A Middlesbrough Lad – Philip Meadows
Venue: The Heritage Gallery at Cargo Fleet
When: 27/07/2020 – 04/09/2020
Admission: FREE
We are pleased to announce that the exhibition which was due to open back in March until the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, will now be opening at The Heritage Gallery:
A Middlesbrough Lad –
Philip Meadows
Saturday 1st August 2020
Between 10am and 1pm
If you are coming along, could you please let us know so that we can get a rough idea of numbers.
Also a gentle reminder to follow government guidelines in regards to social distancing and the wearing of face masks, bring one along with you.
The opening offers a great opportunity to meet Philip and ask any questions you may have about the work. Refreshments and a bit of brunch will be provided by Iron Co Coffee House.
On leaving school in 1977 Philip went into ICI as an apprentice, staying with the company for 22 years. Interested in art, Philip won a paid scholarship enabling him to study art at Cleveland Art College before going on to complete a Degree in Fine Art at Sunderland University. Philip went into teaching in 1999 and has taught Art and Design Technology, before leaving in 2018 to devote more time to his painting.
Philip says:
I have lived in Eston all of my life with the panorama of the Teesside landscape as a backdrop. I went to school in Grangetown and was familiar with the steelworks and the Coke Ovens outside of the school gates. My pals and I would often dodge the coal trucks being shunted to the Coke Ovens when we went to the chippy at lunchtime. The sights and sounds I grew up with, the closeness of heavy industry both as an observer and worker, the characters and gadgies I saw daily and of course going to watch the Boro on a weekend with my older brother have all influenced my art.
Ayresome Park set amongst the terrace houses was the focus for the town and its identity, even if you did not follow footy. The conversation starter at the barbers was always how do you think they’ll do on Saturday? How many times on holiday when conversing with a stranger did you hear the phrase they’re not doing very well are they? Times weren’t easy and choice was often limited, the rented telly only had three channels, the shops shut on a Sunday and anxiety was a place in Turkey that the Brits wouldn’t visit until years later. These experiences formed a tapestry of daily life now fast disappearing and a rich vein of source material so I hope you enjoy my melancholy, rose tinted views of a Teesside as it was.
