Art and artists

My name is Gladys Holding of Blooming Heather, Dearham, nr. Maryport, Cumbria.

I was trained in he traditional skills of drawing & painting & employ these skills using images, issues & themes in a contemporary text.  I work as a committed artist with my own studio.

I studied first at Hammersmith School of Building Art & Craft & later at Carlisle College of Art where I gained the N.D.D. in painting special after I taught chiefly in Secondary Education.  I later returned to Carlisle College to study an M.A. in Contempory Art, completing it in the year 2000. 

I have throughout worked mainly with oils usually on canvas, sizes around 90 X 120 cm.  When I took to using thicker paint I met with a problem as the paintings took over a year to dry.  This was not very practical, I now use acrylic, a water based medium & emply various palette knives & pieces of card as tools, only occasionally using brushes.  The sizes of canvasses are smaller averaging 50 X 65 cm.

I draw with pencils, charcoal or graphite sticks & the drawings are often used as a basis for paintings or developments on the computer.

I now live in Dearham, a few miles from Cockermouth but earlier I lived in Harbout House, on the Harbour Side in Maryport.  Many of my drawings & paintings owe much to this earlier experience.  I am also very interested in early photographs of Cumbria & much of my work is taken from this source.

I am a founder member of the Independent Cockermouth Artist group formed about two years ago.  I am also a member of Solway Arts & exhibit at various venues in Cumbria.

Words and pictures courtesy of Gladys Holding.