite.com
Celebration of Colour Exhibition Photos
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Mere Grange Gallery Launch
dot-art is delighted to announce the launch of our new exhibition space, The Mere Grange Gallery in St Helens. The first exhibition to be held in the gallery is a group show entitled “A Celebration of Colour”, featuring the work of fourteen artists from across the region, which will launch on Thursday 20th May. The participating artists are: Graeme Murray, Matthew Thomas, Michelle Burrows, Sophie Green, Paul Shiers, Journeyboy, Mick Gill, Nathan Pendlebury, Paul Francis, John Jennings, Dave Bullock, Andrew Collin, James Lavott and Grahame Ashcroft.
The “Celebration of Colour” exhibition is open to the public by appointment only (including evenings and weekends), at The Mere Grange Gallery, Unit 101, Mere Grange, Leaside, St Helens, WA9 5GG, from Friday 21st May to Friday 20th August. Please call 0845 017 6660 or email info@dot-art.com for more information or to make an appointment. All work is for sale and admission is free.
Gallery 2010 Exhibition
A group of students at Liverpool John Moores University have been working with 10 dot-art artists to create a group show entitled Gallery 2010 - 20 works by 10 artists on the theme of "Collaboration".
The ten artists (some of whom are pictured below) are: Sophie Green, Stephen Collett, Andrew Collin, Nathan Pendlebury, The Forrest Brothers, Ant-e-Art, Matthew Thomas, Nicole Renée, Tony Evans and Michelle Burrows.
Exhibition runs 23rd April - 7th May 2010. Opening times, Wednesday to Saturday 1-7pm; at the Academy Gallery, LJMU Art Academy, Duckinfield Street, off Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L3 5YD.
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Art @ The Orchard - People, Places, Faces
Following on from the success of the initial exhibition by James Lavott, the second Art @ The Orchard show will feature the work of two painters with very different approaches to the portrayal of the human figure. Gary Beach and Susan Finch are the latest artists to be featured in this innovative series of exhibitions in collaboration with local arts organisation dot-art, showcasing the work of local artists and exposing their work to a wide audience, in relaxed, inviting surroundings.
Liverpool artist Susan Finch takes a fresh and searching look at the figure in her latest collection of paintings. She explores and celebrates the subject in vibrant oil colour, bringing out the visceral essence of the person she paints. She places the figure within a richly expressionistic landscape, sometimes Liverpool, sometimes an imagined setting which reflects the inner life of her subject. Her Beatles quartet of paintings use written speech, not only to tell a story, but also to bring an exuberant dynamic quality to her work.
Gary Beach takes the figure in the urban environment as his subject. His work has always been influenced by the human figure, from early interest in comic and fashion drawing, he now uses everyday life to capture moods and experiences. He says of the work: “The paintings express the hustle and bustle and, on a more personal level, the loneliness, isolation and anonymity that we feel in life. The city has become a concrete muse- a focus to inspire my paintings. Set amongst crowded places with anonymous people who pass by everyday. Painting allows me an outlet for my emotions and passion to be expressed.”
BBC North West Tonight Feature
Following the publication of the Impacts 08 report on the affect of 2008's European Capital of Culture status on Liverpool and it's economy, dot-art's Lucy Byrne was asked to comment on the impact the year had on the commercial art market. Work from our current exhibition "Paul Shiers - Translucence and Saturation" can be seen in the background.
The feature was broadcast on BBC 1's North West Tonight program on Friday 12th March.
Volunteer Vacancy
We are currrently looking for a new volunteer to help with the day to day running of dot-art, (including talking to customers, answering the phone etc) as well as the organisation, curation and staffing of events and exhibitions, marketing activities, social media, writing blog articles etc.
We are a small but growing company and this will be a great opportunity for an enthusiastic and talented individual to both gain valuable experience in all areas of running and managing an arts organisation, and get involved with a vibrant, friendly and ambitious company.
Ideally you would be able to commit to working 12-6pm every Friday at the dot-art offices in Liverpool. This may be flexible and you may occasionally be asked to change this day, and / or work extra hours.
To apply, please send your CV and a few lines about yourself and why you would like to join the dot-art team, to info@dot-art.com.
dot-art Services Launch Party
On Thursday 18th March, artists are invited to attend a free event to celebrate the launch of dot-art Services CIC, a new social enterprise set up specifically to support North-West based visual artists through a range of services and activities designed to help them develop their careers and gain exposure and promotion for their work.
The launch party will take place at the St Mary's Complex in Bootle, home to a wide range of community arts organisations, including dot-art Services and several of it's partners, between 6-8pm on 18th March. Artists from around the region, at all stages of their careers, are encouraged to come along to find out about the help and support this new organisation can provide, have their own say about future projects and activities, while enjoying fabulous food, drink and live music.
To register for FREE tickets, please visit: dotartserviceslaunch.eventbrite.com
Art @ The Orchard - James Lavott, Launch Event
On Thursday 28th January, a selection of invited guests joined us to celebrate the launch of a new series of exhibitions in association with The Orchard Resturant, Blundell Street, Liverpool. The first show sees the work of self taught painter James Lavott on show over two floors. The ground floor hosts a selection of works from his “Bar Scenes” series while the lower ground floor is showcasing a variety of other work demonstrating James' diversity and talent, including surrealist works drawing inspiration from Dali, as well as his latest, portrait based works, inspired by a trip to Parga in North West Greece.
The Orchard is a contemporary British restaurant spread over two floors of an old spice mill on Blundell Street situated in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle. The venue prides itself on it's use of only locally sourced ingredients, and now extends this local commitment with the development of this exciting exhibition program.
Exhibition runs 29th January - 24th March 2010
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North West Women in Business Awards
On Friday 29th January at a black tie awards ceremony at Ribby Hall in Lancashire, Lucy Byrne, Director dot-art, was awarded the runner up trophy in the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category of the North West Women in Business Awards 2010.
The 3rd annual Women in Business Awards, organised by the Northwest Women’s Enterprise Forum and co-funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and private sector sponsors, was its biggest yet, with a record number of entries across all business sectors. The Awards celebrate the achievements of the women that are running some of the region’s most successful and innovative businesses in a challenging economic climate and inspire more women to consider enterprise as a career.
As they awarded her with a stunning, specially designed trophy and cheque for £1000, the judges praised the ethos and values of the company and it's founder, saying: "Lucy runs a business with admirable performance giving much-needed profile to young artists… and forging links between the Arts and Business communities."
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Art @ The Orchard - James Lavott
More about James and his work...
NEW - round wrap canvases
One of our best-selling photographers, Ken Lewis, has today launched a new presentation for his ever popular Liverpool Panoramas. The Round Wrap Canvases (shown above) are mounted on a 2.5 inch wooden frame, but unlike standard "box" canvases, they have a rounded edge, giving a very unusual and striking effect. The Liverpool Panorama is available at a size of 107 x 30cm for just £255. For more details, and to order either visit Ken's page (link below), or call 0845 0176660.
christmas inspiration & information
Christmas is creeping up fast, so if you are looking for unique, affordable gifts for all the family, why not use our search facility to browse work by over 100 artists. Filter by price or size, and even check out how your gift will look on the lucky recipient's wall!
Last order date for standard delivery of original works is Thursday 17th December, and for limited edition prints, Sunday 13th December. However, we will always try to help with any last minute gifts, either using special delivery or collection in person, so do give us a call on 0845 0176660 to see if we can help.
dot-art will be closed from Thursday 24th December to Sunday 3rd January inclusive - Happy Christmas!
speed art
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On Tuesday 17th November, dot-art in association with Paver Smith and G03 Partners, held the very first Speed Art event, at the Racquet Club, Liverpool city centre. Nine artists presented their work to a selected audience, who spent five minutes with each one. This excting new format allowed guests to gain a unique insight into the minds of some of the North West's leading artists.
The participating artists were Richard Pryke, Roy Munday, James Lavott, Susan Finch, Andrew Collin, Alan McKernan, John Jennings, Martin Jones and Jacqui Chapman.
williamson show for dot-art artist
We are very excited to announce that we have secured a solo show for artist Grahame Ashcroft at the Williamson Art Gallery, Birkenhead. Grahame's show, entitled "A Private View" will run from 14th November 2009. The photo above shows a sneak preview of us hanging the show earlier this week! For details of the Private View on Friday 13th November, click here.
eli pascall-willis magazine cover
dot-art artist Eli Pascall-Willis was chosen to have her work featured on the cover of the October issue of the Liverpool Lifestyle Magazine.
danny hampson exhibition
From 12th October until the end of December you can see a selection of work by talented digital artist Danny Hampson on show at Toff's Cafe, next door to dot-art in Queen Avenue, Liverpool.
new artist- ant-e-art
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exhibition calendar
You can now see at a glance all current and future dot-art exhibitions on our dedicated Google Calendar.The current month is always available to view on the gallery page, (scroll down to the bottom of the page) or view the whole calendar and add selected shows to your own calendars, here.
fundraising
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During September we raised over £600 for charity, by taking part in two very different events. On Sunday 20th September, we took part in the Liverpool Chamber 5K Challenge, raising over £200 for Nugent Care. On Sunday 27th September, we also took part in an abseil from the 50 metre Mersey Tunnel Vent building in Birkenhead, and not only survived to tell the tale, but team dot-art raised over £450 for Henshaws Society for the Blind!
bespoke wallpaper
dot-art can now offer bespoke wallpaper, both of our artists work and sourced to meet your specific requirements. The customer above approached us looking for an art deco style nude for a period bathroom. As you can see the resulting feature wall is simply stunning.
new artist- nicole renee
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recycled art sneak peek...
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Here are the first images of artist Dom Wilson creating a fantastic piece of sculpture from cans drunk at the Matthew Street festival! More details to come as the piece progresses...
dot-art supports henshaws
On Sunday 28th September, dot-art is hoping to raise lots of money for fantastic local charity Henshaw's Society for Blind People, as Lucy abseils down the 50 metre Mersey Tunnel Ventilation shaft in Birkenhead! We are looking for sponsors to help us donate as much as possible to this valuable cause, so please click the link below to visit our Just Giving page and pledge your support.
Find out more and sponsor Lucy.
new artist- susana casillas
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new featured artist- danny hampson
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Danny Hampson is dot-art's featured artist for this month. Danny says this of his work:
"My vision is to create work that is more than simply surface design, work with a fresh contemporary
style that also encapsulates a feeling of history and longevity. I want my designs to have the same effect
as the great music, art and literature of the past - to sit in the subconscious and resonate with the viewer
now and into the future."
"In a world where urban life and man-made structures continually collide with the organic shapes of nature,
my aim is to abstract and reconstruct these elements to create an eclectic montage of work that brings harmony
and balance into the contemporary environment."
pauline tiret magazine cover
dot-art artist Pauline Tiret was chosen to have her work featured on the cover of the August issue of the Liverpool Lifestyle Magazine.
green pieces - launch evening success
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On Monday 27th July, over 50 art lovers joined artist Sophie Green for the launch of her solo show at dot-art. The event was kindly hosted by Toff's Cafe where guests enjoyed a relaxed evening over a few glasses of wine, surrounded by a selection of work which was universally praised.
Read the Metro review of the show