From the North Sea to the Med

Saltaire Arts Trail 2016 - I started to notice Ian Burdall's work a few years ago when he was concentrating on photography and began to exhibit as part of the Arts Trail. He lives just round the corner from me so in fact he's practically a neighbour, though I rarely see him around. For the last few years he has moved away from taking photos (in fact he was telling me that he's even sold the medium format camera he used to use). He has been concentrating on oil painting, though still inspired by Yorkshire, especially the East Coast fishing towns and industrial areas. As well as hanging pictures on the walls inside his Open House, he had some paintings displayed in the front garden. With its gravel beds, it is reminiscent of a beach and made a fitting backdrop.

In the back garden, more Mediterranean in feel, with lots of colourful pots, there were some sculptures crafted from Yorkshire limestone by John Burks. They were solid, tactile and vaguely figurative, reminding me of Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Easter Island statues...