Art Galleries 2026:

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During the holidays I visited many Art Galleries mainly in the Greater Manchester Area. My Aim with these visits was to imrpove my knowledge of different art styles in all areas ahead of my Year 13 Graphic design project and also diversify my consumption of art which has up until now only been through online services and through school trips.

the following is a collection of my faveroite art pieces from each art gallery i visited with added context describing why i like the art piece, what it is about and how it makes me feel personally.

Gallery 1: The Drawing Board,Wrexham (24th August 2026)

	This was the first art gallery i visited, a small local art gallery located in the heart of Wrexham the drawing board caught my eye as it specialised in local craft I think supporting and exposing local art and by extension local artists is extremley important especially in towns/cities the size of Wrexham which is by no means a small place lacking in culture and identity when compared to bigger places such as a Manchester or a London it pales in comparison. Therefore, it is important to make sure that places like Wrexham still have a thriving and active art scene and visiting local galleries like this one is a great way to showcase such art scene.
	After walking into the gallery this image stood out to me the most so i felt i had to take a picture of it. This artwork is titeled "Miles" and is an Oil on Canvas original artpeice by Gavin Edge, and is a painting of the infamous trumpeter Miles Davis who is depected playing his titular trumpet his stance and expression is reminiciant of his look on the cover of his 1959 album ‘Kind of Blue’. My favourite detail in this image is the detail of the lighting reflecting off Davis’s face. There is a clear line from which the light originates and the way in which the line interacts with Davis’ face is incredibly well incorporated and appears as if it would in real life. I also feel the colours of this painting and the natural look of oil paints whilst maybe not intentional make the painting feel similar to the grain and cool colours of 50s and early 60s video. From a distance this could appear as if it was a real photo of a Miles Davis concert from this time, which is only a complement to the talent of Gavin Edge in mimicking photography through paint.
	This artwork titled “This is Wrexham” by Rebel Dragon Designs a family company based in Wales’s North East who describe themselves as “dedicated to creating designs that support and encourage people to use the Welsh language in every possible situation”. This artwork stood out to me as I made a similar piece during my GCSE project my work inspired by Stanley Donwood’s work on the Album Cover for Radiohead’s album ‘Hail to the Thief’ consisted of an outline of our High School grounds filled in with photographs I took of words located around the school. The intention with this artwork was to show what life in the school was like as described by the signs located around the grounds. This artwork uses a similar idea instead the outline is that of Wrexham county Borough with the words inside being the names of local places accompanied by local landmarks. This artwork was a part of a display in the drawing board focusing on celebrating the city of Wrexham and promoting what the area means to you, in the case of Rebel Dragon Designs Wrexham was about the community and celebrating the different areas of this region. I think this is a very effective and powerful way of showing the identity of Wrexham as as many places as could fit were accounted for and displayed on this map showing that everyone who lives here no matter who they are are all bound together by location which should be celebrated.
	This artwork is titled “Be Happy” by Lucy Price the painting is made using Acrylics sadly at the time i didn't think to check what the chips were made out of but they look to be paper the has been painted and folded in such a way to appear chiplike. This artpeice stood out to me as it is 3D and incredibly eyecatching, I really enjoy the texturing of the seafoam and how that transitions into the sea proper. Furthermore, the texturing of the seagull’s feathers are detailed and on closer inspection appear to be more thought out and arranged than atleast I first thought when looking at it. The gradient from the tail to the belly to the neck from the white the yellow and orange and back to white is really beautiful and mimics the real life colour scheme of a bird extremely effectively. Additionally the wispy gradient of the sky and clouds that makes up the background also appears to be unexpectedly methodical as the strokes transitions from a light blue to white and then to a deeper blue. Another reason I was able to both appreciate and resonate with this image is the message that accompanies which reads “Be as Happy as a Seagull With Chips” which i think is an incredibly simple and effective saying promoting happiness but also i feel has a hidden message urging onlookers not to overthink things like this burning this emotion down to the simplicity of a Seagull who needs only chips to be happy.
	This artwork is titled "Marilyn Monroe Meets an Alien” by Emily Clavies This artwork stood out compared to others i think due to its colours which make the image pop. The darks of red, black and green which make up the foreground allow the lighter yellow and white to pop additionally the simple colouring makes the image simple to look at not that necessarily busy artwork is a bad thing a lot of art work in this gallery and others that I enjoy could be described as busy but in a river of busy and vibrant artwork this stood out as a simpler work of art. I also think the absurdity of this art piece makes me appreciate it more as it depicts Marilyn Monroe meeting an Alien as if it were an everyday occurrence. Upon researching if there was a reason behind this artwork I was surprised to find that there is a real conspiracy theory suggesting that marilyn monroe really met aliens whilst experts say there is no proof that Monroe did interact with extraterrestrials the theory is popular enough to where a documentary which compiled archive footage to describe the theory realised in 2024 titled “Aliens Uncovered: Marylin Monroe Exposed” directed and written by prolific alien conspiracy film maker Clive Christopher. The film currently has a 6.2 starts out of 10 on IMDB
	This artwork is uncredited and is part of a larger board of square artworks that show what Wrexham means to the artist, I chose to focus on this one square as I felt its message to be the most poignant of them all, echoing the messages of all of Wales with the proud statement of “Yma o Hyd” directly translating from Welsh as “Still Here” which has been used as a sort of slogan for not only the Welsh language but Welsh culture and identity in the face of dwindling pride in the country and its language. This phrase rose to a prominence never before seen during Wales’s appearance at the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar where the national team were cheered on by the adoring fans chanting the full phrase “Ry’n ni yma o hyd” adding a We’re onto the still here adapted from the 1983 song by Dafydd Iwan “Yma o Hyd” Wales’s Group Stage grouping with England ignited a stronger passion in the fans who were motivated to beat their local rivals on the world stage. Therefore, I think this art piece shows the Welsh Peoples undying commitment to keeping their country in the limelight. Wrexham acts as a microcosm for this greater Welsh sentiment especially due to the recent success its local football team has enjoyed.
	These Photographs by Abbie Robbinson focus on architecture in differnt locations in Tokyo the first being taken in Asakusa and the second in Minato City. The First photograph titeled "Five-Storied Pagoda" captures the well known Five Story Pagoda located at the Sensō-ji Temple in Asakusa. The Pagodas location in the center of the frame draws the eye towards it and natural splits the image into thirds. The Pagoda is also imposing and dominates the frame Robbinson's attention to detail in her photography manages to capture the scope of the pagoda. Whilst a more conventional way of photographing this pagoda would be to move further away to fit it in the frame instead Robinson chooses to capture it from a low angle. This helps make the Pagoda appear more grand and imposing. This is also the angle you would be looking at the Pagoda from if you were visiting it yourself. This photograph appears as if you are looking through somebody's eyes instead of the lens of the camera and does a great job of capturing the feeling of standing in front of such a structure. Furthermore, the other photograph also taken by Robinson captures the Shinbashi Railway Arches this is another photograph that experiments with the rule of thirds. The train making up one third, the road making up another and the shops completing the piece. I also find it interesting that the road is not a straight line if it were we would be able to see right the way down it but instead the road slowly curves to the right and out of shot in tandem with the train which creates a natural horizon line. Robinson has not interfered with these images instead the composition is naturally framed by the architecture of the city and many different techniques can be outlined again naturally, you can also draw a diagonal line down the image which splits the light from the dark, I think all this natural framing really makes the image stand out and stay in your head as there is so much to look into and understand.
	This mixed media collage is credited to Diane Reynolds and is tilted ‘Sundance’ the artwork uses a collection of Space themed cutouts mixed with what I assume to be Hindi artwork to create a truly unmissable piece of art that you just have to stop and look at to really understand what is going on here. The collage tells the story of the Sun dancing for the planets bringing light and joy to them. The sun is often characterised as an authoritative figure that is both stern but also joyful which I think reflects on the sun's ability to light the sky and bring us happiness but also burn us and cause terror upon us. This collage depicts the sun as a dancer who brings light to the planets which is a depiction I have not seen before.
	This is a pastel piece by Steve Williamson titled Helter-Skelter. The painting depicts a simple scene of a group of children looking towards a Helter-Skelter at some sort of fair. On Williamses Website he describes the painting outlining how he loves the bright colours of the painting which I agree with and I think those bright colours mixed with the hazy look of the pastel make the painting feel dreamlike or like a memory which is matched by the description Williams gives on the event describing it as ‘yesteryear’. The vibrant colours and the hazy presentation can't help but draw nostalgia for a time that I didn't experience myself being the 50s and 60s which can be seen through art of the time which is a style I adore. I also appreciate the effort and attention to detail into making each child seem distinctive in the way they are reacting to the sight of a Helter-Skelter. Some children appear mesmerised by the towering structure whilst others seem interested yet cautious which really shows the different characteristics that children can have. This painting manages to tell an interesting yet shallow story but still I am able to be encapsulated by it for far longer than most paintings I have seen.
	This oil painting by Keith Evans is titled ‘Pen Bwch Point’ a popular spot for photography and painting in North Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. Admittedly and this is more of a compliment to the artistic talent of Keith Evans from afar I thought this was a photograph but instead just an incredibly well made Painting of the rocks and the waves. I think the simplicity of this painting is the most striking part whilst other artwork made about Penn Bwch Point and its surrounding areas focus on the immense natural beauty of the area. This one painting focuses on a rock formation that could realistically be anywhere in the entire UK. I do not know Keith Evans or his reasoning for painting these particular rocks but whilst they could exist anywhere, these particular rocks only exist here in Pen Bwch Point nowhere else in the world has this specific rock formation and this painting really focuses on the small beauty that all beaches are different and no matter where you go you will see something different.