Margaret Bird is our Artist of The Month for May 2022 at the Alford Arts Gallery. The Gallery is open 10am - 4pm most days.
Artists Statement
Margaret Bird
Many years ago, while training to be teacher and studying geography I discovered a love
of the landscape, how it evolved and how humans have impacted on it. I loved teaching
art to seven year olds, how to mix colours and how to look and more importantly, how to
see. Children are not afraid to throw paint at the paper and just paint freely with no fear of
getting it wrong. When I left teaching I had two goals in mind. One was to learn how to
paint like a grown up and the other was to research my family tree.
I started painting in water colours and this led on to acrylics. My style at this time being
representational and impressionistic, while striving to become more abstract. Now I am
learning oil and cold wax techniques which is leading to a more abstract approach.
Researching my ancestry reignited my interest in local history and led to a course at
Oxford University, The two interests combine into a deep connection with the landscape
here in my native Lincolnshire, in the Derbyshire Peak District where I have spent many
happy hours, Northumberland and Durham where I went to college, and indeed anywhere
and everywhere I go. The millstone edges of Derbyshire, where discarded millstones litter
the landscape are, for me, alive with history. I swear if you listen hard enough you can
hear the workers chipping away at the millstones with their tools. The deserts and
canyons of the western USA are another particular area of inspiration. The red rocks walls
with drawings made by ancient pre Navajo civilisations, combined with the sheer
vastness of the landscape is awe inspiring.
My aim is to represent the landscape, my feeling of the place, its layers of history, human
and geological. Now I have come full circle, and am learning how to paint like a child,
freely and with no fear!
Artists Statement
Margaret Bird
Many years ago, while training to be teacher and studying geography I discovered a love
of the landscape, how it evolved and how humans have impacted on it. I loved teaching
art to seven year olds, how to mix colours and how to look and more importantly, how to
see. Children are not afraid to throw paint at the paper and just paint freely with no fear of
getting it wrong. When I left teaching I had two goals in mind. One was to learn how to
paint like a grown up and the other was to research my family tree.
I started painting in water colours and this led on to acrylics. My style at this time being
representational and impressionistic, while striving to become more abstract. Now I am
learning oil and cold wax techniques which is leading to a more abstract approach.
Researching my ancestry reignited my interest in local history and led to a course at
Oxford University, The two interests combine into a deep connection with the landscape
here in my native Lincolnshire, in the Derbyshire Peak District where I have spent many
happy hours, Northumberland and Durham where I went to college, and indeed anywhere
and everywhere I go. The millstone edges of Derbyshire, where discarded millstones litter
the landscape are, for me, alive with history. I swear if you listen hard enough you can
hear the workers chipping away at the millstones with their tools. The deserts and
canyons of the western USA are another particular area of inspiration. The red rocks walls
with drawings made by ancient pre Navajo civilisations, combined with the sheer
vastness of the landscape is awe inspiring.
My aim is to represent the landscape, my feeling of the place, its layers of history, human
and geological. Now I have come full circle, and am learning how to paint like a child,
freely and with no fear!
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Happy students at the end of Tony Player's class at the Alford Arts Gallery. An excellent tutor Tony gives each student personal attention during the class and even brings in homemade cake! Check out future classes here.
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Open 10am til 4pm Mondays to Saturdays inclusive at the Alford Arts Gallery, 14a Market Place, Alford, Lincs. LN13 9EB. Paintings, sculptures and ceramics available for sale. Art classes (see below) at the Alford Arts Gallery are available to book by clicking this link.
Amazing! Fabulous space! What a Joy to visit! Fantastic addition to Alford!
These are a sample of the comments left in the Visitors Book at the opening of Alford's new Art Gallerty, Alford Arts.
A welcome addition to Alford Craft Market's activities, this beautiful and airy space is a great venue to show off works of art made by artists from all parts of Lincolnshire.
These are a sample of the comments left in the Visitors Book at the opening of Alford's new Art Gallerty, Alford Arts.
A welcome addition to Alford Craft Market's activities, this beautiful and airy space is a great venue to show off works of art made by artists from all parts of Lincolnshire.
Interested artists, sculptors, textile artists and ceramicists who would like to display their work in our new Gallery please click here to download our Register your Interest form which has all the details on it.
