2 THE  ART OBSERVER Inside this issue 2 Works of Art are Lifeline during Recession Burnley Football Club 3 My Favourite Painting UKFast. Art in the Workplace 4 Art at Withington Girls’ School Playing the Part... For Art 5 Art in Archaeology 6-7 11 Questions for Hideyuki Sobue 8 Win Tickets to Buy Art Fair, Manchester 9 Didsbury Arts Festival 2009 The Work of Eva Hamilton-Fisher 10-11 Darren Baker: The Artist chosen to paint the Queens’s Portrait for her 85th Birthday 12 Profile of an Art Collector Winifred Nicholson Event 13 Two Days in the Life of Stephen Snoddy 14-15 The Cornish Link 16 Debbie Goldsmith - From City to Country 17-18 Exhibition & Book Reviews 19 Whats On Cont. from Page 1 DURING THE  last ten years Liam Spencer has been an extraordi- narily successful artist. Since the year 2000 his popularity has continued to increase and it became a foregone conclusion that every solo show would be a sell-out. In May of this year, in the midst of a recession, Liam Spencer held his fifth solo exhi- bition at the Wendy Levy Gallery in Didsbury. During the run-up to the exhibition there was no daring to anticipate the usual foregone conclusion. There need not have been any doubt that the recession would not be strong enough to break the bond between the artist and his collectors. As soon as the catalogues, which illustrated all forty two framed works of art, were delivered through the clients’ letterboxes the telephone began to ring at the gallery and continued to ring until more than two thirds of the exhibition was sold - even before the preview, and before anyone had seen an actual paint- ing. Once the exhibition opened the work continued to sell, including a number of unframed works that had not appeared in the catalogue, and by the end of the show only a handful of paintings remained. This, in a recession, is a success story by anyone’s standards. Wendy Levy believes that works of art have continued to be pop- ular because they have offered people a lifeline during the recession. Many of her clients have not been happy to leave their hard earned cash sitting in the banks reaping zero interest. If they couldn’t make their money work for them they wanted, at least, to gain some pleasure from it. Wendy believes that during hard times people want something to brighten their days to help them through the doom and gloom. “What better way than to acquire a work of art, providing a tangible asset that will give infinite pleasure as well as a degree of pride in owning it and icing on the cake should it increase in value. I have indulged my own desire to add to my private collection and will continue to do so as and when funds permit.” “As our government is keen to tell us that the way out of recession is to start spending, this sounds like a very good idea. It’s got to be better than a few nights of drowning your sorrows, when all you’ve then got to show for an empty pocket is nothing more than a ghastly hangover. The feel good factor is what we need during times such as these. Art doesn’t have to cost a fortune; it can be bought at any level to suit any pocket and it can enhance your life as well as your home.” Make art your lifeline! THE  ART  OBSERVER Editor Features Wendy Levy    Gaynor Lloyd, Jonathan Drage, Laura Turley, Kelly Moralee, Sarah Cunningham, Kate Owen Molly Byrne Robinson, Lucy Thompson Advertising Lesley Brush, Business Generation Mobile Number 07815 207609 Published by Wendy J Levy Contemporary Art Ltd 17 Warburton Street, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6WA Tel/Fax 0161 446 4880 Email: wendy@wendyjlevy-art.com www.wendyjlevy-art.com Printed by Print4Manchester Design and Artwork by Richard Clare © Wendy J Levy Contemporary Art Ltd THE  ART  OBSERVER WELCOME  to the sixth issue of The Art Observer. We hope you find it of interest and would welcome your feedback by contacting: news@wendyjlevy-art.com August 2009 By Liam Spencer I was ten years old when I began to visit Turf Moor regularly to watch Burnley Football Club, then playing in the top division of English football. In August I’ll be sat alongside my two sons, watching Burnley play top flight football again for the first time in 33 years. It’s been a long and bumpy road for the club during that period. Seasons in the lower divisions, followed by a last match escape from the ignominy of relegation from the Football league in 1987. But now, miraculously they’re back. As money has become increa- singly important for success in foot- ball, small town clubs have found it increasingly difficult to compete. Burnley will be the smallest town ever represented in the Premiership and, as journalists like to point out, the whole population of the town could fit inside Old Trafford. Football is an aesthetic experience. The finest of all arts - if Eric Cantona is to be believed. Coming up the stairs to see a bright green floodlit pitch and a stadium full of fans is a real treat for the eyes as well as the heart and soul. I’ve made a few football related pain- tings over the years, both inside and outside stadiums. Night matches have inspired me the most. I’m a sucker for the glow of floodlights and burger bars against an inky blue sky. Like most of my work I’ve concentrated on light and atmosphere rather than detail. I certainly don’t think of them as documentation. Anyone trying to count twenty two players on the pitch is going to be disappointed! BURNLEY FOOTBALL CLUB Burnley football club is very dear to the hearts of its residents, and promotion to the Premier League has provided a real boost for the whole area. It’s going to be a rocky ride and Burnley are the bookies’ favourites for relegation. But they surprised everyone last season, including me, beating five Premiership teams in cup competitions and winning promotion at Wembley in front of over 80,000 spectators, 36,000 of whom had made the trip from Burnley. Whatever happens, it has been an incredible achievement and an experience to savour. Limited edition prints of Turf Moor can be obtained from The Wendy Levy Gallery, Warburton Street, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6WA www.wendyjlevy-art.com Telephone: 0161 446 4880 Bury New Road Lower Mosley Street Square at Twilight Turf Moor