Southport Contemporary Arts Group exhibition:- 'Strands and Tangles'

LAUNCHED in 2009, the Southport Contemporary Arts network was originally established to embrace the fact that the Town is home to a wide spectrum of independent art practitioners working across various disciplines and techniques, including:- painters, ceramicists, textile artists, filmmakers, photographers, printmakers, sculptors, jewellers, musicians, poets and performance based artists.

After several years of pop up exhibitions and classes around the Region, Southport Contemporary Arts decided it was finally time to establish a more stable home for their escalating activities and moved into and refurbished the building in Eastbank Street, in which ArtHouse is now housed.

This completely self funded, voluntary organization continues to go from strength to strength under the guiding light of its 4 Passionate Artist / Directors:- Norrie Beswick Calvert, Anne Burman, Serah Stringer and Mervyn Thomas.

Norrie Beswick Calvert confirms:- "The success and longevity of ArtHouse is testament to the passion our community has for art and contemporary craft and we look forward to continuing to offer this opportunity for creatives of all ages and working in all artistic genres."

To launch the ArtHouse 2024 programme of events, the 4 directors have decided to reveal their personal enthusiasm for their own respective medium in an imaginative and engaging joint exhibition:- 'Strands and Tangles.'

Norrie explains:- "Our exhibition is not only a showcase of our individual creative practice and interests, but also a conversation between our preferred materials and techniques. The conversation that takes place within each of the processes and the joined up practice that results, is what has intrigued us as we come together for the 1st time in this way. Each of us has an interest in the 'found' and the environment, and this exhibition will see work reflecting that as well as giving us the opportunity to create co-joined pieces."

Born in Stirling, Norrie Beswick-Calvert can't remember a time when she was not actively involved in Art:- "From a very early age I have always drawn. My mother was always encouraging and at the point at which I had to choose Further Education options she new the value of the Creative Industries and helped me follow my passion for creativity into College and University. I have been incredibly lucky to have had a really fulfilling career in an area that I loved as well as be able to adjust my artistic working life once my children were born and I moved up North. Whilst I'm always drawing, my 1st love is textiles and I'm always experimenting with different techniques. If left to my own devises, I always seem to start mixing techniques together and enjoying the unexpected outcomes."

In particular, Norrie is constantly attracted to the potential within the dramatic coastline that she encounters on her repeated rambles by the sea:- "My influence is Nature based and within that, it's mainly the coastlines and their strand lines that can capture my attention for whole days at a time (as my family can testify!). I usually reignite my creative activity during and post a trip or walk somewhere and really enjoy the small details, contrasts of colour and textures. Working in a mix of media enables me to try and capture the essence, beauty and interest of the natural details I find and see."

1 of her exhibited stitched pieces, created last Summer, benefits from this direct contact with her subject:- "My new passion for free machine embroidery drawing was inspired from yet another walk along the shore in 1 of my favourite places, Anglesey. I love that I can be creative; not just doing, but seeing as well. It really can lift my spirits and enable me to enjoy so much more in my environment than I would otherwise."

The same passion for Nature can be seen in the distinctive pottery of Mervyn Thomas as it repeatedly provides the motivational springboard for his unique artisan creations.

"As the son of a gardener, and former student of agriculture, my interest in Nature has always influenced my ceramics."

Mostly self taught, Mervyn has been working with clay since he 1st studied pottery growing up in the Midlands:- "In the 1960's I was lucky enough to go to a Technical School in Birmingham where, aged 11, I 1st met up with clay. I found that I had an aptitude for making pots, and ended up studying Ceramics to A-level. I really enjoyed pottery which acted as a counter to the stresses of my other more academic subjects."

However, pains in the backs on his hands suggested that working with wet clay might not be a career option and for the next 35 years Mervyn went into farming.

Mervyn added:- "Throughout my working life, I still retained my love of and interest in ceramics. Occasionally I studied pottery at evening classes, but the sessions were few and far between. Nevertheless I maintained my enthusiasm primarily through reading 'Ceramic Review' magazine and by studying various books on ceramics."

When he retired, Mervyn quite naturally reconnected with clay and now fills his time making his own distinctive pots in-between managing and tutoring at the ClayWorks studio in Southport where he generously passes on his skills to newcomers.

Mervyn explains:- "The main influences on my pottery have been Nature and oriental art, particularly bronze, jade and the ceramics of China and Japan. Individuals who have influenced my making are:- Shoji Hamada, Lucie Rie, Takeshi Yasuda and latterly Colin Pearson and John Glick."

Preferring to work in white porcelain, Mervyn is drawn to the extra challenges, Mervyn told us:- "it has been likened to throwing with cream cheese!" - the difficult medium presents. My 1st love is throwing. Much of my work is based on the wheel. However, I love distorting and altering what I have thrown. I enjoy producing work, which is by turn delicate, brutal, experimental, surprising or quirky whilst always trying to develop and push the boundaries of my knowledge and skills."

Mervyn's investigative pursuits recently took him away from his wheel:- "In 2023 I took up printing. Initially my idea was to explore ways to print onto clay. However the more I learn, the more I discover that there are a myriad of different techniques that can be used. I'm still experimenting; watch this space."

Born in Paris, Anne Burman has been a resident in Southport for over 3 decades, dividing her time between her role as a self employed professional accountant and involvement with SCA, both as a Director and Practitioner. As an SCA co-founder with Norrie, although Anne admits to no formal arts training, her gregarious nature has seen her tackle everything from working with glass to ceramics:- "If I see something which interests me, I want to have a go, which is how I arrived at weaving. My maths science background gives me symmetry, perspective, pattern man-made or in Nature. But time is my enemy so I am trying to focus."

Textiles remains her passion, and Anne added:- "I particularly yarns from camel to silk, from bamboo to seaweed. Whether knitted, crochet or woven they all have their unique scent, feel and drape."

A frugal upbringing instilled core values that Anne still retains today. Anne said:- "I have a dislike of waste and like to see things being recycled and repurposed for a good reason not just because it can be done. So, if I am not happy with a piece, I will rip it out and restart regardless of how many hours it has taken me."

Always willing to expand her skill base, Anne is open to most challenges that present themselves:- "Peripatetic is the best way to describe me as I wander from crochet to weaving to knitting sometimes combining 1 form with another. I joined the local Weavers Dyers and Spinners Guild and became interested in natural dyeing and as a result I have grown my own plants for dyeing. I also met local weavers who helped me start my experiments with a variety of different looms."

Always alert to the design potential within her surroundings, Anne casts her net wide when seeking stimulus for her work:- "I can be inspired by anything whether I can translate that into a piece of work or not; the colours, the shape and pattern of brick work, paving stones, mosaics, piles of leaves. Almost anything."

100 new homes in Southport have been sold and as the transformation of the former factory site continues buyers are being offered a deposit boost.

Elan Homes began work to transform the 14 acre site of the former Philips Electronics factory, on:- Balmoral Drive, in late 2020.

The 1st properties at the development, known as:- Balmoral Gardens, were released for sale in early 2021.

Since then, it's become a vibrant new community attracting mainly local buyers from Churchtown and the surrounding areas.

To celebrate the success of Balmoral Gardens, Elan has introduced a deposit boost scheme, available on selected new homes and potentially worth £17,500.