Poetry and painting in perfect partnership

Two exhibitions in two locations with one common thread take place in Lancaster this August.

King Street Arts and Lancaster printmaker and associate artist, Julie Evans, are collaborating to present Hidden Depths from August 5-19 and Watersheds: Mountains and Moments in Time from August 12-18.

Both exhibitions invite visitors to immerse themselves in visual and written worlds.

Hidden Depths sees Heysham poet John P Hindle respond to colourful abstract paintings by internationally acclaimed artist, John Baldwin on exhibition at King Street Arts while work on display at the Watershed exhibition in The Storey responds to the poetry of the late Tom Bowker, Julie Evans’ father.

“These two similarly themed exhibitions came into being independently but it seemed to make sense for them to run concurrently,” says Roy Smith of King Street Arts.

“The exhibitions demonstrate processes of celebration and of collaboration.”

Hidden Depths follows a  three  year collaboration between Silverdale artist John Baldwin and John P Hindle who says: “The paintings have inspired infinite contemplation and allowed ideas to form freely on nature, spirituality, people, death, coming of age, survival and power and corruption”.

John finds inspiration in collaborating with painters and sculptors. Over the years he has been a member of different writing groups and in 2021 he established a writing collective at King Street Arts. Following his collaboration with John Baldwin, he will launch his first poetry pamphlet -  Hidden Depths – on August 10.   

John Baldwin has exhibited extensively in many diverse locations including Shanghai, Spain and Germany. Hidden Depths may be a final chance to see his paintings exhibited locally as he has been approached by a South African university interested in buying all his work.

It is hoped that the Hidden Depths exhibition will encourage visitors to put pen or paintbrush to paper too.

Poetry was also the inspiration for the intensely personal Watersheds exhibition presented by Julie Evans in memory of her dad who died in 2019.

“The pristine first page of a new sketchbook strikes fear into me and creates a major paralysis of ideas and it was during one of these moments, late 2022, that I decided to embrace dad’s legacy of wonderful, evocative poetry to lead me out of this impasse,” Julie explains.

“What a rollercoaster of a journey it has been, from the dawning realisation that I could not do this alone to the final collaboration of 25 artists, printmakers, photographers and artisans.  Many are family and friends, and what a creative bunch we are.”

Exhibition visitors are welcome to sit quietly, read, draw or write. Youngsters can draw a paper 'rock'  to add to the cairn installation, add some houses and mountain ranges to the Watersheds Island map, explore paper sculpture or write a poem for the giant book of poetry.

Hidden Depths runs from August 5-19(except Sunday) from 11am-5pm and 12-5pm from August 7-10. Watersheds: Mountains and Moments in Time is open 10am-6pm from August 12-18(closed Sunday). Both exhibitions are free.

For more information, ring 07743238663 or visit www.kingstreetstudios.art