Photographer & Visual Artist
The month of May arrives. It is a time of celebrations, of May Day parades and bank holidays.
What better place to celebrated than in the party capital of the north east, Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Whether in the city centre or down on the quayside the iconic symbol of the city itself, The Tyne Bridge is never too far out of view.
The concrete of the towers, the green of the steel infrastructure. It is a fantastic structure to see by day, but even better to take in at night when it is illuminated.
April is full of optimism. Lighter nights have arrived, the clocks have flicked into British Summer Time. What could be more British than a family day out at the beach during the Easter school holidays?
These brighly coloured changing huts are lined up just next to the promenade. It is like a family, two parents with their children gazing out to sea.
Through rain, through shine this family stays together. Strong and standing tall. Watching over all the other families on the beach, keeping them safe and happy.
March is a strange time of year. We cannot be confident that spring has arrived. The weather is changeable sunny one day, rain the next.
The dark nights still remain which can lead to some fantastic cloud formations in the early evenings.
This picture typifies what can be seen when people pause in their daily lives and take a look at what is happening all around them.
By presenting this image in a monochrome format, the eye is naturally drawn to the textures which would remain otherwise hidden in the backlit cloud formations.
The last ten minutes before the doors open on any exhibition always take an age to pass and the charity exhibition “Faces and Places” was no exception.
Early Arrivals
However, we need not have worried.
Shortly after the doors opened the gallery started to fill rapidly with the invited guests.
As you can see in the pictures the space was light and airey, and the room was filled with music provided by cellist, Andrew Erskine.
Friends, family, colleagues, associates, even a University Professor arrived in due course with smiles hitting their faces as soon as they recognised Keith’s work on display.
Everyone was keen to talk to the man himself and Keith was kept very busy throughout the evening.
Keith Making a Speech
After people had been given a chance to wander round and view the work on the display for a short time, Keith stepped up to make a speech. Amongst the welcomes and thanks, there was a poignant moment when Keith discussed the relevance, even today, of one of his personal favourites featuring two poppy flowers.
The speech, clearly heartfelt, reminded the audience of the purpose of the exhibition to introduce art into environments people would pass through for other reasons, as well as raising money for the Cancer Fund at North Tees Hospital, somewhere Keith has a very personal connection to.
Order Taking
Keith was touched and overwhelmed by the number of orders people were placing for his work on display. The levels of which surpassed all hopes and expectations.
For those who did not wish to order a full sized picture, exclusive sets of postcard prints were also available to buy in sets of eight.
A small amount of the postcards remain, so if you would like to support the Cancer Fund please do get in touch.
“Faces and Places” will continue to run in the Oakwood Suite at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre for the next three months.
Setting Up
As a visual artist and photographer, Keith endeavours to balance form and structure. He emphasises the spiritual importance of nature and the growing urgent concerns of conservation. Some works feature movement creating an abstraction in his pictures; these reveal his inner most feelings, thoughts at the time of the shutter exposure.
Keith’s work has been exhibited over three decades with great acclaim, recently in London and Newcastle Upon Tyne. His work has been featured in magazines including Elle, Passion, Virgin Atlantic and the BBC as well as Ministry of Sound appear on his previous client list.
The exhibition, “Places and Faces”, will feature portraiture, landscapes and the natural environment.
A VIP invitation only preview is to be held on Tuesday 9th December at 7:30pm:
The Oakwood Suite
Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre
Newton Aycliffe
Co Durham
A donation from the proceeds of the exhibition will be made to the Cancer Fund at the North Tees Hospital.