We are starting to get ready for the 2010 show

First meeting for the Oxton Artists will happen this week and there are alot of exciting decisions to be made and projects to get involved with.

Mr Peacock - Ken

We have lost a dear friend, Ken Peacock...one of the original Oxton Artists, gentleman and generous heart, such an interesting life.

Daniel James said of him "ken was such a kind hearted man. Some may not be aware that Ken was the youngest sergeant major in the royal marines. He trained Princess Anne and was in charge of guard duty on the royal yacht Brittania. His sketch books are some of the most detailed I’ve ever seen. He will leave a large hole in our group."

KEN ARTHUR PEACOCK
28-2-1935 to 18-5-2010

25/5/10 Tuesday
Landican CREMATORIUM 10.30
Special service to celebrate his life 11.30 at Maitland Church on Storeton Road.This the church Ken and Gail were very involved in.

If anyone wants to send a donation
Macmillan Cancer Support c/o Charles Stephens Funeral Directors tel: 0151 645 4396

Secret Gardens of Oxton

Desdemona, Judith and I will be at 7 Rose Mount in The Secret Shop.

Lisa Waldman and Theresia Cadwallader will selling their jewellery in the gardens and my sculpture Electra will be with my commissioned sculpture Eurydice in one of the gardens on Victoria Mount.

Weather report is sunny but cold so wrap up warm and come in side and see us in between visits to the garden.

Pat on the back for the artists

Many people who come to the show are not aware of the work that goes behind the scenes to make the Oxton Art Fair the success it is and has become. It is a group run show and it was worth specifying what everyone does. There hasn't been an opportunity to acknowledge this in detail earlier.

Eleanor Suggett has worked very hard both this year and last year,
designing and arranging the printing of the invitations, posters, flyers and bio plaques as well as doing the fantastic invite for the Oxton Society celebration. She also took wonderful minutes that even had pictures - a plus for a group of visual artists. Elley also worked very hard during The BIG DRAW in October.

Marie worked tirelessly on all the organisation for The Big Draw, did
the photo-shop work on Dan's image of the group to add herself and Lisa into the group photo and all the work on the Oxton Artist website. She also presented a pen and ink demonstration in the demonstration area

Patsy has QUIETLY bought the wine and dealt with the empties afterwards for several years. She arranged for the Deputy Mayor to visit as well as asking Karl at the Williamson to meet and greet the dignatories. Mr Patsy, Kevin was also a tireless promotor of our event on Facebook and is always available to help at the bar.Patsy also took down our archive display in the foyer.

Lisa made the name tags and produced the invaluable e-flyer for us all to invite our contacts with the help of her partner, David Dunlop. She promoted our event on her website and on Facebook.

Judith, inspite of being very busy with teaching and all the fairs she
does has taken minutes, organised the demonstrations, promoted our event on her website and on Facebook.

Theresia has done minutes, hosted a meeting, created the layout, and helped to liaise with the Williamson. She suggested The Singh Twins as our invited guests and contacted them about opening our event as well as arranging a meeting for us at her home prior to the event so they could see images of all the artists work. She also arranged (with Judith) for Henry Bird to play his blues on Sunday. She promoted our event Facebook. She also came and delivered food and Ibuprofen when I was sick last week before the show. Above and beyond the call of duty. She also demonstrated her skills in origami and came in specially to clean up after the Big Draw.

Des has hosted our meetings and our social in January, creating lovely food for us all, done demos at the Big Draw and the Oxton Art Fair. She sourced paper and equipment, she promoted our event on her website and on Facebook. She helped tidy up the Big Draw pictures at the end of our fair.

Janine came in to The Williamson and cut paper in readiness for The Big Draw and was a big draw at the Big Draw, she looked after all the wonderful pictures produced on the day so we could present them at our show, she has been an extra car available to call on to get supplies and certainly helped Eleanor with all her commitments to the group. She must also be remembered for bringing her delicious home cooking to meetings to feed the hungry artists.

Roger helped Dan with the group photo and was on the selection panel and hosted the selection panel meeting at his home as well as collecting work from the Williamson from the candidates. He also helped record The Big Draw and the Oxton Art Fair, even forgetting to take an image of his own display (anyone who has one please send it to Roger...)

Dan took care of the group photo and to what great results! He also gave a talk about the Secret Garden of the Williamson. Lots of people were discussing this all weekend.

Ken was not as capable of doing much this year but in previous years (even last year when he was ill) he has helped others with their display, created 2 A Boards. He was on the selection panel this year.

Eimear as a new person was continually offering to help and did do the distribution list, she helped with cutting paper and preparing for the Big Draw.She promoted our event on her own website.

Lynda has been our treasurer for several years.She has not wanted to be treasurer but has continued on and always giving us our receipts and paying bills on time.She also donated inks for The Big Draw.

Sherilyn was on the selection panel to choose the new artists for 2009 and her daughter Leanne has always been a helpful co-opted member of the bar team with Kevin and Sue.

Jayne bought the lovely bouquets of flowers for the Singh Twins.

Liz helped with the cafe and helped with photography for the Big Draw.She also arranged for her husband, Tim Glover to play at the opening. Tim was going play solo but arrived with a full band! She also helped keep the demo/workshop area neat and tidy. She helped take down all The Big Draw pictures.

Alan has done layout in previous years and has done alot of photography as well as posting photos on the internet and sending images to journalists at request. Sue, Mrs Alan has always been a ready hand at the bar for our Friday night openings.

Mark designed and worked on the Ox for the Oxton Society celebrations which was a feature of this year's show. The Ox has had an extended stay at the Williamson but will hopefully be travelling to St Saviour's church soon. We exhibit there at The Secret Gardens of Oxton in 2006 (I think)so that completes the circle.

Mark Emptage, although not exhibiting this year, attended meetings and helped the other artists who needed help setting up their exhibition, from unloading, moving furniture to hanging work on the wall and more.

All of the group distributed flyers and posters throughout Merseyside, people found the flyers in all the right places. It obviously worked with 1500 visiting.

Thanks also to Tom for transporting the Ox from it's stable of creation to the Williamson and for providing the hollow doors for the armature (internal structure).

Many many thanks to all who helped make the Oxton Art Fair 2009 a huge success

We are a group run show and the Oxton artists who contributed to the show made it a huge success by showing their lovely work and by helping with the arrangements, website and print and all the other jobs that are needed to bring it off.. In addition we all also had support from others for the bar at the opening, for looking after us at home and holding down the fort and allowing us to rant and moan.

We had loads of help from significant others, friends, parents, our kids, local businesses from the community including Green Eats, The Green Community Shop and Centre, Pete from the Deli, musicians namely Tim Glover with Rattlebus, Rebecca Joy Sharp and Henry Bird),Tom from Oxton House Clearances, Wirral Environmental Network, local press mainly Wirral Champion, Billy Butler and Matt Hurst, to the Singh Twins for opening the show and saying all the right things and to the Deputy Mayor and his Wife, Alan and Cath Jennings, and a special thanks to Karl, Colin, Pat, Graeme, Lindsay, Jim....from the Williamson - YOU WERE WONDERFUL and WE THANK YOU ALL!

Many thanks to all who came, saw and big thanks to those who bought±!

Please feel to add your thanks in the comments...in case I missed any

Thanks for my flowers and card..Very lovely! The flowers above are for you all!

It's over for another year

1500

people through the doors
including Steve Maddox, the chief executive of Wirral council
seen here with Alison Bailey Smith, Marie Mairs and Lisa Waldman and of course our happy friend, Stan the Ox

The line up for tomorrow

Mark Wayne Barrett

Judith Brown

Theresia Cadwallader

Alan Chape

Liz Glover Hadwin

Sherilyn Halligan

Daniel James

Eimear Kavangah

Marie Mairs

Desdemona McCannon

Chris Millichamp (not present)

Ken Peacock

Lynda Roberts

Roger Sinek

Alison Bailey Smith

Eleanor Suggett

Janine Suggett

Patsy Taylor

Felicity Jayne Turner

Lisa Waldman

Private view - by invitation only
Sat 10 to 5
Sun 10 to 4

http://www.oxtonartists.com

http://oxtonartfair.blogspot.com/

Ox called Stan Happy to be ready for the Oxton Art Fair

The 30th Anniversary of the Oxton Society falling on the Chinese Year of the Ox seemed the perfect opportunity for Oxton to acquire its' very own ox statue (Oxton is so named after the Old Norse name for the area when Oxen grazed) in a style similar to the popular Superlambananas that are now so synonymous with Liverpool.

Discussions between Kevin Donovan (Oxton Society), Louise Jones (creator), Mark Wayne Barrett (designer and Oxton Artist) and Alison Bailey Smith (Oxton Artist) looking at several ways to celebrate the anniversary concluded in the initial fun idea of an "Oxbanana" which was later adjusted in favour of a more straight forward ox with it's own uniquely stylised design.

While Mark worked on a design that would emphasise the youthful, happy, bounding ox he saw in the Oxton Society's own illustration, the name for the ox came in a different discussion between Mark and Kevin over a proposed cartoon strip for the Oxton Society Newsletter in which Kevin suggested a possible series of observations on village life from a character like "Ox Stan" ! Instead of the little old man Kevin was proposing Mark turned it immediately into " Ox Stan - the Happy Oxton Ox " and formulated the final look of the design he was after.

With help from Alison and technician Roy Lewis the three built the frame for Stan from two interior doors and wire mesh covered in papier mache and painted with further help from local children.

The plan ultimately is to strengthen the structure with fibre glass moulding and hopefully make Stan a more substantial showpiece for the village of Oxton in the future.

The Ox will be unveiled in the gallery on a special event at the Williamson (sorry, tickets only) and then available fopr the public on Sunday.

The Oxton Artists

The BIG DRAW 11th of October 11 til 4

We had some lovely news today, the cafe on Wellington Road after getting our poster for our event, let their customers do their own Big Draw and they had 40 little doodles on their wall. We will give them a second outing at the Oxton Art Fair.

Art in the community or what!

Demonstrations and music throughout the weekend 7th and 8th of Nov

Here is the final line up for demonstration area/ music in foyer
Saturday

10am to 3pm Music – Rebecca Joy Sharp –harp (times 10-3pm) in the foyer area.
2pm - Dan –powerpoint presentation about the garden at the Williamson,(20-30 minutes)
Marie – pen and ink drawing, ages 8+ for 30 minutes 2pm

Sunday
12.30 to 3pm Music – Henry Bird in the foyer area
11 am Theresia – Origami workshop for 30 minutes
12pm Des – Paper sculpture for 30 minutes

The BIG DRAW was a huge success

Thanks to Marie for organising, to all the Oxton Artists who came or contributed prior to the event and all the other artists and Jo and Nicola in the cafe and finally to the Williamson Staff who were very helpful and seemed to enjoy having a full and lively gallery!

Photographs by Alan Chape and Liz Hadwin Glover

We are partnered on the Liverpool Design Festival

For visitors from Liverpool to the Oxton Art Fair 7th and 8th of November

If you click on this post's heading it will take you to our listing with the Liverpool Design Festival programme,we are partnered with the Liverpool-wide festival, with various events around the city and us. If you are unsure of how to get to the Williamson Art Gallery from Liverpool, please look at my previous postings. There are several train stations within about 15 minutes walk of the gallery, Hamilton Square, Conway Park, Birkenhead Park or Central Station. With a bus station nearest to Conway Park, if you plan to take a bus that is probably the best station to get off at. There are also buses through the tunnel. For a pleasant walk, you take the train to Birkenhead Park and walk diagonally though Birkenhead Park and up Slatey Road. Or you could come by ferry to Woodside and get a bus or taxi. Best bet is to get in touch with MerseyTravel for a route that suits your needs!

Taxis from the train station would probably be about £4.

As well as visiting our show, you might care to walk into Oxton Village to visit the shops, pubs and cafes but don't forget we will have a lovely cafe offered by The Green Community Shop and Centre and Green Eats on Saturday and by Pete's deli with the The Green Community Shop on Sunday. We will have music from Rebecca Joy Sharp on the harp on Saturday and from Henry Bird on Sunday. We will also be offering a new service via Wirral Environmental Network who will wrap any of your purchases for you for a small fee in recycled eco wrapping.

Williamson Art Gallery and Museum

For Directions to the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum go to their webpage by clicking on the title of this post.

We are looking forward to drawing with you on the 11th of October from 11am till 4pm, Cafe available.

All welcome

Photos by ABS 09

Wee bit on pod-cast about our event

There is a little bit about our Big Draw event on the latest pod-cast,only small but worth a listen anyway to get tuned onto the scene

The Singh Twins

We are delighted to announce that the OXTON ART FAIR will be opened officially at the Private View by The Singh Twins.

The Singh Twins are highly respected contemporary British artists of international renowned. Their award winning paintings have been acknowledged as constituting a unique genre in British Art and for initiating a new movement in the revival of the Indian miniature tradition within modern art practice. They combine past and present, east and west in both style and content.

(produced with reference to http://www.singhtwins.co.uk/PROFILE.html)

An Ox for Oxton

A bit of cross-posting here between my blog and the Oxton Artists, but this a supplementary project by Oxton artist, Mark Wayne Barrett and myself and some others.
Click on the subject matter and it will take you to the blog.

3 of the Jewellers from the Oxton Artists sparkle at The Brindley

MJMAN, the Merseyside Jewellers and Metal Artists network have a sparkling showcase of work at The Brindley in Runcorn and will include the work of Oxton Artists, Lisa Waldman, Alison Bailey Smith and Judith Brown.

Exhibitions are FREE to all those who visit the Brindley. The Gallery opening times are: 10am - 5.30pm Mon to Fri. 10am - 3pm Sat. Closed Sun

The Brindley
High Street
Runcorn
Cheshire
WA7 1BG

Theresia's new work

Theresia has been busy making new work, come to see it at the 6th Annual Oxton Art FAir on the 7th and 8th of November in the Williamson Art Gallery on Saturday the 7th of November from 10 til 5pm and Sunday 11 until 4pm 8th of November. Demos, cafe, eco wrapping service available, music and poetry. Come for an hour or stay all day. 20 artists work to look at....

New Exhibitor to Oxton Artists - Liz Glover Hadwin

LIZ HADWIN-GLOVER – “Photography is something I have almost always done, have done with serious intent, and recently come back to. I take pictures of people and make traditional black and white prints. I like the print-making process –“drawing with light” – and the beauty and sensitivity of black and white photography. I like the way people show something on themselves to camera”