I visited Nottingham Contemporary yesterday morning Sat 14th March and really experienced an inspiring few hours downstairs, with over 30 stalls by independent artists, designers and collectives from the city and all over the UK. It continues today Sunday from 11am to 5pm so I really recommend you to go visit if you have the chance. Talking to several exhibitors I discovered many were from Scotland, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Yorkshire. This is Contemporary’s first Print Fair and I predict they will repeat it annually over the following years.
Above are photos of a number of artists and print makers I spoke to. Those I spoke at length to were Nancy Powers (Original hand-printed lino cuts), Leicester Print Workshop, Canadian Geri Coady (Geri Draws Japan), Peter Knight of The Common Press, Crich, Benjamin at Dizzy Ink now at The Carousel 25 Hockley, and Todd Allan Stewart, Montreal Illustrator currently visiting from Dundee for this print fair.
I treated myself to this fantastic print of Montreal street (above) by Todd Stewart toddallanstewart.com Wow! I love your artwork and printmaking Todd. Wonderful to talk with you and about your creative journey from Winnipeg to Montreal to Dundee. Being a qualified architect and urban planning expert, which I have just discovered about you this morning from your website, I now see how you have become a master illustrator of children’s books and editorial. As said to you, I hope you enjoy walking around and looking up at our fantastic city centre & Lace Market architecture tomorrow morning. Being an art tourism expert and promoter, I would love to know how our architecture affects and inspires you.
I’m also currently writing a series of small children’s books (already recorded as diaries with photographs) - The Adventures of Tag and Miss Zippy - based on Tag, my English wire haired fox terrier (with sticky up ears like Tin Tin’s Snowy) and our explorations and adventures together in regional areas of England and Wales. So they will also become small tourism aids for each visited area. See my framed photo below with representational fine painting (actual) by Daniel Rose in pocket fob and my 'bible' Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2020.
At 12.00 I ambled down to another Wow! venue - https://www.yamas.co.uk/ on Thurland Street, Nottingham - to meet up with my InterNations group for superb Greek traditional Tapas & Meze. After two hours there and upon leaving, the restaurant was packed out and people queuing at the door to be seated. I thoroughly recommend this place for superb food and service. Bravo Yamas! Such an enjoyable lunch with international friends who had travelled from Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire. At 2.00 pm, I drove back home to Beeston and rested reflecting on what an awesome morning I had experienced. Marysia Zipser events@artculturetourism.co.uk