Oriel Ynys Môn Welcomes Major Exhibition

On Saturday, 11th March, Oriel Ynys Môn will be launching a major solo exhibition by artist Alan Knight. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The exhibition called, From Field, Farm and Sea, will run from the 11th of March to the 23rd April and will feature paintings of Anglesey’s landscape. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Alan was born in Swinton, Salford in 1947, where art and music were his passion. In the late 1960’s he formed an acoustic comedy Jug Band which became The Brownsville Jug Band. In 1969 the members of the band all left their day jobs to become professional musicians and to open a popular folk club in central Manchester. Jasper Carrot, became their agent in the 1970’s and arranged many gigs for them with artists as diverse as Billy Fury, Spike Milligan, John Cooper Clarke, Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger and the Troggs. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By 1979, Alan began to drift more into his painting, and attended an Art Course at Salford University. He has always painted in oils and similar to Kyffin Williams he applies the paint thickly on to the canvas with a palette knife. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

In 2003 he joined Vernon Mill Artists in Stockport, a collective of over 50 artists. From here he has had many successful solo exhibitions and his work has appeared in various publications including The Artist Magazine, Cheshire Life, The Edge and the Landscape Magazine. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

His studio was featured in the TV programme Inside Out, which showed artists working from mills in the North West. He also had an appearance on the first series of Show Me the Monet where artists work was subject to the scrutiny of three London Critics ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Alan and his wife moved to Anglesey in 2014, having holidayed here many times. He states “I have always been a landscape painter and Anglesey gives me more than enough subject matter with its varying coastline and unspoilt exterior populated with scattered farms and villages. When I first visited Oriel Ynys Môn, I was very impressed by its interior layout, especially the space afforded by the Kyffin Williams Gallery, I am extremely pleased to have this major exhibition in the Main Gallery with 50 new paintings of Anglesey” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Oriel Ynys Môn is open daily between 10.30am and 5.00pm and admission is free. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​