Between the 13th of May and July 9th the NWM at Ellesmere Port again plays host to an atmospheric exhibition of linocut art by the celebrated canal artist Eric Gaskell.
‘Water, Locks and Linocuts’ brings together Eric’s linocuts, paintings and drawings that move through the figurative, detailed and patterned, to more abstract views of our canals, their structures and the water that flows through them. Sometimes complex, sometimes simple, his work adds a new, more colourful dimension to the world of the canal. This exhibition could help you look at the canal network in a different way!
Eric explains, “I was brought up near canals swimming and fishing in them as a child, and watching the coal barges chug past. I believe the graphic nature of the varying elements that make up the canal environments best suits a bold linoprint style. The textures and patterns of the pathways, trees and lock gates, the swirling waters as the locks empty, the calm as they wait to be used, and the buildings and bridges that give our canals a backdrop. All these elements twist and blend to create simple yet striking prints.
The eddying waters, the still water, the rain peppered surfaces. The multi-storey, the warehouse, the cottage and the boatyard. The barge, the boat, the lock-gate, the keel and the ropework. All these things and more keep me returning to the canal as a continuing source of inspiration to create figurative and abstract image. This work uses a variety of lino and relief printmaking techniques, and looks at both the small things on the canal, the gear, the gates and the big things. The work covers a wide range of motifs, that I think combine to give a different view – my view – of the canal.”
Eric has been creating art, illustration and design for more than 30 years and has exhibited widely in one-man and group shows in the UK, Europe and the USA. His work embraces a wide range of topics, not just canals, employing a variety of media including drawing, painting and other print making techniques. He is a member of the Society of Graphic Fine Art and has work in many private collections.
You can also view and purchase Eric’s limited edition canal prints on his Linocuts website. Prices of prints range from about £25 to over £150. Many can also be downloaded as high resolution pdf files for just £7 to £10 and printed as many times as you like, for personal use only.
Also his small book “Canal Linocuts” is now in its 4th edition. 84 pages long it contains over 40 of Eric’s black and white linocuts and can be ordered from his Linocuts website.