The creative process

Thankfully the weather just perked up in time for the Bank Holiday weekend, to everyone's relief! Saltaire's Arts Trail took place in glorious sunshine and rather warmer temperatures than we've had during the rest of May. It meant that a few of our resident artists could set up outside to demonstrate their craft. I've shown David Starley's work several times before. He creates big canvasses of trees and other landscape scenes, applying oil paint with a painting knife to create a heavy texture. He was capturing a view of the River Aire, and the light catching the oil paint made the water glitter just as it does for real in the sunshine. David exhibits locally and has his own gallery in Bingley (see HERE). 

On Albert Road, Sue Bull was busy crocheting 'yarn' made from twisted, recycled newspaper and plastic bags. She makes sculptural artworks that reference the crafts of the former inhabitants of Saltaire, who mostly worked in the textile mill. The words still visible on the paper also make a link to the educational facilities Salt provided for the villagers - the schools, reading room and further education - and the finished structures resemble the grey cerebral cortex of the brain, with the idea of 'expanding our brains'. It's just as fascinating to hear what goes on in the creative processes of artists as it is to see the finished works.