In our latest feature on North East creative talent we talk to artist Fiona Carvell who is based in the Northumberland countryside near Shotley Bridge.
Lindisfarne by Fiona Carvell
Where exactly in the North East are you based?
On the border of County Durham and Northumberland, perched on the edge of the Pennines – beautiful space! Fine Studios at Fine House Farm, Kiln Pit Hill, Consett. DH8 9SL.
How would you describe your work?
Ideas-led, which means I let the subject matter inspire and direct how I respond (as opposed to working in the same way, or having a ‘style’ regardless of subject). Visually, I am interested in line and space, the connections between objects and relationships of pattern in nature.
Tell us how you first started out as an artist?
I graduated as an illustrator and moving image designer, which led to work both as a freelance Illustrator in publishing and then a career in broadcasting. I later moved into teaching but throughout all of this never stopped drawing. I would finish a shift for doing the on-air graphics for Sky News and then go straight to a life drawing class! Teaching in F.E. meant I could spend more time experimenting with materials but it wasn’t until I started running community-based art classes that I finally realised I needed to create more of my own art. It was clamouring to get out!
North East artist, Fiona Carvell
My love affair with pastel started around this time and a few years later I entered a piece for the Pastel Society Open Exhibition in London which made the first selection round. I was invited to be a Unison Colour Associate Artist soon after this, which I am immensely proud of, especially as they are a North East company and sell around the world.
I was offered studio space at Fine Studios at the end of 2016, which is perfect for me as it’s just a few miles from home and an amazing place to run workshops from.
Which work are you most proud of?
Probably ‘Treasure of The Deep’, which was the first of my seaweed series. It was very big (over 3ft high once framed) which is huge for a pastel piece, and incredibly detailed.
Treasure of the Deep by Fiona Carvell
What inspires you?
Lots of things – I go through obsessions! I had a thing about grasses and then trees for a while last year and my current theme seems to be seaweed. I am drawn to connections in nature – patterns of line and surprises of colour, that echo from one life form to another.
What influence if any does North East England have in inspiring your work?
The North East has a wealth of inspirational landscapes. From the Pennines to the beautiful Northumberland coastline, there is so much to draw upon. My parents live on the coast and so I spend quite a bit of time photographing and sketching at beaches and castles.
What has been your most challenging creation?
Probably ‘Treasure of The Deep’. There were so many colours in each tiny section, that I would cover only a few inches a day at some points. It drove me to distraction. I would often go to the studio in my running gear so I could run a few miles of tension off in between pastel painting!
Do you have any tips for up and coming artists?
Work hard, be practical and approach what you do as any profession. If you seriously want to develop a career as an artist, you must get the balance between personal creation/production and all the other stuff that makes it possible. Admin, promotions, attending events, keeping galleries supplied and happy are all part and parcel of the job. As a qualified teacher I still enjoy teaching workshops and have found this a valuable part of my practice as it helps to develop my own artwork.
Resilience by Fiona Carvell
Which other artists or photographers inspire you?
My favourite pastel artist is probably Sarah Bee. Just gorgeous line work and energy. The most inspiring exhibition I attended was in Paris a few years ago by fashion designer, Issey Miyake. He presented fabric as lines and forms of pleated colour in the most astonishing display that played with light and shade. I am a great believer in looking at everything the world presents to you for potential inspiration – it can come from anywhere.
What are your ambitions for the future?
I have just returned from running my first pastel workshop in France, (which was fabulous!) and I now have another planned for May 2019. I am also in the midst of planning my workshops at Fine Studios for 2019 alongside exhibitions at various venues across the country.
Long term, I would love to exhibit with the Pastel Society, that would be an achievement and a great honour.
Anything else you’d like to add?
My work is currently on display and for sale at Number Four Gallery, St.Abbs, Scotland www.numberfourgallery.co.uk
There are hundreds of fascinating and often beautiful villages of all kinds, scattered around the North East of England from the Tweed to the Tees Valley. Most people live in the cities and towns of course and there are some spectacular towns too, but we shouldn’t forget our villages. There are villages in every corner of our region, all the way from the upland country to the coast. They’re not just out in the country though, you’ll, even find some old villages hidden away within our towns and cities.
Old cottages, medieval churches, a village green and perhaps a duck pond are features often associated with older villages and of course for many the focal point is the village pub. Here we thought we’d pick out twenty unusual, interesting and sometimes surprising villages, some of which you may be familiar with and others which you may not know. We are not saying these are the best ones or even necessarily the twenty most interesting ones but they give some impression of the great variety of villages that we have across our region.
Bamburgh
Northumberland
Okay, there will be very few who haven’t heard of this one, but to some extent Bamburgh is a little overlooked. It’s overlooked by Bamburgh Castle and so spectacular is that castle that it’s easy to forget how beautiful the little village is too. Lovely little shops, pubs, people playing cricket or flying kites on the huge green below the steep craggy whin stone rocks of the castle. Not to mention the beach and the view. Views everywhere. Bamburgh is simply Britain at its best.
Norton-on-Tees is a very substantial and beautiful village absorbed by neighbouring Stockton. It has a huge village green and a big duck pond. There are lots of old houses surrounding it and as if that wasn’t enough there’s Norton’s splendid Georgian High Street leading up to the green with its smart Georgian houses, pleasant shops and restaurants. Given its size and picturesque qualities Norton is surprisingly little known outside of Teesside. If it were part of London it would probably be rivalling the likes of Kew or Richmond and everyone would want to know about it. Oh and Norton also has a splendid Saxon church.
The ‘crow chester’ of old is a fabulous fishing village. Here rugged whinstone rocks form cosy coastal cottages in this delightful place famed for its kippers. For those who don’t know, the kippers are smoked on oak chippings to give them their distinct traditional flavour.
The big surprise at Craster is of course the neighbouring Dunstanburgh Castle – a magnificent and huge romantic ruin best approached by the walk from the village where visitors might follow in the footsteps of the legendary Sir Guy the Seeker.
Small, but with picturesque rows of houses in what what was once the estate village for Brancepeth Castle. There’s no pub or village green here, so this is a place for people who like their villages tiny, secluded and quiet, though there is a busy road that passes straight through. The great medieval castle is still there alongside a charming medieval church though the castle has seen much restoration.
Bellingham, pronounced ‘Bellingum’ is the capital of North Tynedale in Northumberland and a great centre for exploring the area including the nearby Kielder Forest and reservoir. This is a relatively peaceful place with pleasant walks along the river. Nearby a walking route takes you to the lovely Hareshaw Linn waterfall. It’s so serene that it’s easy to forget that Bellingham was once entangled in the violence and bloodshed of the border wars in times gone by and was at the heart of ‘Border Reiver country’ with the dale being the lair of troublesome reivers like the Milburns, Robsons and Charltons of Tudor times.
Yes, Billingham. People have preconceptions about certain places and when we think Billingham we inevitably think of the vast chemical works with cooling towers and clouds of steam. Billingham has much earlier origins though and on the hill top at Billingham Green we find a few (and there are admittedly only a few) old cottages of the original village of Billingham dating back to times long past. The biggest surprise here, however, is a Saxon church dating to around 1000D. It’s about a hundred years older than Durham Cathedral.
Near the edge of Billingham another little-known village is Cowpen Bewley near the estuarine industries of Teesside. Old cottages are set around a village green and you could easily be led to believe you were in an isolated rural spot miles away from any town or city if it were not for a sudden glimpse of the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge in a gap between two cottages. It’s pronounced ‘Coopen’ by the way!
Another one of those surprising villages hidden away within a town. Think Wallsend and you think of shipyards on the Tyne or the nearby Roman fort at the end of Hadrian’s Wall. Further north from the river though we find the old village of Wallsend Green and there’s quite an extensive green with old houses plus the nearby Wallsend Hall, a mansion of the late Georgian era. Wallsend has two old churches of note but these were built at a distance from the village. Wallsend’s medieval church of Holy Cross fell out of use with the Wallsend natives who used the local school for marriages for many years. It was only when the Bishop of Durham pointed out that the school was not consecrated and that their marriages and baptisms were not valid that they hastily built a new church dedicated to St Peter to the south towards Willington Quay.
Holy Island Village on the island of Lindisfarne is something quite special, in fact ‘magical’ is perhaps the word. Charming houses and little shops with views of the rugged castle on Beblowe rock and the romantic ruins of Lindisfarne Priory. Given all the natural and historical charms of the island it’s easy to forget that it’s also the home to a rather picturesque little village too.
Whitburn in South Tyneside close to the coast and near the northern fringe of Sunderland is a fabulous village with all kinds of interesting old buildings and the overall impression is delightful to the eye. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner described it as “uncommonly attractive” in his famous guide books to the Buildings of England.
Whitburn has a thirteenth century church, some wonderful Georgian and Victorian houses, a curious cottage of red brick, a beautiful village green and even a windmill complete with sails. There are also literary links to Lewis Carroll who had relatives that resided here. The nearby village of Cleadon is also rather attractive and has links to Charles Dickens.
Blanchland is situated in the Pennine dale of the Derwent in the south western area of Northumberland and is just over the border from County Durham. It is a rather exceptional and beautiful village constructed within the ruins of a medieval monastery. In Georgian times the charitable trust of Lord Crewe, a Bishop of Durham used stones from the abbey of Blanchland to construct a model village and the result is simply sublime. Highlights of the village are the L-shaped piazza, the old monastery gatehouse, the abbey church and the lovely Lord Crewe Arms. Picturesque, it is almost a Hollywood producer’s vision of what an old English village should look like but very rustic, elegant and real.
Though it is arguably and technically a town, the large village green and Georgian cottages and village-type pubs that cluster around the green give Sedgefield an undoubtable village-like feel. There are some wonderful old Georgian houses and narrow lanes, grander houses and interesting nooks clustered around the green. Our favourite story concerning Sedgefield concerns the ‘Pickled Parson’, a deceased vicar who was preserved in either salt or brandy by his good lady wife so she could avoid paying a particular tax.
Gainford is a very attractive former spa village near Darlington with a fine Jacobean hall. Situated on the River Tees its neighbours further downstream include High Coniscliffe, the ‘cliff of King Edwin’ and Piercebridge the site of a Roman fort and bridge that was once the home to a clock that inspired a famous song.
I love the name of this one. There’s a New York Post Office and a New York Convenience Store. Several of the old mining villages across the region have some fabulous names: Pity Me, Quebec, Toronto, Philadelphia, Coronation, No Place. Many are tight knit neighbourly friendly communities often with fabulous scenery right on their doorstep. I live in a former mining village, so I know this for a fact.
Centred around a fine village green West Auckland is a former mining village that developed from an older village centre. Most people may know that West Auckland’s local football club won the world cup – twice. It’s commemorated by a sculpture at the centre of the green. There’s some interesting buildings of note here too. West Auckland’s Old Hall and the Manor House are both substantial buildings dating from the 1600s.
Once the capital of a district called Heighingtonshire in south Durham, Heighington near Darlington is a rather lovely village with a broad undulating green, a medieval church and lots of old interesting houses.
A small village, this is the original Beamish, near to the famous museum. We love the eye-catching figures on the Shepherd and Shepherdess pub and the former almshouses nearby. A fairly small village but still bigger than ‘Beamish Town’ that is found within the museum grounds.
Whickham village near Gateshead on Tyneside was at the heart of a major mining area from as early as the 1600s. The lovely stone houses of the 1700s around Church Chare, Front Street and Rectory Lane, are reminders of Whickham’s rural roots.
Situated on the magnesian limestone hills just outside Hartlepool with great views out to sea little Hart village was closely tied to Hartlepool and perhaps the capital of the ancient district called Hartness. There’s a beautiful little Saxon church, a windmill, an interesting couple of pubs and the scant remains of a medieval hall that belonged to the powerful De Brus (Bruce) family.
A substantial old village and a place of significance in medieval times, being the estate village of Raby Castle, the ancient stronghold of the Nevilles that is just along the road. The church of St Mary at Staindrop (once dedicated to St Gregory) is a sizeable and impressive medieval edifice with a core dating back to before the Norman Conquest.
Backworth mining village was perhaps made famous by the fictional character ‘Geordie Broon of Backworth’. There are some interesting old houses in the village but perhaps the biggest surprise is the Miners’ Welfare building in a beautiful stately hall that was purchased by the local mining community in the 1930s.
This is just a selection of North East villages and a bit of a random one at that. What’s your favourite village in the North East? How about Cambo or Lanchester, Norham on Tweed, Alnmouth, Elsdon, Ford and Etal or Longframlington? Maybe Castle Eden or Westoe, Rennington, Ellingham, Matfen, Shincliffe, Frosterley, Romaldkirk or perhaps the old village at Ponteland.
Let us know in the comments below what your favourite village is and why. If you’re on Twitter why not tweet your favourite village especially if you’ve got some great photos to show it off. Tag us in on your tweet or visit our Facebook page. Details below:
We talk to 49-year old Morpeth-based artist, Sarah Farooqi in the latest in our series of interviews featuring talented artists and photographers from the North East of England. Sarah is best-known for her wonderful, colourful illustrated maps.
The Quayside by Sarah Farooqi
How would you describe your work?
I am a watercolour artist specialising in landscapes, townscapes and illustrated maps. From a pen drawing, my pictures evolve into busy, layered compositions which reflect my love of detail and colour, and hopefully a sense of fun.
Tell us how you first started out as an artist?
I began drawing when I was old enough to hold a pencil and went on to study graphic design at university. But then I took a wrong turn into corporate TV graphics and lost my enthusiasm. So I trained and worked as a primary teacher until I became a full time mum. During that time I was asked by my local school to work with their youngest children on an art project.
However, I had to stop myself grabbing the paint brushes off the children as I just wanted to do it myself! I started painting again soon after, and have never looked back. I spent a year experimenting and finding out exactly what it was I wanted to paint and how. Then once I had a couple of finished pieces I took them to show lots of galleries, shops, the National Trust etc. until I had a few places willing to sell my prints/cards. I joined Network Artists and had a group exhibition at Alnwick Garden in 2009. From there I was asked to make visitor maps for Alnwick Garden and Castle.
Detail from Sarah Farroqi’s Howick Hall Estate Map
What work are you most proud of?
In the visitor centre at Howick Hall Gardens (near Alnwick) there is a huge map detailing the whole of the Howick estate, its rare plants/trees and wildlife. The map took the best part of a year to complete and some of it was previously unmapped so I was able to work closely with their head gardener and other members of the Howick team. The map has had a very positive reaction from visitors and I am very proud of it.
What inspires you?
Everything really. I love being outdoors and the intricacy of the natural world. But I also can’t resist a bleak northern industrial scene (see below), or something unexpected or irreverent, as I don’t like to take things too seriously. I also have a terrible sense of direction, so if someone asks me to make them a map I am inspired by that challenge.
Sarah Farooqi
What influence if any does North East England have in inspiring your work?
I grew up in Teesside and have fond memories of sketching at South Gare near Redcar. Home to the now ghosted blast furnace, at the time I loved peering through the railings and seeing the molten iron being poured into the trucks, and the architecture of the industrial landscape.
It was also right next to Paddy’s Hole with its fishermen’s huts and the North Sea. There is even a lighthouse at the end. Perfect! Now I live in Northumberland I am totally spoilt by the North Northumberland coastline, with its empty windswept beaches and fabulous castles, and even more lighthouses. The fact that Northumberland is a bit of a secret to many people is also quite appealing – I like to help celebrate it.
What has been your most challenging creation?
Definitely the Howick Hall visitor map, as it involved mapping previously unchartered territory, working with a range of different groups, and the sheer scale of the project. I painted it on a series of squares which when laid out wouldn’t fit in any of the rooms in my house!
Howick Hall Estate Map by Sarah Farooqi
Do you have any tips for up and coming artists?
Never give up, and if you feel overwhelmed by the possibilities/challenges, take a deep breath, start at the beginning and just keep going. To begin with there will be set backs, and you need to go through these in order to learn how everything works. Also, if you are trying to make a living from your art, try and remember to put the customer/buyer at the centre of your marketing so that you make it as easy as possible for people to see, understand and buy your work. Also, being an artist can be a little isolating, so make sure you make connections with people and get out and about. All the other artists I know are really nice people, and happy to help.
Whch other artists or photographers inspire you?
The Cornish fisherman and artist Alfred Wallis who started painting on bits of old cardboard at the age of 68. Arthur Rackham, the Victorian artist whose work includes my favourite illustrations for the Wind in the Willows. Tove Jansson, who wrote and illustrated the Moomins. The stories, symbols and patterns in aboriginal art are fascinating. I am also amazed by the photos of Iceland by Benjamin Hardman, who I’ve just started following on Instagram.
What are your ambitions for the future?
More commissioned work, more of my own work, maybe expand my portfolio from Northumbria into Yorkshire and beyond, and one day to have a fabulous studio. I’d also like to illustrate a children’s book.
