Liz Ackerley – Interview with the Artist

Reporter: Jude Gidney

Woodend Studios invites you to their Art Fair 23/24th June.  (OL5 9RR) An interview with one of the exhibition artists – Liz Ackerley :

How long have you had a studio at Woodend Mill?

I moved in at the end of the summer 2017 after picking up the keys in May and then painting it and getting furniture from Emmaus. Historically my work has been sketching on location. Since I’ve had a studio I been able to start developing my mixed-media collage work.

Before my studio I had a cellar where I used to finish of my work, but I needed more light and more space to work. Tell us about your background I was originally a research microbiological scientist, then in 1999 I changed careers into garden design and landscape architecture then got into doing a lot of illustration and drawing. I now have a part time job at Emmaus Mossley which works alongside my art business. About 5 yrs. ago I got into more illustration work. My approach with drawing is capturing things as they happen and telling the story through drawing in a reportage approach. Reportage work since has included events and festivals, working primarily on location.

So tell us about your recent illustration commissions

Manchester histories are a key client. I captured scenes for their 2016 brochure and did a range of reportage pieces throughout the festival. This year I have been invited back to capture their celebration day. I was commissioned by Cities of Hope in 2016 for an international Street Art event. They had world known artists coming into Manchester to paint Street art in the Northern Quarter. They commissioned me to sketch the 10 key walls in the context of the surrounding street scene. The originals were exhibited in a café in the Northern Quarter and prints were sold to raise money for the Social Justice charities involved. I’ve also had a commission from Manchester airport reporting on some of the interesting Platform work they are doing to animate and promote space within the airport. In addition, I have received several private commissions.

Where is your work going now?

There are different approaches to my work now and I am building up various stands. Fundamentally though, they are all about portraying a sense of place and occasion. These include wedding reportage; I’ve just done one at Tower Bridge in London. The focus of that one was the place; capturing the architecture.

On the whole they’re about capturing lively scenes, the people and the feel of the occasion. I’ve got another at Knutsford in July, as a wedding present from a Mum to her son. I often put colour down in a fairly abstract way first and then put line work over them, which allows me to capture the energy of the view in a less precious way. All my sketches are done in situ, from life. Another important direction for my work is the development of mixed media pieces using collage. My design and landscape background mean that I have a love of texture and the materiality of places. So collage is an ideal medium for me. These works are studio based and I am in the early stages of this approach.

Workshops are another strand of work that I’m developing and I’m delivering some sessions for Manchester Urban sketchers and Elizabeth Gaskell House this year. Tell us more about Urban Sketching Urban sketching as a world-wide approach to location sketching kicked off in 2008 in Seattle . Most major cities now have sketching groups with symposiums held all around the world. In 2016 it was held in Manchester and I was one of the correspondents who captured the action in sketches! This year it is to be held in Porto.

Apart from Woodend Art Fair where can people see your work?

Currently I have an exhibition of sketches and collages in The World Peace Cafe at the Kadampa Meditation Buddhist Centre in Chorlton running until the end of July. I also have a few pieces in The Royal Exchange Craft shop in Manchester and at Hearts for Homes in Ramsbottom. My sketch work is primarily for commission whilst my collage work is a new approach for me.

And at the Art Fair, what can people expect to see?

I’m working on some new collage pieces and I will have originals, prints, cards and calendars of my sketch work for sale at the Woodend Art Fair.

She told me all about her collages, and it was fascinating. Visit Liz’s studio on the 23/24th June and find out yourself about how she develops her work and to hear about her passion for her work.

Since the interview Liz has moved to a larger studio:

I’ve very recently moved to a great studio in the 3rd floor: W2/307 which provides a bigger space for me to develop my collage work and for holding workshops! Although this has provided a bit of a distraction from my work over the last few weeks!

Author: Jude Gidney - Editor

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