Leeds Fine Artists mark 150th anniversary with exhibition of art and sculpture at Blossom Street Gallery, York, until Oct 31

Pink Hair, by Sarah Sharpe, from the Leeds Fine Artists’ 150th Anniversary Exhibition at Blossom Street Gallery

LEEDS Fine Artists is celebrating its 150th anniversary with an exhibition at its regular York host, Blossom Street Gallery, Blossom Street, York.

“For this celebratory exhibition 26 members have come together with an inspirational collection of work demonstrating a wide range of styles and different media,” says gallery owner Kim Oldfield.

“It is very apparent from this collection that the relevance and talent of the group has in no way dimmed and that they will remain a vibrant force in creative circles for many more years to come.”

LFA artist Tim Pearce adds: “About the very same time that the French Impressionists were holding their first exhibition in the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris in the Spring of 1874, a group of Leeds artists were assembling their own show of work in a large public building in Park Row.

“Whereas Monet, Renoir, Degas and the rest ceased exhibiting together after 1886, Leeds Fine Artists continued to survive through two World Wars and on into the 21st century where the organisation still thrives to the present day.

Cherries, mixed media, by Roger Gardner

“As part of a series of exhibitions marking 150 years since Leeds Fine Artists’ inception, Blossom Street Gallery is displaying painting and sculpture by more than 20 of its 60 members who, these days, work from locations right across Yorkshire.”

Among the artists taking part are: Sharron Astbury-Petit; Dawn Broughton; Jane Burgess; Mark Butler; Pete Donnelly; Alison Flowers; Roger Gardner; Margarita Godgelf; Dan Harnett; Peter Heaton; Nicholas Jagger; Michael Curgenven; Catherine Morris; Martin Pearson; Clare Phelan; Trevor Pittaway; Neil Pittaway; Annie Robinson; Annie Roche; Sarah Sharpe and John Sherwood.

Sharron Astbury-Petit is a Yorkshire-born artist who works from her studio in Leeds. Favourite subjects in her paintings are nature, time and mortality/immortality. “Using a subtle layering of different media, my work pays homage to the seduction of the intangible,” she says.

Dawn Broughton, who lives in Tadcaster, has a First Class BA (Hons) in painting and an MA in fine art and has been an LFA member since last October. “I am a figurative artist who works in acrylic for paintings and pencil, pen and charcoal for my drawings,” she says. “My practice is perpetually evolving, as it constantly revisits ideas and themes that always stem from my own experiences and observations.”

Figurative painter Jane Burgess works in oils and watercolours and is particularly interested in the effects of light on the landscape. “When painting in oils, I often paint en plein air, completing a work in one session or creating a piece that I then finish in the studio. Watercolour appeals to me because of its immediacy of use and the luminosity of its colours.”

Allotment Shed With Maize, by Jane Burgess

Sculptor Mark Butler works mainly in cast bronze. “Although I use metal – a markedly permanent material – I harness chance to create imperfect and fractured pieces, mirroring the impermanence and vulnerability of the environment around me.”

Pete Donnelly’s sculpture is generally figurative and he tends to use traditional techniques such as ceramics. “However, I often use the face and expression as a tool to encourage an emotional response from the audience and prompt them to ask questions and form their own narrative and connection to the work,” he says.

Alison Flowers’ paintings are inspired by time spent in solitary natural spaces and the restorative effect that being away from it all has on her interior landscape. “Through colour, marks and combining different media, I work in the studio evoking memories and use photographs, sketches and mixed-media experiments as a springboard for paintings that emerge,” she says.

Roger Gardner usually paints in oil on canvas on a range of themes: chairs, shirts, picnic sets, plates, for example. “These themes continue for some while and may be reinvestigated later in a different format,” he says. His studio is in Wakefield, where a community of 30 artists and makers provides mutual support.

Margarita Godgelf explores contemporary existence and identity within social constructs, placing protagonists in fantastical or realistic spaces to form a world of ironic provocation and metaphor. “Sometimes this metaphor is flowers representing the spring that we all battle for,” she says. “Flowers blossom and we stretch, reach out, explore, dance and communicate.”

Alison Flowers: “Inspired by time spent in solitary natural spaces”

Dan Harnett’s photography is inspired by his time in the Merchant Navy and childhood on the Kent coast. “Ranging from abstract to still life, it explores human relationships with the sea, reflecting the differing perspectives of seafarers and landlubbers, conjuring images, stories and reflections from earlier voyages.”

Landscape often forms the subject matter of Peter Heaton’s work, along with a concern for “spirit of place”. “I am driven to create something that has resonance, feeling and meaning,” he says. “This can manifest itself in complex, layered images or simpler balanced harmonious compositions with internal spaces.”

Nicholas Jagger explores the Vanitas theme, one that considers the inevitability of death and the transience and vanity of earthly achievements and pleasures, exhorting the viewer to consider mortality and to repent.

“Most of my work witnesses the passing of time over a range of timescales, from the brief lives of leaves to the lifespan of sculpture ravaged and eroded by weather,” he says. “My subjects stand in their own light but are also metaphors for own brief lives.”

Michael Curgenven breaks away from his usual  artistic practice of abstract landscapes to focus on figurative pieces for this exhibition. “These are based on my love of drawing,” he says. “They are constructed in mixed media, including ink, pencil, oil pastel and watercolours.”

Mighty Oaks, by Sharron Astbury-Petit

Catherine Morris works in diverse media – oil, acrylic, collage – but the common denominator is layers, allowing colours underneath to peep through and produce unexpected results. “My subject matter is the Yorkshire moors, but not in a literal way, often using just the shapes and colours I see to produce something abstract,” she says.

Since the mid-1990s, Martin Pearson has been exploring a form of lyrical abstraction utilising personal motifs. “I use a variety of mark-making techniques to develop textures and patterns,” he says. “In more recent paintings, still-life elements appear, alongside their abstract counterparts. I hope my paintings are optimistic.”

Award-winning Holmfirth printmaker Clare Phelan is influenced by the post-industrial landscapes of northern England. “I work with mass-produced obsolete materials from the past,” she says. “Through etching and collagraph printmaking processes, these redundant artefacts are given a new life.”

Two of Trevor Pittaway’s favourite subjects are his native North Yorkshire and the “magical city” of Venice. “When travelling, I sketch using pencil, watercolour and an iPad,” he says. “In the studio, I then use these drawings for information. I paint in oil, acrylic and egg-tempera and also produce original etchings and digital prints.”

Wakefield-born printmaker, painter and draughtsman Neil Pittaway’s works reflect ideas from East and Western sources and perspectives such as Anglo-European heritage, transatlantic connections, Asian landscapes, gothic revival architecture, urbanness, satire, illustration and narrative.

Leeds Fine Artists’ 150th Anniversary Exhibition in situ at Blossom Street Gallery, York. Picture: Kim Oldfield

“My work incorporates and explores these identities through direct and indirect observation, creating complex and seemingly agoraphobic, perspective spaces,” says the Royal Academy graduate and New English Art Club, Royal Watercolour Society and Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers member.

Although Annie Robinson’s work is connected to the landscape, whether visited, studied or remembered, she “tends to work in an exploratory and instinctive way, drawn to the abstract qualities of paint itself and letting the paint evolve and speak for itself.”

After a long career in teaching, Annie Roche has time to explore her own creativity. “Colour is central to my work; it brings me a sense of joy and positivity. Still life, landscape and abstraction all cross over. Compositions are not literal; serendipity allows shapes to sometimes be recognisable but often obtuse, open to reinterpretation.”

Motherhood, angels, birds, woodland and the passing seasons are a constant theme of Malton artist Sarah Sharpe’s work. “Imagination, the land I tread, people and their stories underpin my work,” says this member of Leeds Fine Artists, Manchester Academy of Fine Arts and Society of Catholic Artists.

John Sherwood’s work develops freely over time. “The approach remains flexible and is open-ended in terms of outcome,” he says. “I have no firm preconceptions as to the purpose of what I do, other than perhaps that I see art as being a tool that interacts positively with my life.”

Leeds Fine Artists: the back story

The poster for Leeds Fine Artists’ 150th Annivesary Exhibition at Blossom Street Gallery

FOUNDED in 1874, the Leeds Fine Art Club, now called Leeds Fine Artists, soon became a major player in the intellectual and cultural life of Leeds.

Its meetings and annual exhibitions were popular among the middle-class professionals who had grown up to service the city’s expanding industrial base.

In the course of its 150-year history, the group has been associated with various artists of renown, some of whom have been social reformers, such as Ina Kitson Clark, the prominent campaigner for women’s rights, and Beatrice Kitson, the first woman to be Lord Mayor of Leeds.

The organisation’s members have always embraced a wide variety of subjects and styles. Eric Taylor was renowned for the paintings he produced when he was among the British troops that liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

While some artists evoked the Yorkshire landscape, such as Staithes Group member Owen Bowen, others travelled widely: Frank Dean, for example, painted scenes in North Africa, the Middle East and India.

Triform, by Tim Pearce, on show at Blossom Street Gallery

A blue plaque at Leeds City Art Gallery commemorates Robert Hawthorne Kitson, who, as a gay man, left Britain to live in Sicily, where his villa was much frequented by artistic friends, including Frank Brangwyn and Wilhelm von Gloeden, who was noted for his homoerotic photography.

Perhaps the most famous artist in the LFA ranks is Jacob Kramer, who was born in Ukraine but spent much of his working life in Leeds, becoming renowned for his depiction of Jewish life.

Today, members live throughout Yorkshire with some further afield, from Kent to Scotland, and the LFA continues to attract artists of the highest ability across a variety of media, from painting, drawing and printmaking to ceramics, sculpture and textiles.

To mark the 150th anniversary, LFA has produced a commemorative book, Leeds Fine Artists 1874-2024, featuring the work of 50 current members and an historical introduction to the origins of the group and its 20th century history. Published in hardback, copies are available at Blossom Street Gallery and at leedsfineartists.co.uk/yorkshire/ at £20.

Leeds Fine Artists, Celebrating 150 Years, Blossom Street Gallery, Blossom Street, York, on show until October 31. Opening hours: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10am to 4pm; Sundays, 10am to 3pm.

The cover for Leeds Fine Artists’ commemorative book to mark the 150th anniversary

Next month Julia Borodina makes a splash in Sky Arts’ Landscape Artist of the Year, but first she is exhibiting at gallery in York

Julia Borodina: Russian-born West Yorkshire artist exhibiting at Blossom Street Gallery . Sky competition awaits

WEST Yorkshire painter Julia Borodina will be competing in Sky Arts’ 2022 Landscape Artist of the Year, set for screening in January and February.

Perfect timing for her York exhibition, Into The Light, now on show at Blossom Street Gallery until the end of January.

“She’s managed not to let anything slip regarding the outcome,” says gallery owner Kim Oldfield. “I first met Julia when she exhibited here as part of the Leeds Fine Artists Group, and it’s very exciting that she’s now been selected for the Sky competition.”

Born in Tobolsk, Western Siberia, Russia, Julia graduated with distinctions in Fine Art from Omsk University, later completing a Masters in Painting in the UK in 2002.

Autumn, Woodland, acrylic on board, by Julia Borodina

“I usually work from my studio at the Creative Arts Hub in Mirfield, south of Leeds, or paint outdoors at various locations, depending on the season,” she says. “My main themes are landscapes and townscapes. 

“I greatly enjoy working outdoors as it gives me an opportunity to develop suitable compositions and experiment with light conditions.”

Julia is always searching for beauty. “I’m trying to capture a unique moment of life, which on its own is telling a story. I’m interested in painting ‘portraits’ of things and places,” she says.

“The whole experience of painting ‘en plein-air’ is an ideal working environment for me. I start from investigating the area on foot or on my bicycle, noting the places of interest and making quick sketches. 

Anglesey, acrylic, by Julia Borodina

“Next step will be to come back to the selected spots and to produce a number of preliminary studies and additional photos if needed. After that the collected material matures and expands in the studio.”

Julia has exhibited her work at the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, Society of Women Artists, Royal Society of Marine Artists and Society of Wildlife Artists at the Mall Galleries, London.

As well as being a member of Leeds Fine Artists Group, she has taken part in annual exhibitions in York and Holmfirth and at other British galleries and art fairs. Overseas, she shows work at the National Watercolour Exhibition in Russia.

Julia enjoys sharing her creative knowledge with students. “I have extensive teaching experience since graduating and have worked with all age groups, being especially excited to inspire my youngest pupils at primary-school level,” she says.

“I’m trying to capture a unique moment of life, which on its own is telling a story,” says Julia Borodina of her “portraits of things and places”

“We’ve produced some amazing artwork based on climate change, as well as international projects in Chengdu, China, funded by the British Council.

“I teach workshops for children on Saturdays at the Creative Arts Hub, Mirfield, and receive invitations to design and run unique art projects tailored to the needs of both primary and secondary schools.”

Julia also runs painting workshops, teaching short and long-term painting and drawing courses for adults.

From next month, the focus will fall on her Sky Landscape Artist of the Year endeavours after she was selected last summer for the seventh series. “I have very happy memories of the filming and invite you to watch it this winter, when it will be out on Sky Arts TV and Freeview in January and February,” says Julia, still staying tight-lipped on how she fared!

Julia Borodina: Into The Light, Blossom Street Gallery, York, running until January 31; gallery closed from December 25 to January 17. Opening hours before Christmas Day: 10am to 4pm; Christmas Eve, 10am to 3pm. From January 17: 10am to 5.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday; 10am to 4pm, Sundays.

The poster for Julia Borodina’s Into The Light exhibition at Blossom Street Gallery, York

Leeds Fine Artists relish chance to start exhibiting again at Blossom Street Gallery

Crucifixion, in tropical hardwood, by George Hainsworth, is the undoubted conversation piece of Leeds Fine Artists’ LFA In York exhibition at Blossom Street Gallery. The price? On application only.

BLOSSOM Street Gallery, York, welcomes 24 artists from Leeds Fine Artists in its reopening exhibition under Step 2 of lockdown relaxation.

LFA member and exhibition co-organiser Tim Pearce is delighted at the chance to show work on gallery walls and floors at last, and likewise for gallery visitors to experience art close up once more.

“With so many art galleries having been closed for so much of the past 12 months, and with exhibitions largely appearing as virtual online sets of reproductions, most of us have inevitably been starved of access to original works of art for what seems like an eternity,” he says.


The poster for Leeds Fine Artists’ LFA In York exhibition

“So, it is with genuine excitement that Blossom Street Gallery, next to Micklegate Bar, is exhibiting a splendid mixed collection of work by 24 of our members.

“Such was the success of our 2019 show that Kim Oldfield, the gallery owner, invited us back to launch the reopening as we emerge from lockdown.”

Representing one of Yorkshire’s longest established art groups, the 24 artists are showing a diverse range of subject matter and media: paintings, etchings, montages, woodcarving and ceramics now shown to best effect beneath the Blossom Street gallery’s newly installed lighting.

It’s Pop Art! It’s Pop Art!, by Roger Gardner

Taking part in LFA In York are: Sharron Astbury-Petit, mixed media on wood panel; Malcolm Barton, oil on board; Julia Borodina, acrylic paintings; Jane Burgess, oils; Terry Chipp, acrylics on canvas; Michael Curvgenven, ink, carbon pencil and oil pastels; Alison Flowers, mixed media, and Roger Gardner, mixed media and oil on panel.

So too are: George Hainsworth, tropical hardwood; Lucy Hainsworth, oils; Keith Harris, oils; Inger Huddleston, screened watercolour monoprints; Nicholas Jagger, collagraph and woodblock print; Miriam Laville, acrylic and collage on canvas; Mark Murphy, pencil on paper, and Tim Pearce, glazed ceramic stoneware.

Contributing works too are: Neil Pittaway, watercolours; Trevor Pittaway, acrylics; Annie Robinson, acrylics; Liz Salter, mixed media on paper; Geraldine Thompson, oils on wood; Catherine Warburton, gelli-printed cotton with hand and machine and gelli-printed acrylic with watercolour and pastel, and Emma Whitelock, watercolour, graphite and wax resist.

Ponton de Peche – Moonlit, acrylic on canvas, by Terry Chipp

LFA IN York runs until June 21; gallery opening hours are Friday to Monday, 10am to 4pm. Covid-secure, socially distanced measures are in place under Government guidance.

What is Leeds Fine Artists?

LEEDS Fine Artists (LFA) is an association drawn from across Yorkshire, not only Leeds. Founded in Leeds in 1874, it has more than 50 exhibiting members, working in 2D and 3D, and typically the LFA holds four shows a year, including the annual exhibition at the Crossley Gallery, Dean Clough, Halifax.

The website, at leedsfineartists.co.uk, provides extensive information and gallery pages on each artist’s work and wider activities. Applications to join LFA can be made via this website.

Artworks from the LFA In York exhibition at Blossom Street Gallery, York. At the front are two glazed ceramic stoneware forms by Tim Pearce