ONE of Cumbria’s most esteemed artists will open an exhibit of his latest collection at a Whitehaven museum this month.
Alan Stones’ Drawn From Life, which is on display at The Beacon Museum from March 30 to June 16, contains work from various stages in his career.
Since graduating from St Martin’s School of Art in London in 1971, Alan has been working full-time as an artist ever since. He has had a high number of solo exhibitions, many of which have been in public galleries and toured the UK.
Alan said: “In this exhibition I have brought together, from across my career, drawings, lithographs and paintings of people’s lives.
“Featured are substantial works, each evolving from many studies, of people at work, and as a contrast, a collection of more domestic (in subject and scale) drawings made directly from life.”
One of the newer stand-out pieces in this exhibition will be recognised locally not only for its artistic merit but also for the subject matter. Tea Room Reservations is an oil painting that features a scene from a well-known St Bees café, and creates a close observational study of the human at work.
Sitting alongside a body of new work, other pieces from earlier in Alan’s career demonstrate a traditional, earthy use of lithograph to depict Cumbrian farmers at work.
Elizabeth Kwasnik, The Beacon Museum’s Director, said: “We are delighted to host Alan Stones’ exhibition here at the museum.
“Alan’s work expertly captures those singular moments in time. The human essence of being engrossed in one’s work as seen in this collection is a relatable characteristic for the onlooker, and yet simultaneously is very personal to the subject within the painting, having been painted in the moment.”
Some work from Drawn From Life will be on sale during the exhibition. For more information, telephone 01946 592302 or visit www.thebeacon-whitehaven.co.uk.
Please note that the Copeland Pass expires on March 29 and entry to the museum and this exhibition are chargeable.
