Grim Art

Welcome to the Wasteland: Grim Art 2020-2025 Not exactly a goodbye, but given that now burgeoning constant which is change, thought it might be an idea to have a bit of a retrospective as we approach our 5th Anniversary in April. #GrimArt remains a celebration of ‘the beauty and value of the everyday, the ordinary and the overlooked,’ a broad definition for hopefully the broadest of #art churches. If further refinements are needed then they can be found among the meaning you have generously brought to the works we’ve shared, be that a homage to the resilience of past generations, treasured childhood memories, the inspiration to have a go yourself, or simply an appetite for quirk, murk maudlin and melancholy. 😉 Above all, many thanks for all your efforts in building a small but supportive safe harbour on the edge of those now storm tossed seas of social media. Simply put, I couldn’t ask for better company to scramble back across that glorious wasteland littered as it is with abandoned caravans, crumbling concrete, marooned buildings and the graves of those lost amidst the terror of those terrible Ginnel and Gasholder Civil Wars 🤣 Tony x

Well, hope that’s provided a greater insight into what #GrimArt actually is, but in truth it’s pretty much what #you want it to be. Huge thanks 🙏🏻 for your kind participation over the past five years, will catch up with your messages then take a short break. All the best - Tony

The work which inspired the title of this retrospective ‘Welcome to the Wasteland’ Lonely buildings or figures, those common, symbolic features of #art depicting the dark, melancholic beauty of post industrial change we love 😉 Deserted Buildings by Nan Youngman (1906–1995)

We’ve shared quite a few nocturnes over the past five years, but this one from the hugely popular @CraigEverett20 is a real standout for me 😍👏 Nearly Home by Craig Everett

Another #NorthernArtHero🎖️Manchester born, Peter Stanaway … have long loved his use of colour blocks and to bring it further down to my personal level, his fine portrayals of chippies and pubs 😉👍 Northern Street Scene by Peter Stanaway (b. 1943)

The work of Trevor Grimshaw has long held a Top 5 🏆 Spot in the #GrimArt Charts 📈 … even if I have mixed him up with Marc Grimshaw at times 😳😁 Industrial Landscape (Graphite) by Trevor Grimshaw (1947-2001)

Kinda rushing now to fit in the most popular artists we shared between 2020 and 2025 😰 and there’s not many more popular than this chap 😍👏 A Mining Town in Winter (Oil on Board) by Brian Shields (Braaq) (1951-1997)

A relatively new, but exciting find, the hugely talented @cazlathamart She is, as indeed you all are - total rockstars 🤩 for your support and kind contributions over the last few years ❤️🙏🏻 Approaching Piccadilly (I'm a Rockstar) by Caz Latham

Honoured to have the company of the outstanding David Bez @davidbezartist over the past five years … his posts have never failed to lift the ole spirits 🥳 Many thanks for your support, David 🎖️🙏🏻 The Yard by David Bez

And the final one in the #CaravanSalute 🫡 section of the current retrospective, is from a talented and lovely chum of #GrimArt the smashing @HollyBrodieArt 😘🙏🏻 I like to think this is her home and studio, please #DoNot❌ confirm otherwise 😁 Out to Dry by Holly Brodie

The aforementioned preamble did state #abandoned caravans, so can’t celebrate the key motif #GrimCaravans (do check that tag out for more 😍) without a classic from Aug. 2023 by @paulspencer1973 Sadly, another departee, so never did find out if he got a jigsaw made of this 😔😉

Just remembered in time, the preamble to this retrospective (see pinned post 📌) did promise #caravans … so here’s an incredibly popular one from back in March 2022 😍 #Art The Green Caravan by Marjan Jaspers (b.1949)

Think my appreciation of Lowry’s work was somewhat jaded, so very grateful to the #GrimArt Community for doing much to reignite my enthusiasm 🥳🙏🏻 Still prefer the outliers though👇😉 A View from the Window of the Royal Technical College, Salford by L.S Lowry (1887–1976)

A hugely influential and important northern artist, but above all, lovely chap, a signed volume of Geoffrey’s work via the lovely folk @gallerycheshire 🙏🏻 (where you can see more of his work) is on my #Stuff2SaveInAFireList 🔥 Jackson and Brother Ltd by Geoffrey Key (b.1941)

Staying with the previous theme of ‘steel works and sad goodbyes’. One of my favourite renderings over the past five years of a lost ‘steel mother’ that was particularly close to my own heart 💔😔 Riding home from South Gare past #Redcar Blast Furnace by Tom French (b.1944)

Sadly the ole retrospective has revealed a number of significant departures including @bleasdale_r ☹️ although he can still be tracked down in the usual ‘other places’. A fine piece by him here from 2023 The Carrie Steel Works by Richard Bleasdale

An apt one from February 2021 to close on today … fantastic, characterful stuff 😍 from one of Oldham’s finest … Go Home to your Wife! by Gordon Radford (1936-2015)

I’ve tried to avoid letting my own favourite artists dominate proceedings over the last few years - honest! 😁 But family ties to shipbuilding made that a tough ask with @mutter_ryan Details of his forthcoming show @lemondgallery attached below👍 Titanic by Ryan Mutter #Art

They say every day is a school day and over the past five years @gallerycheshire has the been the kindest and most encouraging of tutors. A shining light for me and so many others of greater import to the cause of #NorthernArt ✊ … this one by Bob Barker picked itself 🙏🏻❤️ 🫡