Resident Artist To Capture New Images Of Derbyshire
26 September 2012
Portrait of artist Bartholomew (Barley) Beal.
It will be an exciting challenge to immerse myself in the county, and learn the secrets and stories of a place that is new to me
”Bartholomew Beal
Barley's painting: 'From the Plum Coloured Lake'
Barley's Painting: 'Days Little Durable'
A graduate of one of the UK's finest art schools will spend a year in Derbyshire creating an entirely new collection of paintings inspired by the county and its people, which will then go on public display.
Bartholomew 'Barley' Beal, who graduated with First Class honours from London's Wimbledon College of Art, will work from a studio at the University of Derby's Banks Mill site in Derby during his residency, beginning in October. His work will take its inspiration from the county's Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, its people and landscapes.
The artist's residency will be funded by the University and Derbyshire Community Foundation's biennial Jonathan Vickers Fine Art Award (a bequest of late art lover Jonathan Vickers), which brings upcoming artists to the county to capture its images.
Once completed, Barley's paintings will be exhibited at The Devonshire Dome on the University's Buxton Campus, and at Derby Museum and Art Gallery, between July and October next year (2013).
Speaking about the project Barley said: "Each painting will be an honest response to the people and history of the area. It will be an exciting challenge to immerse myself in the county, and learn the secrets and stories of a place that is new to me."
During his year the artist will also teach at the University in the School of Art and Design, and help run educational art workshops for schools and communities, supported by funding from Rolls-Royce.
Jean Lammie, Co-ordinator of the Jonathan Vickers Fine Art Award, added: "This Award is one of the UK's leading art prizes.
"It was established in 1998 by Derbyshire Community Foundation, with the help of a legacy from the estate of the late Jonathan Vickers. In honour of Jonathan's lifetime devotion to the arts, the award brings a rising painter to Derbyshire to produce a new body of work inspired by the county's landscape, heritage and people."
Mark Suggitt, Director of the World Heritage Site, said: "We at the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site are delighted that it is the subject for this year's prize and look forward to working with Barley throughout this year and the next."
Invited representatives of those organisations involved with the art project - entitled A Sense of Place - will have a chance to meet Barley at an event at the University of Derby's Enterprise Centrein Bridge Street, Derby, at 6pm on Monday 1 October . Examples of his artwork will also be on display.
For more information on the Vickers Fine Art Award and examples of works by its previous recipients see website www.vickersartaward.co.uk
Media requiring more information about this press release should contact Press & PR Officer Sean Kirby on 01332 591891 or 07876 476103, or email s.kirby@derby.ac.uk
