The landscape and architecture of Southport have inspired a local artist to become a full-time painter.
Tony Wynne has decided to dedicate himself to this new creative pathway after receiving positive feedback from artworks featured on the Stand Up For Southport Facebook group and via Instagram.
Tony said: “Having moved close to Hesketh Park I found that I had so many subjects for paintings right on my doorstep. The lake, the ornamental fountain and the observatory have all featured in my artworks and the park will continue to do so.
“That being said, Churchtown’s beautiful Botanic Gardens has also featured as well as St Cuthbert’s and the quaint cottages of the village.”
Artwork by Southport artist Tony Wynne. The fountain at Hesketh Park in Southport
Tony’s artistic links with Southport are nothing new. He has been both a student and a lecturer at Southport Art College and has also been active in promoting Southport as an arts and culture venue. In 2010 he founded the Waterfront Arts Project on Southport’s Promenade and was also the project leader for Southport’s first Arts Festival in 2014.
However, Tony hasn’t always been a Southport resident having lived in Cheshire and Suffolk. He describes how his love for the paintings of John Constable started at school.
He said: “I had a very good art teacher, Nigel Dixon, and he lent me a book on Constable… I was intrigued by how the artist painted the Suffolk landscape, especially the ‘big skies. We spent some time living near East Bergholt in ‘Constable Country’ and I even bought my paints from the same shop where Constable himself had been a customer.”
Artwork by Southport artist Tony Wynne. The Venetian bridge at Marine Lake in Kings Gardens in Southport
Tony says that those Suffolk ‘big skies’ pale against Southport’s own ‘big skies’. He states that the combination of the flat landscape, the afternoon sun and the sheer expanse of our coastline make Southport’s cloudscapes almost unique. And Tony mentions that that unique quality also applies to our town’s architecture, especially that of Lord Street.
“When I was at Southport Art College in the mid-seventies I became interested in the architecture of Lord Street; so much so that I based a whole project on it which included a large painting of the Atkinson Art Gallery. I also painted the, now, newly restored ‘Blue Building’ at 478 – 481 Lord Street as part of that project.”
While Southport will remain a core subject for Tony’s paintings he is also inspired by past travels to countries such as Spain, France, Greece, Italy and Portugal. He explains that it is the interplay of colour and light that feature most in these paintings and goes on to say that even the light in Southport can have a Mediterranean feel sometimes.
Artwork by Southport artist Tony Wynne. Blue Gate, Athens
“On a hot summer’s day certain parts of Lord Street, especially the area around The Atkinson, can have an almost Italianate feel to them and the Parisian comparison has been noted many, many times. Quite often it’s the shadows which have an almost purple tone to them…It must be something to do with Southport’s excellent air quality.”
Stand Up For Southport asked Tony what his future plans are and would he be accepting commissions for paintings. We also asked if he had plans to teach art again.
“Yes, I am available for commissions,” he said.
Artwork by Southport artist Tony Wynne. Ainsdale Beach in Southport
People often approach me because they want a painting of a place or building that means something to them, for example, where they got married or engaged. I have also been sent holiday snaps from people’s travels abroad and asked if I could paint their favourite view, this can be easily done if the photos are clear enough.
I have been asked about teaching and this is something I will be doing but for small groups of four to six people; I want to get as close as possible to a ‘one-to-one’ experience for the students.”
Artist Tony Wynne is exhibiting his artwork in the Cambridge Walks Gallery in Southport. Photo by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
Tony now has an exhibition space in the Cambridge Walks Gallery, in Southport town centre behind The Atkinson, where his original paintings can be viewed and purchased.
He can be contacted for commissions and other enquiries via the following:
Email:
amwynne.art@gmail.com
Instagram:
www.instagam.com/tonywynne.southportartist/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/artistanthonywynne/
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