'LIVERPOOL WITH A LINE & A TWIST'
It can't have escaped the attention of residents of and visitors to Liverpool that the city centre is undergoing a considerable amount of redevelopment with seemingly everyone wanting a piece of the action as Capital of Culture 2008 gets closer. The construction boom sees ever more new build properties for either retail or residential use. The future for the city centre looks bright but yet many Liverpool people feel that too few Liverpudlians are being given a proper chance to benefit from the opportunities created by the increasing levels of investment in Liverpool. Amongst these are local artists who feel they are not given sufficient opportunities and support to showcase their work to the property developers, architects and interior & exterior designers who are shaping the way many city centre shops, homes and businesses will look. The Scottie Press believes that greater encouragement should be given to property developers etc to view local artists work as there is a risk that art work to adorn the inside and outside of the new build properties could be bought from outside of Liverpool and indeed outside the UK.
Artist, Anthony Brown and Photographer, Jim Connolly (see photo above) are staging a two-man exhibition of their work at the View Two Gallery, Matthew Street, Liverpool city centre. The Scottie Press called at the opening night on Wednesday 16th November and we picture below examples of the paintings and photographs that can be viewed at the exhibition (Liverpool With A Line & A Twist), which runs until Friday 23rd December.
You can also view Anthony Brown's on-line portfolio on www.emso.co.uk
The Scottie Press has featured the artwork of Anthony Brown and other local artists on the website for quite some time.
We always welcome hearing from local artists who may be having an exhibition we can promote or who may have a portfolio of their work, which we can feature. We also welcome news from Art Galleries regarding any exhibitions of local artists work they are showing. Contact ronformby@scottiepress.org
‘100 HEADS THINKING AS ONE’
Internationally renowned artist Anthony Brown is currently dividing his time between his many commissions and what will prove to be his grandest work to date., a touring exhibition of a collection of portraits of the most vibrant individuals on Merseyside. The exhibition will be entitled ‘100 Heads Thinking As One’. The portraits will be a multi-layered process of news print (mainly Liverpool’s own Liverpool Daily Post and the Liverpool Echo), magazine, book, written word & pictures and photograph, all becoming medium alongside traditional oil and acrylic paints and technique which build a uniquely personal portrait of the sitter – a ‘diary’ of their life and image. Subjects will include, Thespians, Lawyers, Architects, Editors, Musicians, Secretaries, Hoteliers, Doctors, Journalists, Surveyors, Writers, Directors, Religious and Business Leaders and wonderfully inspirational people.
Anthony was recently honoured with an invitation to exhibit his work at the prestigious Artists Club in Eberle Street, Liverpool 2 on Wednesday 7th September. The Club, which was founded 128 years ago, has been tremendous in its support for not only Anthony’s work, but also generations of artists whose talents and vision have received far wider recognition as a result of them exhibiting the Artist’s work. Anthony is pictured above (end right) when photographed at the Artists Club (7th September) with (L-R) Kim Zadow, David Ramsey and Colin Brennand (Club President).
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RECOGNISING LOCAL ARTIST
Dear Scottie Press, On Thursday 7th July 2005 at the Radisson Hotel (Old Hall Street) I had the privilege to be at the viewing of an exhibition staged by one of our great local artists, Anthony Brown. I was introduced to Tony several years ago and on that first meeting I could see that Tony had something more than a great artistic talent. He has an empathy with the world.
His paintings are diverse from the rainbow colours of his famous ‘doodle’ skylines to his perfect portraits. It was a proud moment for Liverpool to hear the well-earned praise and recognition of those who had come from far and wide to his exhibition. It is just a pity that in Liverpool, the City of Culture, there does not seem to be any galleries for local artists to show the full range of their work. Once again Liverpool loses out to the cities that nurture these local artists such as Manchester and London, and equally so know a great artist when they see one. Tony’s next exhibition is in London at the famous Café Royal.
I was very pleased to meet up with some old neighbours from the Scotland Road area. Photographed are Annie and Chris Brennan, both from St Sylvester’s Parish, together with Pat (nee Brennan) and Joey Stephens. Pat used to live in Wright Street.
I was also delighted to see that David Charters from the Daily Post had been captured on canvas by Tony Brown. David does excellent work for the Daily Post and has been a great supporter for the campaign to give St Mary of the Angels Church a viable and sustainable future.
I wish Anthony Brown all the success he truly deserves and hope that very soon Liverpool will get its artistic act together.
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Anthony Brown
Da Vinci 2005
An Exhibition Of Recent Paintings & Mixed Media Work
Artist Anthon Brown was born in Liverpool on New Year's Day 1961. He is an artist, designer, illustrator, musician and composer. Emso Creative Arts & Design was formed by Anthony and Lorraine Brown in August 1998.
His work is on display from Liverpool to New York (his clients include Bloomingdales of New York and The Beetham Organisation and a great many private commissions)
He works from a studio on Duke Street in Liverpool's city centre and his studio is an informal, ever changing gallery.
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On Friday 1st April an exhibition of Anthony's work was launched at Colin's Bridewell, Campbell Square (off Duke Street), Liverpool 1. The exhibition will run until Friday 22nd April. For details email info@colinsbridewell.co.uk or visit www.colinsbridewell.co.uk
Anthony Brown is pictured with Colin McKeown in front of a painting of Colin featured at the exhibition.
Anthony is also photographed being interviewed by Phil Key (Arts Diary - Liverpool Daily Post). Phil's article 'Man for all seasons shows off his talent' - highlighted that Anthony is "one of the region's acclaimed painters and that the exhibition shows his versatility".
You can also view Anthony Brown's paintings by visiting www.emso.co.uk We are pleased to be able to introduce the exhibition with a few words from the artist.
"Our children reinforce my belief in simplicity, an honestly made point. Quite often we find through the vision of children that which we strive so hard to find in our self-righteousness determination, has been left behind on the table, the original scrap of paper, that impulsive scribble of an idea, is the very thing we need.
Instinct, spirit, intuition, karma, inspiration, daydream or sheer bloody-mindedness - any of these would suffice to describe the act of producing the collection of work that makes up this exhibition, 'Da Vinci'.
Why 'Da Vinci'? This is the title of the first piece of work produced for my 2005 exhibitions and it marks a subtle change in my work, a bridge for my love of the traditional and an urge to constantly experiment.
I derive a lot of my inspiration from an everyday life, photograph, reflection, light and shade, real and imagined, with colour always the anchor - keeping one foot in the past, one in the present and my good eye on the future! Work is often produced, framed and exhibited in my mind, long before it reaches the canvas or paper. If indeed it ever does! Some of my best work doesn't exist, yet! One thought may produce a whole body of work in a quest to achieve that original spark and by contrast, some paintings evolve from the air in what I term 'a happy accident' - a piece of work that may achieve all I could want from a single seamless flow - this never happens often enough though.
Buried somewhere amongst this on-going chaotic jumble (rather like the studio) are the reasons why I became a painter, they stretch all the way back to my childhood shoes - I try not to dwell on it too much, it is what it is......"
Local artist Tony Brown in his Liverpool studio.
Liverpool Artist, Tony Brown is pictured (17th June 2003) at his new studio in Atkinson House, Duke Street, Liverpool 1. Tony's new studio is situated in what is becoming a vibrant urban development area with new restaurants and apartments built and being built.
Tony is hoping to have an open night at his new studio in the near future at which he will display selections of his art and graphic design work. We feature Tony's design work for special invitation cards for the Scotland Road 2003 Reunion Day. It is hoped that Tony's illustration of Scotland Road as featured on the invitation cards can be incorporated into a special Flower Bed commemorating Scotland Road 2003 (1803-2003) which will be sited on the Rotunda Traffic Island Junction (Scotland Road/Stanley Road).
Our thanks go to Tony for all his help and support for efforts to acknowledge Scotland Road's rich history, heritage and culture.
Tony can now be contacted by
telephoning 0151 707 2448 or
by emailing
info@emso.co.uk
Scottie Press Revisits Local Artist
The Scottie Press recently revisited 'Emso Studio' to enable the paper to catch up on aspects of local artist Tony and Lorraine Browns' plans for the second stage of their art exhibition 'From Scotland Road to Here'. The first stage of this exhibition was presented at the Liverpool Academy of Art in September 2000.
Water Tap
We picture a pencil drawing of the Old Water Tap in Byrom Street, which was installed in 1857. The drawing actually pictures the water tap as it is today, and it was this that first instilled the idea within Tony and Lorraine to set out on trying (through art) to bring old Scotland Road to life. Their hope being that the exhibition could encourage people to preserve what's left of Scotland Road. Visitor feed back from the first exhibition was very positive and this has encouraged Tony and Lorraine to present another exhibition.
It is now more likely that this exhibition will be staged in 2003 as this is a landmark year in the history of Scotland Road for it was in 1803 that the road was widened from an old turnpike road. This road widening was to earmark the road for increased use and development and subsequently over the next 200 years to become the world famous road it is.
Tony Brown with Mike Kelly
Requests for prints for purchase saw Mike Kelly buying a framed print of the pencil drawing of the Old Water Tap in Byrom Street.
NEWSHAM PUB - the 'HOLY HOUSE'
BEFORE
AFTER
We are grateful to artist, Tony Brown, who has kindly provided the Scottie Press with his computer enhanced impression of how the Newsham Pub, on Scotland Road, could be adapted to use as a Heritage Centre/Tea Rooms.
Readers will note that the digital enhancement was produced with the aid of Adobe Photo Shop software - and has re-created a futuristic impression based on the smaller old photo of the Newsham Pub circa 1932.
We also thank Tony for enabling the Scottie Press to feature a picture painted by Tony for his recent exhibition 'from SCOTLAND ROAD to here'. The painting depicts the Newsham Pub in September 2000. Readers will note that at this time this famous pub dating back to 18th Century and known world-wide as the 'Holy House' was open and in use for past and present residents of Scottie Road.
Sadly our final photo shows the Holy House pictured in February 2001. Sadly the Holy House has joined the continuing list of pubs closing down and going from the landscape of Scottie Road.
If you would like to find our more about the artist, Tony Brown, and/or his exhibition work hopefully bringing old Scottie Road back to life you can contact Tony on Email:emso.arts@virgin.net.
You can find out more about the Newsham (Holy House) Pub in Terry Cooke's book 'The Pubs on Scottie Road' - featured on our BOOKS ON THE WEB.
Newsham Pub 350/352 Scotland Road
The nickname of 'Holy House' given to the Newsham Pub has several possible explanations.
Author, Freddy O'Connor, offers up some explanations in his soon to be published book which features the Pubs past and present of Scotland Road.
The nickname of this pub is seemingly due to its close proximity to St Anthony's Church.
Another explanation is that a former manager would not allow bad language to be used in the pub.
My personal explanation is that the nickname derives from the pubs structure, as the old photograph shows, the upstairs windows strongly resembling church windows, more conventional in he modern view. I thought with the style of the older windows, the pub may have had some connection with the church, but after talking to Parish Priest, Father Tom Williams, it seems to have no connection.
In 1908 the manager of the pub was Lancelot Crookdale, a rather upper crust name to manage a pub in Scotland Road of those days"
Scotland Road - Yet More Demolition...
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