Hartlepool Art Gallery, Christ Church, Church Square, Hartlepool, 7.00pm to 9.00pm (doors open 6.40pm).
Note: this is not an afternoon meeting, as previously advised.
We are pleased to welcome club member Ted Parker to talk to us about The Art of Steam.
Ted always seemed to do well in art at school to the point where his art teacher recommended he go to Chesterfield College of Art, but unfortunately it was not to be! He did, however, take up photography in the mid-1960s and became a professional industrial/ scientific photographer for British Steel Research in Sheffield in 1969. Moving to Teesside in 1977 he worked at the strategic/process labs in Grangetown, developing his skills as a film-maker and video producer, until 1989 when he took a big gamble and went freelance to form his own production company ‘Action TV and Video Production’.
He returned to painting in the early 1970s doing both railway and marine art projects and, as a keen sailor, commissions of people’s sailing yachts and dinghies. His success led to him being invited to join the Guild of Railway artists and he exhibited one of his paintings in the very prestigious ‘ Rail Art’ exhibition at the National Railway Museum in York in 1980 after having a small exhibition of his own in 1979 at Darlington Railway Museum. Due to heavy commitments running his TV & video company, he gave up painting and his membership of the Guild for nearly 30 years until about 2010 when he met up with wildlife and railway artist, the late David Shepherd, who rejuvenated Ted’s interest. At this time he produced/wrote and published with an old friend from Sheffield the first of 3 Railway Photography Books, which were very successful.
He held his own one-man exhibition at Richmond Station Gallery in 2015 and earlier this year was once again accepted into the now much larger Guild of Railway Artists
Visitors are welcome at £5.00 per head. As this is our last meeting before Christmas, wine and snacks will be provided.
Don’t forget to check out our latest Blind Auction which is due to close the night of the club meeting…happy bidding people!
Please note: Covid measures are still not entirely lifted, so the Gallery has asked that we restrict numbers to 24 attendees. Please confirm beforehand with Liz Littlefair if you are attending.