Platform Gallery And Visitor Information Centre

Meet one of the makers from the In-Print exhibition, currently showing at the Platform Gallery Diana Moss

Meet one of the makers from the In-Print exhibition, currently showing at the Platform Gallery Debby Akam

Meet one of the makers from the In-Print exhibition, currently showing at the Platform Gallery

Meet one of the makers from the In-Print exhibition, currently showing at the Platform Gallery Chloe McCarrick

Meet one of the makers from the In-Print exhibition, currently showing at the Platform Gallery Simon Tozer

Meet one of the makers from the In-Print exhibition, currently showing at the Platform Gallery Ashley Cook

A review of In Print a celebration of British printmakers at the Platform Gallery by Anna Richardson Work Placement from Clitheroe Royal Grammar School. Simon Tozer I absolutely love the prints of Simon Tozer and the cartoon-ish style to them. They’re fun and colourful with a beautiful bold technique. I particularly like the piece ‘Unwanted hair’ which depicts a grizzly bear looking in the mirror and plucking it’s hair out with tweezers. Tozer clearly doesn’t take himself too... seriously through his art and I like this. Because you’re not constantly searching for deeper meanings and concepts, instead, you’re able to appreciate the beauty of the art and understand that a lot of the pieces are essentially just making fun of themselves. Others, however, are simply aesthetically pleasing for example the piece ‘Eddystone light’ is just pretty and nice to look at with the pinks and bright blue to contrast. The fact that this piece is simply nice to look at, however, doesn’t make it boring, in fact, far from it. The sea and sky are patterned with repeating shapes and the lighthouse is the delicate and charming central focus of the piece. The bright blue section of the sky is beautifully eye-catching and brings the focus to the cute little light house on the little Island. ‘Unwanted hair’ and ‘Eddystone light’ are my two personal favourites however all the other prints have individual elements that I really like, for example the accents of pink in an almost entirely blue-green print called ‘Clouds behind clouds’ and the technique of the short-lined, scratchy sky in the piece ‘Cloud’ is slightly reminiscent of Van Gogh with a pretty sail boat on the water in the corner. The more jokey pieces are the ones I am drawn to the most however: like the one with two cows speaking in speech bubbles or the bear being lured out of a door in a tree by some cheese. They’re pieces that make you smile when looking at them; the type of illustrations you might find in a children’s story book (and just as surreal) yet this doesn’t undermine the maturity of the pieces. Adults are equally as likely to be drawn to the eye-catching whimsical seascapes and the satirical bears. The best way I could think of to describe Tozer’s pieces would be that each print looks like it’s from a fairy tale turned on its head. Simon Tozer’s prints are individually unique, fun and exciting. He is for those who can appreciate a sense of humour whilst also being appreciative of beautiful bold eye-catching art.
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A review of the Platform Gallery Craft Shop by Anna Richardson, 6th Form Work Placement from Clitheroe Royal Grammar School.
From beautiful handcrafted jewellery to creative, artistic cards, the craft shop has a wide range of interesting and inspiring creations made by a selection of northern artists. The glass jewellery of Collette Halstead and Naomi Southon are beautifully unique and detailed pieces with a whimsy and delicate feel. Their earrings and necklaces are a stunnin...g little detail to add to your outfit. Halstead’s beautiful glass ceramic dishes that depict landscapes are perfect ornaments to put on display at home. Laura McNicholas’ ceramic bowls have a stunning beauty to their natural looking curves and edges. They somewhat resemble a shell or a crystal in stone with their rough rustic-looking, patterned exterior and shiny, sleek interior. They come in a range of sizes and colours that you would find amongst nature, each one unique and different from the other. Kate Schofield’s ‘Farm to Yarn’ Collection offers an elegant range of knitwear from hats and scarves to blankets and a pair of wellington boot cuffs, Schofield’s handmade knitwear is perfect for the winter months. However there are also lighter pieces such as a white knitted shawl that is light and airy and ideal for hot and cold weather as well as home wear blankets and cushion that and perfect for all year round. Joanne Eddon and Claire Armitage both produce delicate, handmade, textile accessories such as scarfs purses and hair scrunchies. A great gift for a female relative, or a beautiful accessory for yourself, the tasteful patterns are the perfect spring/summer accessory to add a splash of colour to every event and occasion you may attend this summer. Helen Russell’s adorable ceramics and textile ranges are the perfect kitchen accessory. The birds and love hearts, and flower and bee designs, come with fun slogans that vary depending on the item. The mugs, jugs and tea pots are a perfect way to brighten up a summer garden party with tea and cake sat outside in the sun. The tea towels and oven gloves are not only practical but pretty too; a brilliant gift for a loved one. The lovely cards come in lots of different patterns and designs, perfect for special occasions, anniversaries and thankyous. There is also the option of personalisation for loved ones as many of the cards have images of various hobbies such as cricket, horse riding and bike riding and many more as well as beautiful landscapes animals and flowers that are appropriate for anyone!
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A review of IN PRINT- a celebration of contemporary British printmaking at the Platform Gallery by Susan Kellaway, 6th Form Work Placement from Clitheroe Royal Grammar School Her Moon And Stars Primarily I was fascinated by Chloe McCarrick's work of cyanotypes, informed by the gallery this technique is a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print which engineers often use. The process is a simple and low-cost process to produce copies and drawings referred ...to as blueprints. McCarrick’s take on this technique includes dreamy prints with elements of Dadaism including collages of glamourous vintage women - almost in the element of pinup girls but less revealing and sexualised as the women hold their power and demonstrate it to the viewer, McCarrick has the women in the center, in one print, one woman holds the moon which suggests their extra-terrestrial vibe. The power displayed is confirmed by none of the subjects looking directly at the viewer they are not subjected to the viewer's judgement or gaze, they are sufficient to not be held in value of the viewer though, due to the ambiguity of the prints, the viewer holds no greater understanding of them. Personally, I like the ambiguity of prints as every viewer can draw their own conclusions and the prints mean different things to everyone - there is no correct interpretation of the prints. Furthermore, with this notion, the circular shape of the prints suggest the hidden power of the women as shown through a gateway/porthole to another dimension or through a telescope up to the moon. This technique certifies the mysterious atmosphere demonstrated through the juxtaposed blue and gold which evoke a twilight vibe. I think McCarrick presents the importance of connection to nature. With animals, mostly birds covering the women or even replacing their head. I think this suggests the women's familiars implying witches, adding to the mysterious tone. This is demonstrated further by the full moon and skulls of animals. Overall, I enjoyed McCarrick's work due to how naturally it interweaved so many interpretations and allowed the viewer to draw their own, thus the works feel impactful and meaningful to each individual. Additionally, the prints are aesthetically eye-catching which encourages the viewer in.
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Meet one of the makers from the In-Print exhibition, currently showing at the Platform Gallery Ann Charlish

Welcome to our lovely work experience students from Clitheroe Grammar Sixth Form, who have been having fun drawing on the windows, displaying art work and reviewing our new exhibition In-Print.

Meet one of the makers from the In-Print exhibition, currently showing at the Platform Gallery
Anita Burrows

Interested in being part of our Art and Craft stall events? Follow this link for information on how to apply...
https://www.ribblevalley.gov.uk/…/how_t o_exhibit_work_at_pl…

Meet one of the makers from the In-Print exhibition, currently showing at the Platform Gallery
Adele Burdon

Open Sunday's through Summer 11-4, come and sit and ponder, meet friends here, browse the art, pick up some activity leaflets for the Ribble Valley. Free entry.