Come along to our Heritage Centre and immerse yourself into our new exhibition in the Inside Out Gallery
"As a Christian my faith always influences everything I do and, in my work, I try to reflect the beauty of the world that we have been given."
Our next exhibition at the Heritage Centre is by local artist and printmaker Marcia Ley, and will be available to view in the windows from our Courtyard between 3rd January - 3rd March. Marcia's work is bold and colourful using different materials, this exhibition showing her paintings on paper and silk and a selection of her prints.
Marcia Ley, the inspiration behind the art
“I have been making art for as long as I can remember.
I still have a scrapbook with collages from when I was five years old. Even then I clearly loved using colour and assembling materials and images. Not a great deal has changed. Whenever I go into my studio it always makes me smile. Painting and printmaking to me is time for myself in my own personal space; time to order the world.
As a Christian my faith always influences everything I do and, in my work, I try to reflect the beauty of the world that we have been given. I work in an almost entirely intuitive way, building and erasing and making lots of mistakes until, hopefully, I come through with something that feels entirely mine. Repeated themes have run through my practice for many years now. Landscape, birds, jugs, pots bowls, stones, boodie (fragments of pottery) things of no great financial value that become treasure for me.
I graduated in Painting at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design in 1980 and went on complete an M.A in Printmaking at Chelsea College of Art and Design. I’ve based myself in the Northeast of England since the early 80’s.
I have taught nationally and presented my research internationally. I have worked extensively on public art and participatory arts projects and served as a trustee for a number of Arts and Health Charities. I have over 40 years of printmaking and teaching experience. I was a Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at Sunderland University for 24 years and I am still involved in participatory art projects . I have previously run a print studio at Art Studio Sunderland. I now run my own home print studio Garden Press. I use this as a space to continue my artistic and teaching practice. It’s also a space to stay connected to the community and arts and health work that continues to be important to me."
Come along and take a look, we also have our café with a range of sweet and savoury treats for you to enjoy. If you would like to find out more go visit Marcia's website at: www.marcialey.com/marcias-projects
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