Three Counties Art Bash: 30 Years of Creative Magic Unleashed!

The Three Counties Open Art Exhibition is currently taking place at Fenton Town Hall in Stoke-on-Trent, and it will run until 29 August. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the exhibition, which brings together artists from Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Shropshire. More than 140 artists are participating, making it a significant event for the region. The hall is filled with paintings and sculptures, all arranged on white panels and plinths so visitors can easily view the artwork.

This year, the exhibition received a record number of submissions, with 308 pieces sent in by artists. Organisers say it is the largest display of artwork in the event's history. Kerry Jones, from ArtsKeele at Keele University, said the quality and variety of the work on display show the strength of artistic talent across the three counties. The exhibition features a wide range of creative work, including painting, printmaking, drawing, photography, sculpture, and textiles. Artists of all ages, from 16 to 91, are showing their work, which adds to the diversity of the exhibition.

One of the artists featured is Emily Galvin-Wilson, who became Staffordshire's first female Poet Laureate in 2017. Emily said her introduction to art was not straightforward. She struggled with realism at school and was not encouraged to develop her artistic side. Later, she discovered watercolour painting as a hobby and often used it alongside her poetry. Her piece on display, 'Take Me Out To Sea,' is a mixed media abstract work created as a response to music through synaesthesia. After having her daughter, Emily found it difficult to find large blocks of time to make art, so she curated short playlists to create an atmosphere and completed her piece in bursts over several weeks. Another artist, Laurel Gallagher, is a former secondary school art teacher who now works under the name Feral State. She is exhibiting a self-portrait diptych, a digital photograph. Laurel said art has always helped her through periods of change in her life. The exhibition is a celebration of creativity and talent, offering visitors a chance to see a wide variety of art and meet artists from the region.