Mersey Reporter - Merseybites News

ALTHOUGH Autumn is guaranteed to bring cooler temperatures, Southport will be welcoming a hot list of regional artistic talent to the Town as the ArtHouse in Eastbank Street flings open its doors for its much anticipated, annual Autumn Open exhibition.

Showcasing a truly diverse cross section of artistic talent, the Southport Contemporary Arts Autumn Open always champions the diversity and vitality of the local art scene in a cornucopia of both classically inspired and contemporary artworks.

Because the Autumn Exhibition is an:- 'Open' and is not restricted to entries only by Southport Contemporary Arts' members, it continually proves a valuable platform for local amateur and professional artists in the wider creative community to exhibit, together with SCA stalwarts, in a joint celebration of their craft and expertise.

For 2025 the theme is:- "Autumn Glow." Director of SCA, Norrie Beswick-Calvert explains:- "Autumn is often a season in which people take some time to reflect and recoup after a busy Summer, often leaving a physical and emotional feeling of residual glow. The natural world around us also changes and with that the colours deepen and often glow in the late season sunshine."

Echoing SCA’s mantra of:- "making art more accessible to all," there is always a wealth of skills on display as all of the featured artists are keen to show off their latest creations, guaranteeing a variety of artwork to appeal to even the most discerning visitor.

Liverpool born artist, Anthony Coulthurst, recently returned to the North West having lived in London for over 30 years following the completion of a Fine Art degree. Having previously enjoyed working across a variety of different media including printmaking, pastel, watercolour and acrylic, for the last few years Anthony has worked exclusively in collage: “The improvisational quality of collage makes it particularly suited to representing transient effects. The assembling then re-assembling of disparate items in tune with the ever changing environment."

His exhibited Collage:- "Autumn Light," exploits earlier sketches of a favourite childhood location: “The original drawings were done over a couple of weeks towards the end of 1985. I started work on the collage last year. I always begin by asking myself "What was the experience?" In late autumn the light changes rapidly, the leaves change colour from green to gold in a matter of days. I divided the picture into sections to show change. Each section could be separated by two minutes, an hour or even several days."

British born artist with over 20 years' experience in clay sculpting and painting, new SCA member, Suzanne Thompson from Birkdale is inspired by the natural colour palette of creation with work that is vibrant and joyful, expressing the movement and forward-thrust of life in its fullest form:- "By introducing abstract art rooted in life’s forward momentum, I aim to shift the emotional temperature of everyday spaces, making them not only more beautiful, but also more alive."

A former International business owner, Suzanne initially started painting portraits, landscapes and Biblical OK Testament themes in oils but recently has channelled her creative energy into the vibrant kaleidoscopic acrylic and mixed media artwork that will be on show.

Also from Birkdale, digital artist, Dave Sutton enjoys employing the latest technology to generate his mesmerizing abstract art. His innovative fractal images dynamically demonstrate his highly personal approach that integrates Science with Art:- "to gain a greater understanding of science and produce artwork that reflects nature’s beauty."

Dave explains: “The original concept came from investigations into the benefits of putting Art into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) to get STEAM. What was exciting for me was that in producing the art I could see science and nature at work. Although I use common Digital Design and Editing apps, I also use additional apps for Artificial Intelligence and Fractal Geometry and write computer code to create graphics."

The aesthetic simplicity of Dave's digital realisations, rendered using distinctive colour palettes, provides a mathematical beauty that is instantly appealing to both the digitally initiated and the creatively minded alike:- "I have found that combining Art and Science produces results far greater than the sum of the parts.”

Dave’s exhibited:- "Tree Of Life" is part of his on-going series of artworks:- "The aim with the Autumn image was to create the feeling of an autumn wind blowing the tree, which survives due to its deep and strong roots. Something of a metaphor."

Another recent new SCA member, Paul Booth, who usually works in oils and acrylics, has responded with his own idiosyncratic translation of this year’s theme. His wildly abstracted:- "Spiralling Out" series vividly encapsulate Autumnal colours and depict textures from the woodland and scrub woven through the former army base on:- Freshfield Dune Heath, in Formby,, a place he regularly returns to for inspiration.

Self taught artist, Jan Hatch from Maghull, has recently been gaining confidence exploring the medium of oils. Her featured atmospheric windmill painting is a personal experiment combining oil with cold wax:- "I haven't really got a particular style, I just enjoy the process as I’m working on my work and tend to just make things up as I go along. I enjoyed painting the windmill landscape and the creamy texture the oil and wax creates. The reds and misty feel remind me of Autumn, my favourite time of the year, when all the leaves change colour."

Only recently finding time to pursue her artistic leanings London born Henrietta Ackah-Joyce often had to give priority to the demands of her workload as a primary school teacher. Now retired, Rita has finally been able to step away from education and devote all her energies to following her passion: “My art has evolved over time into mixed media techniques incorporating fluid art, found items, prints, photography and recycled objects."

On display will be examples of Rita’s decorative collaged flower borders from her recent cycle of:- "Love Letters" conjured using Autumnal hues:- "This technique involves the use of a pouring medium mixed with acrylic paint. I chose the media and colours to create a glorious golden sky that I often witness over Ainsdale beach. The Coast Road is awash with a riot of colourful wild flowers swaying in the breeze. The acrylic paints react with each other when combined to make interesting and visually organic motifs. I used a combination of fluid art techniques and Collage because I was looking for a 3D effect. Firstly I created a background by pouring the golden mix onto the canvas to create a background. Secondly I poured a variety of acrylic paint horizontally. Thirdly, using another pouring technique, I created vertical lines to give the leaf effects. Lastly I added the wooden flowers. The amazing thing for me is the reveal when the painting is completed. Sometimes the finished result doesn't look quite like I envisioned, but that is all part of thrill of creating art."

Norrie concludes:- "We are hoping that visitors will feel the 'Glow' and be intrigued by their visit to the Gallery, and that the artists taking part will feel the positive impact of the creative connectivity, that is such an important part of what SCA sets out to achieve."

This year's Autumn Open - 'Autumn Glow' - will run from:- 30 September until 18th October 2025, at:- ArtHouse, 65 Eastbank Street, Southport, PR8 1EJ.

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