Press Release: Couple's Artwork Selling Itself - Designs now being used on mugs, tote bags and more
‘HARTLEPOOL railway station’s acclaimed artwork is now featured in a wide range of merchandise…’
Photo by Michael Grant of www.rainbowphoto.co.uk
‘HARTLEPOOL railway station’s acclaimed artwork is now featured in a wide range of merchandise.
Illustrator Abby Taylor created the 12 giant, vintage pictures with her partner Owen Smith last year.
Now council chiefs have secured funding to produce tote bags, tea towels, mugs and other items which are available at Hartlepool Art Gallery.
Abby said: “This was the start of my freelance career as the project got good traction and was the ideal springboard for me. It still feels so surreal to see the artwork we created on merchandise. We spent a long time working on them after our 9-5 jobs in the makeshift room while working on the dining table and a small desk on wheels till late.”
Abby and Owen graduated from Cleveland College of Art and Design/Northern School of Art in 2015. Abby worked as a graphic designer for two years whilst Owen became the Director at LemonTop Creative.
She continued: “I love hearing people say they bought something and how much the location means to them and how much they like the artwork. It never gets old and makes me smile every time. The artwork evokes memories for a lot of people and I love that so much. I think the items are beautiful and the quality is so nice, the pillows are faux velvet and the totes fully lined too.”
Selection of Hartlepool Merchandise. Photos by Michael Grant of www.rainbowphoto.co.uk
The artist is currently working on artwork in the vintage-style of locations in Newcastle in collaboration with For the Love of The North, which have two shops and an online store. She is also working on a handful of start-up businesses, including a dairy-free milkshake company. The Hartlepool artwork is on sale now at Hartlepool Art Gallery.’
- Article by journalist, Amie Slack of Hartlepool Life.
Further Reading:
Check out my latest blog post One Year On - New Products and Hartlepool Council Catch Up
Press Release: Hartlepool Borough Council Railway Station Artwork
Twelve bold new pieces of artwork have gone on display at Hartlepool railway station, the designs show popular Hartlepool landmarks.
Article by Hartlepool Mail:
”Twelve bold new pieces of artwork have gone on display at Hartlepool railway station.
The designs – by Cleveland College of Art and Design graduates Abigail Taylor and Owen Smith – show popular Hartlepool landmarks, including the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Greatham Beck, the Heugh Battery Museum and Hartlepool Marina. Abigail and Owen won the competition run by Hartlepool Council to create six pieces themed on key locations in Hartlepool-based on the hey-day of railway posters of the 1920s-1950s. Once they had won the competition the council commissioned them for a further six pieces.
“The new artwork looks great and provides a stunning welcome to the town. Hundreds of thousands of visitors pass through the station each year and this is a way to showcase some of the great attractions on offer in Hartlepool.”
Pictured (L-R) are Abigail Taylor, Owen Smith, Councillor Christopher Akers-Belcher and Francis Fitzgerald, from Cleveland College of Art & Design.
The artwork was also used as the backdrop for the general election in June 2017
Owen, 26, said: “We worked with our photographs and sketches of the areas to create rough collages, in pursuit of the scenic compositions of the golden age of railway poster art. “We were able to pin down some compositions right away, while others took shape organically as we worked.”
The pair remember very well the day they found out they had won the competition. Abigail said: “We were sat in a busy pub checking emails on my phone and suddenly I just flew up out of my seat and started whooping! “Of course, then I had to explain to the table of confused faces that we had won the railway art competition we’d been telling our friends about, and before we knew it, everybody was buying us shots to celebrate! Everybody was really pleased for us, then we had a wonky walk back to the station, smiling our faces o ff!” She added: “It feels very surreal to see the artwork up at the railway station in Hartlepool “The largest we’d seen the artwork until that point was as A3 printouts! I guess most of all we were just incredibly pleased to be giving something back.”
“Having studied for three years at CCAD’s Hartlepool campus, and graduating in 2015, we regard the town with a growing fondness and nostalgia! Hartlepool is a place of modest beauty that will always be special to us. It was a pleasure to revisit those locations we frequented throughout our studies, and to stand back now to admire the view. ”
Further Reading
Press Release, Hartlepool Life: Art Graduates on Right Track with Winning Designs
Press Release, Hartlepool Mail: New Artwork Brightens Hartlepool Train Station
Press Release, Northern Echo: New Artwork from CCAD Graduates on Display at Hartlepool Railway station
Blog Post: One Year On - New Products and Hartlepool Council Catch Up
Snowy Photo: photography by Jennifer Jayne Toothill (moonjenphotos) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonjenphotos/
