Marc Godfrey-Murphy – charleshutchpress

November 18, 2025

MarcoLooks takes Kids TakeOver designs onto city streets for York Nutcracker Trail

A trio of York Nutcracker Trail 2025’s designs in preparation for street duty

YORK Nutcracker Trail returns for the festive season with the Kids Takeover theme for 2025.

From now until January 4 2026, you can embark on York BID’s city-wide trail to discover ten giant nutcrackers, each designed uniquely by children from across York and the surrounding area.

Each design has been brought to life with delicacy by York artist Marc Godfrey-Murphy, also known as MarcoLooks, who has hand-painted the children’s creations onto the full-size nutcracker sculptures.

Kids Takeover brings young people’s imagination to life after York BID (Business Improvement District) invited budding young artists to submit their dream nutcracker designs last year. From hundreds of colourful entries, ten were selected to be transformed into life-sized sculptures to brighten York’s historic streets.

Mark Godfrey-Murphy painting one of the Kids Takeover designs for the York Nutcracker Trail

Rachel Bean, project manager at York BID, says: “We wanted to do something truly special this year: to hand the creative reins over to York’s young people. We asked kids across York to let their imaginations run wild, and the designs we received were full of colour and fun. It was so hard to pick just ten!

“York Nutcracker Trail has become a real festive favourite in York, and I can’t wait to see lots of people with trail maps in their hands across the city again this year”

Marc says: “I remember when York BID first talked to me about working on this project with them. From the moment I found out about the concept, I immediately wanted to be involved.

“I used to be an animator for CBeebies, so I know how discerning children’s imaginations can be. Their ideas and minds are bold, brave and limitless. It’s been a joy spending time working with designs from their perspective.

The map for the York Nutracker Trail 2025 with the Kids Takeover theme

“Some of our young designers have used colour combinations I would never think of, but as an artist illustrator, it’s been wonderful to discover the joy in colour and pattern from their world view.”

York Nutcracker Trail maps are available to pick up from the Visit York Information Centre on Parliament Street to help you discover each nutcracker’s location and enjoy a fun, free festive adventure through the city.

Find all ten Nutcrackers and collect their names on your trail map to enter the prize draw for a £250 York Gift Card. That’s not all: by answering the bonus question, you could win an art hamper filled with MarcoLooks goodies.

Submit your completed trail map to the Visitor Information Centre or post it in Santa’s Post Box in York Museum Gardens to enter the prize draw.

York illustrator Marc Godfrey-Murphy

Marc Godfrey-Murphy/MarcoLooks: back story

GRADUATED from Character Animation course with Aardman Animation studios (the people behind Wallace & Gromit).

Worked as animator for CBeebies on Numberblocks and Tree Fu Tom. Now a freelance Illustrator and independent card and calendar publisher in York, he founded MarcoLooks in 2018.

His delightfully daft, quirky and colourful greetings cards and prints, coasters and mugs are stocked in many shops across the UK. From punning animal titles to illustrations of York landmarks and cheeky birthday card messages, “everything pops in bright and happy colour palettes”.

Marc has worked for Fenwick department stores, Oxfam, The Hole In Wand, York BID and Indie Makers and is the founder of the Draw As You May online drawing challenge. He also is a part-time animation tutor and mentor to newbie artists/makers who want to start making money from their creative practice.

You can find Marc across social media as @MarcoLooks. To find out more, visit www.marcolooks.com or go to Fabrication, on Stonegate, to discover his greetings cards and York illustrations.

June 23, 2021June 24, 2021

Westside Artists to gain Momentum in summer show at Blossom Street Gallery

Autonomous, *mixed-media collage on box canvas*, by Sharon McDonagh, long-listed for the 2021 Aesthetica Art Prize and now to be shown in the Momentum Summer Show at Blossom Street Gallery, York

YORK art group Westside Artists open their Momentum Summer Show at Blossom Street Gallery, by Micklegate Bar, York, on Friday (25/6/2021).

This coterie of artists from the Holgate and West area of York will be showing a varied range of disciplines, from painting and photomontage to textiles, ceramics and mixed-media art.

Among the participating artists, and a key organiser too, is Sharon McDonagh, from Holgate, who had her mixed-media work long-listed for this year’s Aesthetica Art Prize, whose accompanying exhibition is running at York Art Gallery. One of Sharon’s submitted pieces, Autonomous, is now featuring in the Momentum show.

Joining her at Blossom Street Gallery are: Adele Karmazyn, digital photomontages; Carolyn Coles, seascapes; Donna Maria Taylor, mixed media; Ealish Wilson, textiles; Fran Brammer, textiles; Jane Dignum, prints; Jill Tattersall, mixed media; Kate Akrill, Skullduggery ceramics, and Lucy McElroy, portraits.

So too are: Lucie Wake, from Facet Painting, paintings and portraits; Marc Godfrey-Murphy, alias MarcoLooks, illustrations; Mark Druery, pen and watercolour sketches; Michelle Hughes, prints; Rich Rhodes, ceramics; Robin Grover-Jaques, painting and metalwork, and Simon Palmour, photographs.

The Momentum Summer Show will be gaining momentum until September 26. Gallery opening hours are: Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 10am to 4pm; Covid-compliant measures are in place.

Untitled, ‘Dark and Light’ acrylic on canvas, by Robin Grover-Jacques

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020

Village Gallery to reopen with first group exhibition by York’s Westside Artists

VILLAGE Gallery, in Colliergate, York, will reopen on Wednesday (2/12/2020), when Lockdown 2 ends, to present the first collective exhibition for York’s Westside Artists.

Running until January 23 2021, Immersed will showcase the work of Adele Karmazyn; Carolyn Coles; Donna Maria Taylor; Ealish Wilson; Fran Brammer; Jane Dignum; Jill Tattersall; Lucy McElroy; Marc Godfrey-Murphy; Richard Rhodes; Robin Grover-Jacques and Sharon McDonagh.

“2020 has been an extremely hard year everyone, not least of all for artists, with many exhibitions and events being cancelled,” says gallery owner and curator Simon Main.

“So, Village Gallery is delighted to announce that its next post-lockdown exhibition will feature a group of local artists in their first collective showing.

“The ‘Westside Artists’ is a small group of artists based around Holgate in York, who work in varied disciplines, such as painting, photomontage, print making, collage textile art, pottery and mixed media, and in varied subjects, from landscapes and seascapes to portraiture and abstract.”

Village Gallery’s opening hours are 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday, with Covid-secure social distancing measures in place.

“This exhibition is opening in time for everyone to find a truly unique Christmas gift while supporting local artists,” says Simon.

“Aside from its regularly changing art exhibitions, Village Gallery is York’s official stockist of Lalique glass and crystal, and additionally sells art, jewellery, ceramics, glass and sculpture, much of it the work of local artists.”

August 15, 2020August 15, 2020

York Printmakers make their mark in online summer exhibition run by Pyramid Gallery

Jane Duke: One of more than 20 York Printmakers members on show online

YORK Printmakers are taking part in an online exhibition put together by Terry Brett for Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York.

More than 20 members of the association have submitted work for a show that will run until September 6, with more works being added daily.

On show at pyramidgallery.com are works by Carrie Lyall; Jane Dignum; Emily Harvey; Judith Pollock; Charlotte Willoughby-Paul; Lucie Ware; Michelle Hughes; Bridget Hunt; Chrissie Dell; Jane Duke; Sally Clarke and Jo Ruth.

Exhibiting too are Marc Godfrey-Murphy; Lyn Bailey; Lesley Shaw; Russell Hughes; Gill Douglas; Shaun Wyatt; Janice Simpson; Adi French; Greg Winrow; Sally Parkin and Patricia Ruddle.

“As a response to the Covid-19 social-distancing measures, Pyramid Gallery is open only to one person or group at a time,” says Terry, the gallery’s owner and curator.

“So, here is the show, for you, from the comfort of your sofa and laptop, or mobile device. Oh, how things have changed, and so much technology has been developed and embraced!”

Putting his salesman’s hat on, Terry says: “Here’s the thing…if you enjoy looking at pictures on a screen, do you need them on your wall? Of course you do!

“On the screen, you can only properly see one at a time. There’s no creative effort on your part, so you cannot feel part of the creative process that is art. When you position pictures on the wall, however, you’re engaging with the space – your space – and the artwork.

“You’re creating a new artwork from those two elements. You are the artist, just as much as the creator of the artwork you have purchased and the designer of the building. You are not merely a purchaser of someone else’s work, but are a fundamental part of the creative community that creates art.

Beach Huts, Mudeford, linocut print, by Marc Godrey-Murphy

“Artists need you. You give affirmation of their artistic endeavour. You inspire them to create more art. You enable them to be artists. The art is not complete until it has been chosen and arranged in its space.”

For this show, the gallery commission is reduced. “That means the artists can either sell at a lower price or receive a bigger payment for work sold,” says Terry. “The artists will deliver or send the items as they are sold.

“Pyramid Gallery will promote the artists via our newsletter, website and social media all through the rest of summer.”

Wind Whispers, collagraph print, by Sally Clarke

Terry adds: “Although we will not be displaying the work in the gallery, we would love to know how you display the work when you place it in your house. Please send us pictures and we’ll put those online as well.”

Founded in 2015, York Printmakers are a diverse group of printmakers with a passion for print and a shared love of meeting each month at The Knavesmire pub, in Albemarle Road.

Members use a variety of printmaking techniques, such as lino and wood cuts, collagraphs, screen printing and etching, to produce original limited-edition prints, covering a wide range of subject matter, with styles varying from illustrative to abstract.

In a closing message to art lovers, Terry, the Pyramid Gallery team and “all the wonderful artists in York” say: “We are all in this Corona thing together. Hopefully, art and creativity can help us all through.”