Southport Rotary’s pop-up art shop is back this summer!
The organisation first operated a temporary shop in Wayfarers Arcade on Lord Street in Southport town centre in October and November last year.
On sale were dozens of extraordinary watercolour paintings created by local artist and Rotarian John Duffy MBE, who sadly died last year.
He loved depicting scenes of his home town of Southport, the Lake District and across the world with countries such as France, Italy, Malta and Egypt.
Rotarians are now planning their return this June as they invite people to take a look at the superb array of paintings on offer.
It will be another in a series of events which have taken part to celebrate the Rotary Club of Southport’s 100th anniversary.
Southport Rotarian Keith Mitchell said: “We are looking forward to coming back to Wayfarers Arcade in Southport from 5th June onwards for another month selling John’s paintings.
“This will take us to the end of our Centenary Year.
“If anyone is interested we would invite them to come down and have a look.
“Our first pop-up art sale last year went very well. It was really well supported.
“Before our return we are hoping to set up a facility for selling John’s paintings online.
“They are wonderful paintings. John was a very talented man, but he was very quiet with it. He was very humble.
“He has left a tremendous legacy with his art, and the money raised through the sale of his paintings will make a positive impact on the local community.”
For over 50 years Johny Duffy MBE, a trained chartered surveyor and local businessman was a member of Rotary – whose motto is ‘Service Above Self’.
Volunteers from The Rotary Club of Southport are now preparing to once again staff a pop-up shop in Wayfarers Arcade which has kindly been provided by the arcade in order to display and sell his wonderful and original works of art. It has been made possible thanks to this very generous donation by John’s family.
John’s daughter, Laura Butler, said: “My Dad’s hobby was borne out of his deep love of buildings and architecture combined with a love of the landscape of the Lake District.
“Beginning in earnest in the late 1970s he joined a local art group that met in the evening at St Thomas Moore School.
“With help and guidance he began to add colour to the pen and ink drawings he had technically learned how to do whilst studying to be a chartered surveyor in the 1950s.
“As a busy Senior Partner of Hatch and Fielding Estate Agents he enjoyed weekends and holidays in the Lake District with a particular fondness for Borrowdale, Cartmel and Staveley where with his late wife, Mary, he bought part of a converted chapel providing a bolthole from the stresses of business and also as a base for painting and sketching trips in the Lake District National Park.
“Many happy hours were spent walking the Lakes, sampling foods in various pubs and sketching from under trees as it rained as it so often did. With a vast collection of sketch books and photos for reference he had endless inspiration with which to fuel his desire to paint.
“As a chartered surveyor in Southport he was lucky enough to visit many properties in his 40 year career and he had a wealth of knowledge about Southport and its buildings.
“Many of his paintings are often in places in and around his home town and he was often commissioned to paint a particular property or meaningful place for someone.
“For many years he designed Christmas cards for his Rotary Club which he was a member of for over 50 years.
“The profits supported their charities and with each picture he sold, and there were very many, the proceeds would always go to a charity he was involved with, often The Samaritans.
“Many times his work was included in local artists’ exhibitions like the Palette Club at The Atkinson in Southport. Understandably it was a bit of a thrill if a painting sold as well.
“He was awarded an MBE for his charitable works in 2016, which was presented by our now King Charles III.
“He was involved in so many things around Southport, all of them local, never national.”
Keith Mitchell said: “John was one of the founders of Southport Samaritans, was Chairman of Peacehaven House on Roe Lane for over 20 years, and was a Trustee of the Gadsby Trust.
“He was one of the organisers of the Game and Country Fair at Meols Hall in Churchtown, which raised nearly £250,000 for charity over the years.
“He was a member of The Rotary Club of Southport for over 50 years and did so much to support local charities – not national charities, he always chose to support good causes in his home town. He was a tireless worker for so many charities.
“He was a real gentleman, he was very special.
“Every penny raised from the sale of his paintings will go towards local good causes.
“We are doing this in memory of John because he was such a fantastic person and gave to other people in so many ways.
“Rotary’s motto of ‘Service Above Self’ really epitomised him.”
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