It is always something quite special when a family comes together for an exhibition. Father and daughter, John Parks and Kathryn Ashcroft have teamed up to offer us a truly multi-media exhibition, and look out for a beautiful painting by eight year old Lily, the youngest exhibitor we’ve ever had! Kathryn’s little mice are a must-see for anyone who loves all things adorable, and if you want to see how varied the world of painting is, then you need look no further than John Parks. This is not the first experience they have of exhibiting. Both have shown their works at the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull, Bridlington Spar and even taken part in a touring exhibition for the BBC.
John loves to experiment. He has works of art with an abstract and a realistic style. He has used wool, he has painted stones, he has sketched, used watercolours and mounted on pieces of shed, something he quite aptly called Shed Art. Mounted upon seven pieces of shed are what look like painted ceramic, but it is actually cleverly disguised MDF displaying beautiful images. A more recent edition to his Shed Art collection is wirework on a piece of corrugated roofing. John has painted animals, flowers and landscapes, but his true love lies with architecture. He is often commissioned to paint people’s house in extraordinary detail, but for his personal work he prefers old buildings with interesting features. A beautiful window above a door, a crack in the wall, a smashed window pane, anything that adds character. Recently he has taken to layering the paper to achieve a 3D picture, a quite effective technique.
Given the intricacy of the little sculptures created by Kathryn Ashcroft, it is very surprising to learn that she only began making them a year ago. They are made from almost entirely recycled materials too! Any scrap of material, or spare button or piece of driftwood goes into crafting her next cute creation. What began as presents for family and friends, became a small business, such was the popularity of the mice. Each mouse comes with its own little box to stand in, decorated inside and with little accessories added in here and there. Look out for the ‘Space Mouse’! For her exhibition she will be putting together something special too! A mouse house, with a mouse hole on one side, and on the other her little mice in their homes. Some of her mice will be for sale whereas others, such as the ‘Amy Johnson Mouse’, can be commissioned.
Both artists are selling their works. Kathryn is also selling cards featuring her mice, and John has kindly said that all profits from the sale of his picture stones can go to Hedon Museum – snap them up before they disappear! This one promises to be something special so don’t miss it!
Exhibition runs Wednesday 28th June – Saturday 29th July. Opening times are every Wednesday and Saturday 10am – 4pm. FREE ADMISSION. Tea, coffee and biscuits are available. Pre-loved and local interest books for sale.
