Solo exhibition by Becky Atherton with jewellery by Mick Phillips
‘Herstory’
Solo exhibition by Becky Atherton with jewellery by Mick Phillips
21st October – 8th November 2025
The ArtHouse, 65 Eastbank Street, Tuesday through Friday 10am-3pm and Saturday 11am-4pm
By Martin Dawber
Lancashire born artist Becky Atherton from Burscough has only recently found time to focus on her own creative practice after working as a community artist for 25 years.
Subsequent to completing her MA in Fine Art at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston in 2021, Becky received a ‘developing your creative practice’ grant from the Arts Council in 2023.
During this period Becky began to investigate her story of philanthropist and art collector, Anne Haworth, whose family home was bequeathed to the people of Accrington at her death in 1920 and later became a public art gallery and museum – Haworth Art Gallery.
Exhibiting her work regionally, nationally and internationally, Becky has continued to explore herstory, female mythology, fairytale and folklore throughout her ever evolving practice: “My work looks at how I can promote the natural world in a magical spiritual way. Using a surrealist/fantasy style I want to challenge the materialistic patriarchal society we live in by providing an alternative. The intent is to encourage people to think beyond the limits of religion, domestic lives, money and wealth and explore stories and other possibilities and ways of being and thinking.”
An earlier acrylic painting of Titania even travelled over to Nova Scotia to feature in the Canadian quarterly magazine, ‘long con’, before resurfacing across the world in Bangladesh as part of Karkhana Art Space’s ‘HOPE’International Online Art Exhibition in 2021.
“’Titania’ was based on William Shakespeare’s Queen of the Fairies. Although she is winged, she is also shackled. I took my inspiration from the sculpture of Alice Nutter by David Palmer located in Roughlee Village in Lancashire. Alice Nutter was an English woman accused and hanged as a result of the Pendle Witch-Hunt. By combining Titania and Alice I wanted to evoke the strength of women which throughout the centuries has been systematically attacked.”
An upshot of Southport’s Townscape Heritage Project in 2023, Becky’s regal ‘The Protection of Salus’ paintings draw attention to the imposing sculpted face of the ancient Roman goddess carved high above the central 3rdstorey window of an iconic Grade II-listed Victorian building in Lord Street.
“While being part of the SCA Heritage Group, we explored number 479-481 on Lord Street, a beautiful blue tiled, Victorian eclectic building. During the making part of the project my interest was sparked by the female head situated at the top of the building often surrounded by pigeons! The groups researched and found and named her as Salus the Roman Goddess of safety, welfare, health and prosperity. I wonder is Salus still protecting the people of Southport today and in turn are the pigeons protecting her?”
Intertwining the mystery of Nature with the stuff of legend, Becky’s recent evocative ‘Selkie’ paintings explore the covert mythology of moonlight dancing, shape-shifting women that alluringly straddle the line between seal and human.
“I aim to visually intermingle female mythological characters with modern day and historical scenarios. I also want to have a strong connection with the natural world, which historically seemed to be a female power base.”
Accompanying Becky’s idiosyncratic artwork will be a selection of upcycled, hand crafted contemporary artisan jewellery designs by Mick Phillips also from Burscough. Although Mick originally studied jewellery making forty years ago as part of his art education, it is only since 2020 that he has revisited the craft. Mick takes his inspiration from found pieces of decorative ceramic or ‘sherds’ collected from local fields and streams: “The pottery sherds are first sorted, cleaned and sterilised.
Any rough edges are ground off, maintaining the original outline of the sherd as far as possible. Depending on the size of the sherd it will either become a pendant or an earring, but either way it must have a hole drilled using a diamond tipped drill. A silver jump ring is then silver soldered in place and a chord, or earring finding, is fitted.”
Becky’s fascinating artwork will be on display alongside Mick’s eye-catching jewellery from 21st October– 8thNovember 2025 at The ArtHouse, 65 Eastbank Street, Tues thro Fri 10.00 – 15.00 and Sat 11.00 – 16.00. There is also an opportunity to meet up with Becky, who will be in the Gallery to chat about her work, on Saturday 25thOctober 13.00-15.30pm.
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