The Friends are back from having a summer break and the gallery opens 10 - 4pm Tuesday to Saturday and 12 - 4 Sundays, with a stunning exhibition by Martin Sloman and Karina Goodman.
Gone Surfing is the title of the exhibition and will also be helping to raise funds for the RNLI.
We caught up with one of the artists Martin Sloman to find out more about his inspirations.
Who
are you and what do you do?
I'm Martin Sloman and I am a professional watercolour tutor and owner of Cromford Studio and Gallery.
What’s
your background?
I loved art at
school and was always top or close to the top of the class. I didn’t paint
again until I had a dabble with oils in the mid 70s,there where some passable
results until my brother and I took up golf, that took up most of my spare time
until my wife Barbara's accident in 2000.
What themes do you pursue?
I don’t
particularly work to any theme I just see things that excite me and make me
want to paint them.
What’s
your favourite art work?
There are so
many but the scenes of Venice by Turner are something else.
Describe
a real-life situation that inspired you?
I was
commissioned to paint a picture of a little girls pony that she had
outgrown, the parents said
she was very upset the pony had got to go and wanted the painting as a
keepsake. I took dozens of photos of this beautiful pony, and I suppose because
it meant so much, I was inspired to make picture as memorable as I could.
What
jobs have you done other than being an artist?
I left school at 15 and went to work for an
opticians as a trainee optical technician. I eventually a small optical lab and
was taught how to dispense spectacles. After about 16 years I joined a manufacturing
opticians as manager this lasted until Jan 2013.During my years there I
travelled all over the uk including Northern Ireland to build up a customer
base. In latter years I helped to set up and manage two optical practices.
Do you find
the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?
Not really, I
like my own company at times and there are plenty of opportunities to meet up with other artists at shows and galleries etc.
What
do you dislike about your work?
I wish it had
a little more spontaneity about it.
What
do you like about your work?
I like that other people seem to
like it. I get a great buzz that my paintings are on walls in places like
America, Japan, Germany as well as the
UK.
What
research to you do?
I like to visit or see what I’m
painting, I take lots of Photographs and try to get a feel for the subject.
What
is your dream project?
It was to have my own
spacious studio with enough room to teach up to 10 people and fortunately for me that is about to happen with the opening of Cromford Studio and Gallery.
Name
three artists you’d like to be compared to.
I wish I could
be a fraction of the artist Turner was.
Professionally,
what’s your goal?
To work hard
and strive to improve, to take on more teaching which is so enjoyable and
rewarding and finally to produce work that people get pleasure from viewing and
hopefully purchasing.
Thank you Martin!
We hope you can come along and support this fantastic exhibition and help raise funds for the RNLI.
Meet and Make will be on Tuesdays from 10.30 am come along for coffee and arty chats more talking than making!
Meet and Make will be on Tuesdays from 10.30 am come along for coffee and arty chats more talking than making!
