Artist Paul Brings The Country to The City
6 August 2008
Graduate Paul Hirst with his landscapes inspired by Peak District.
It has been a tremendous help, encouragement and confidence boost to have such wonderful support from the University of Derby
Artist Paul Hirst.
A Derby Fine Art graduate given a big artistic break by a fellow course member is returning the favour by encouraging other budding students.
Paul Hirst (36) from Derbyshire completed his Fine Art degree course at the University of Derby this summer and received a First.
His career is being helped by fellow Fine Art student Carol Harries-Wood, who is currently on the second year of the course. She has opened her gallery – the PrideArtGallery in Brunel Parkway, PridePark www.prideartgallery.com – to an exhibition of Paul’s landscape paintings, until Saturday 23 August. The focus of Paul’s work is the rural landscapes of the nearby Peak District. The University connections don’t stop there – also included in the exhibition are a selection of unusual copper sculptural pieces created by art technician Roger Davies.
Paul said “It has been a tremendous help, encouragement and confidence boost to have such wonderful support from the University of Derby, fellow students and the team at PrideArtGallery who have all aided me in my first tentative steps as a professional artist.”
In turn, Paul has created a montage of more than 60 of his landscape studies to adorn the boardroom walls of the University’s Markeaton Street site (where Fine Art is based) to inspire prospective visiting students. Not only will the art work showcase and celebrate the talents of Paul, it will act as a focus for prospective students and what they could go on to achieve by studying Fine Art at the University.
Huw Davies, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Design and Technology commented “We were really struck by a series of landscape studies that Paul had produced as part of his degree show. These fantastic atmospheric portrayals of rural Derbyshire provide a dramatic contrast with the modern architectural lines of our new Markeaton Street building. Apart from being a permanent celebration of Paul’s considerable talents they will hopefully inspire future students and the many visitors that we have.”
From September 2008 to September 2009, Paul will be creating a new body of work through the Erewash Fine Arts residency at Harrington Mill, Long Eaton. This has been supported by a material grant from the University of Derby. Keep up to date with Paul’s work by logging on to his blog paulhirst.blogspot.com or website www.paulhirstart.co.uk
ends-
For further media information please contact Alumni Relations Officer Laura Ratcliffe on 01332 591368 or email: l.ratcliffe@derby.ac.uk
For media information please contact the University’s Press Office Administration Assistant Anne Wake on 01332 591187, Press and PR Officer Sean Kirby on 01332 591891 or 07876 476103, Press and PR Officer Annabel Caulton on 01332 593004 or 07748 920023; Deputy Head of Press and PR, Simon Redfern on 01332 591942 or 07748 920038, or Head of Press and PR Peter Gallimore on 01332 591041.
If the story relates to a Graduate story, you can also contact Laura Ratcliffe, Alumni Relations Officer, on telephone: 01332 591368, or email: l.ratcliffe@derby.ac.uk