Kaleidoscope Interview! Redefining Success: Art and Identity in the North East

As part of our diversity theme, I’ll be focusing on geographical diversity and how it affects the North East as a whole as well as our Stockton, Middlesbrough area. This is demonstrated through the discrimination and often self-inflicted ridicule by and surrounding northerners - accents, stereotypes and even nicknames such as ‘smoggies’ being used for the people of Stockton and Middlesbrough due to the industrial revolution taking over the area with smoke. This often diminishes the natural aspects that make up the landscapes that people have become so accustomed to, that they lose their charm.

This is why I personally believe Abby and Owen represent our area and capture the artistic potential behind its environment and scenery. In addition, Abby+Owen strongly contradict the ideology that ‘London is everything’ because our own local areas can hold many kinds of art, big cities may be a hub of life and art, as well as inspiration, but art exists everywhere and it's up to us to appreciate it.

The dynamic duo first met in college when they both studied graphic design and later on progressed to university together after graduating from the Northern School of Art which then was known as the Cleveland College of Art & Design, therefore studying for a total of five years. Before this, Abby attended Ian Ramsey, having Mrs Barnfather as her graphics teacher to support and push Abby to pursue a career in the arts, setting an example for artists our age to be proud of where they are from. Then, in their words they “began to map out our future in pencil, leaving plenty of room to doodle in the margins.

A big part of their career -individually and with each other- has been doing the artwork for Hartlepool train station, after winning the commission they had been a couple for 11 years and owning a successful business together, I reached out to them after inquiring with the school about alumni, and asked them some questions.

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What inspired you to initiate your creative career?
For me, pursuing a creative career was the most logical and natural path, not to mention the most enjoyable. The allure of self-employment lay in its flexibility and the autonomy it provided over my work, allowing me to avoid the repetition and mundanity often found in some design jobs. Owen, who has been passionate about art since he was young, always envisioned a career in the arts. Despite his natural talent, he finds overly structured environments challenging due to his ADHD. The freedom to set his own schedule and choose projects that genuinely inspire him has been a key factor in his decision to pursue self-employment as a creative.

What would your dream project look like?
It's wonderful to acknowledge that we've been a part of so many projects that felt like dream projects, such as giant murals for our town centre and illustrating a wonderful book. Looking to the future, I’d love to expand our print shop and create more amazing murals.

What meaning do you want your art to portray?
Our artwork, which includes North-East themed scenes of landmarks, murals, posters, illustrations for kids, and illustrated maps, generally reflects our ethos on the importance of community, instilling local pride, and celebrating cultural landmarks and beautiful scenes within the Tees Valley.

Do you think living in the North-East has limited your opportunities as an artist? Why or why not?
I don't believe it has limited us, but rather focused us. The only experience I can speak on is my own… you'd have to clone me and place her down south to see if an alternative-reality Abby would get more opportunities! I do think there's a certain underappreciated value in the North. We're resilient, supportive of each other, and strong in adversity. We’re firm believers in making your own luck. ‘Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity’ as the Roman Philosopher Seneca liked to put it. There are loads of opportunities in the North-East, you just have to be prepared to pitch in for them when they come up, and to know where to look for them. This also means having a physical or digital portfolio at the ready.

London is the creative hub of the UK. What does the North East have that London doesn’t? The North East of England contrasts London with its unique blend of cultural heritage, close-knit community spirit, and affordability. Unlike London's daunting scale and competition, the North East offers a more accessible and collaborative creative scene. This environment allows artists, designers, and creators to form supportive networks, share resources, and gain visibility in a way that feels more personal and less commercialised. Teesside’s unique history and landscapes also offer a rich source of inspiration, influencing a diverse range of art, music, literature, and design.

What advice would you give to young people in the North East looking to venture into the creative world? The Northern School of Art was a crucial resource for us, enriched by its tutors, facilities, and the vibrant community. The lifelong connections we made there have been pivotal to our careers. This institution is a must for anyone forging a creative career. Additionally, for those aspiring to be artists, the advice is simple: MAKE ART! Remember, your taste will evolve faster than your skill, so practise patience and self-encouragement over perfectionism — persistence is your friend and a true test.

Overall the feedback that I have received from these questions is proof in itself that even though geographical diversity can affect careers, you shouldn’t let it. I truly believe that Abby and Owen represent what it means to be proud of your background and inspire teenagers to not limit themselves due to other’s opinions.

Written by Hollie Matthews and copyedited by Eli Pearce

View the full Kaleidoscope magazine here: https://www.ianramsey.org.uk/kaleidoscope-magazine-april-2024/

Nostalgic Talk for Abby at Bowesfield Primary School

A few weeks ago I visited my old Primary School (Bowesfield Primary School) ...it was such a highlight! I got asked to come in for Career Day to talk about my life in illustration, as one half of the creative duo "Abby+Owen". I talked about self-employment, working to your own schedule, selling artwork, creating murals, and exploring some of the ways that art is invaluable to our community.

Over 100 children wanted to come to the talk, and were bursting with excitement and questions! We touched on all sorts of stuff and I tried to be super honest about everything.

I was asked about making mistakes, comparing yourself to others, happiness, the challenges I face as a creative, and how often I draw. We also touched on my favourite anime (Death Note & Chobits), what I drew as a kid (Fairies, mermaids, animals, landscapes, intricate scenes) and "how do you know if you are an artist?" Hint: If you create and express yourself, then you are an artist. You can start calling yourself one right away...there is no gatekeeper!

I met some of my old teachers and they were just the same friendly, lovely people they were when I was at school. I even met my oldest school friend afterwards...we met at a corner shop we used to go to for sweets, and had a walk in the park because it was a nice day.

Chatting to the children, and seeing so much of my younger self in them, was a moving and nostalgic experience. I had some amazing conversations and interactions, but it's impossible to sum up!

Digital Duo up for Tees Tech Awards double

‘The first finalists have been named for the third annual Tees Tech Awards, with Abby+Owen and Sencode Cyber Security both shortlisted for two awards.

A Tees Business event in association with DigitalCity and Middlesbrough Digital, the Tees Tech Awards 2022 take place at Hardwick Hall Hotel on Thursday, April 28.

Nearly 90 entries and nominations came in across the 11 categories, with sponsors now announcing their choices for the final three for each award.

Stockton-based creative duo Abby+Owen are in the final three for both the Small Digital Business of the Year and Best Digital Project/Campaign.

Based in Middlesbrough and providing digital security solutions against the threat of cybercrime, Sencode Cyber Security are shortlisted with Abby+Owen in the Small Business category and are also finalists for the Digital Newcomer award.

Each day this week the finalists in two categories are being revealed on Tees Business social media platforms, after which five sponsors will independently score the finalists in each category, with the winners only revealed on the night of the awards.

The finalists so far are:

Digital Transformation
Sponsored by Azets
Cornerstone Visual Media Solutions
Mersen
Lemon Contact Centre

Digital Newcomer
Sponsored by Vistech Services
SeerBI
Sencode Cyber Security
Constantine Media

Small Digital Business of the Year
Sponsored by Jacksons Law Firm
Abby+Owen
Sencode Cyber Security
Juiced

Best Digital Project/Campaign
Sponsorship available
Abby+Owen
Tascomp
Vianet Group


Article written by Dave Allan for Tees Business Magazine
Link to original article

North-East Statues interview with Abby

‘Zak Newton’s George & Dragon mural was in a bit of state when Abby Taylor (one half of creative duo Abby+Owen) was commissioned to restore it. I interviewed her via email to talk about the work she did.

Restoring a mural is always a controversial project, because it involves covering the work of the original artist. However, if nothing is done the mural is simply lost forever. I think the approach taken here – protecting the original by installing the reimagined version on top – is a sensitive and sensible solution.

Of course, I will be doing an article on Zak Newton’s original (as well as his other works in Stockton) but am currently trying to find more information about the man and his work. If you knew Zak, or have any information about his works, please get in touch at northeaststatues@gmail.com or leave a message.

All images were provided by Abby, thank you to her for her time and invaluable help.

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Could you tell me a bit about how you got involved with the mural?

Owen and I live in Stockton and absolutely adore The Green Dragon Yard, it’s so rich with history and charm, we’ve always loved the mural but time hasn’t been kind to it and it has deteriorated a lot in recent years. The restoration was released in 2019, this was when I was starting the business and waiting for it to be sustainable enough for Owen to join, which he did in 2020. 

The idea was initiated by Jason Maxwell at Stockton BID. He wanted to restore it and make it a proud feature of the yard once more. The installation was done by Trendsetters.

The mural was originally created for the Georgian courtyard by local artist Zak Newton who passed away in 2013 but left behind a legacy of commemorative murals across the town. We don’t know much about him, we asked around at the pub and he was a regular at The Green Dragon which is a Sam Smith’s pub, and they must have come up with the idea and commissioned him.

We wanted to protect the mural underneath, so the new piece is directly on top and installed in a way that it doesn’t damage what’s underneath and should protect it from deteriorating any further, or at least slow it down.

The piece was a fun challenge, there are so few photos of the mural we looked high and low in archives to find out what the wording above used to say so I could get it as accurate as possible. Also parts were completely worn away such as St George’s face, so creating his face was challenging. This was also an opportunity to better signpost the yard by including the text, Green Dragon Yard, which is a beautiful courtyard of repurposed historic warehouses and Georgian alleyways and houses the Green Dragon Studios, Green Dragon Pub and the newly renovated Georgian Theatre.

I carefully redrew the mural using a digital drawing tablet and added texture to the piece as well, trying to get a colour match for what the colours used to be like, and using a little bit of artistic license here and there, in particular to include the flag under the ‘And Peace Shall Rain!’ so it made the piece as one.’

See original article here: https://northeaststatues.com/2022/04/08/george-dragon-mural-restored-stockton-on-tees-abby-taylor-after-zak-newton-2019/

'Yeah! Let’s Do That' Getting into the Spirit of Play for Book Design

The Whippet Up team use art and creativity as a way of working with people to improve wellbeing. They were looking to publish a book, "Yeah! Let's Do That", to capture some of the fun and joyful mess that they created with a group of under 5s and their parents over the past two years. They needed a cover design that would capture the spirit of the book perfectly, encouraging parents to play, make and invent with their kids. They also needed help with the layout, as well as creating a total cohesive feel and typographic style for the interior.

What better way to encapsulate “Yeah! Let’s Do That” than to follow the children’s lead when designing the front cover design? We really got into the spirit of play, incorporating cardboard, string, fabric, paint, card, bubble wrap and the great outdoors... we even baked a letter ‘T’ out of pastry! Each of the letters was inspired by activities throughout the book. The result is a bold title graphic that couldn’t be more apt for this project, nor less corporate! Finally, the scratch-built rocket, which appeared in one of the photos from Whippet Up, seemed too perfect not to incorporate.

“Yeah! let’s do that” was shouted back at the Whippet Up team whenever they took up ideas from the children. "We were artists on a creative journey," said Jane, "looking at how the imagination and creativity of under 5s could shape the way we work."

The book is packed with activity ideas for kids and adults to enjoy together, and we needed to create order out of that joyful chaos with a consistent style. Jane Cuthbert's illustrations are beautifully complemented by the custom lettering, and one of the fonts was even designed by a five-year-old and converted into a font, which we used in the book!

The book was published through Tees Valley Arts with the support of The Ragdoll Foundation, (who produced the Teletubbies!). The photos are all used happily with the permission of parents.

Whippet Up recommend us for 'Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness and Value' and had this to say about working with us:

“We would like to thank you for all your hard work in pulling the book together. It has been an absolute delight to work with you, your attitude, skills and creativity have shone through throughout the project. The book looks absolutely fantastic! I hope we get the chance to work together again soon and if anyone asks us for any recommendations for design and illustration work we will certainly point them in your direction.””

— Jane Cuthbert, Whippet Up

How Environmentally Friendly are our Products?

We are passionate about delivering the highest quality fine art prints and we are committed to quality. However, it's just as important to us that our print shop is as eco-friendly, and resource-saving, as possible. We take all the steps we possibly can to make this a reality.

The Archival Paper that is used for our prints is made of the highest quality raw materials. The paper is ethically sourced from renewable forests and FSC certified, FSC certification ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits. The individual paper can be traced back to the original forest. The paper we use is tested for UV resistance, so your artwork will continue to look amazing over time.

Our postcards and envelopes that the postcards come in are all FSC certified too, our stickers we use on our envelopes are unfortunately not from renewable resources, so have to be put into general waste.

The plastic sleeves that our prints are shipped out in are compostable. Compostable plastics are the next generation of plastics- they come from renewable materials and break down through composting. Compostable plastics are non-toxic and decompose back into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass.

The envelopes we package our prints in are paper-based, with no plastic and are easily recyclable. We also use a water-based 'Fragile' stamp on our envelopes. Water-based ink is much more gentle on the environment than plastisol ink. It simply doesn't contain any of the toxic chemicals of its plastisol counterparts.

We tape our prints to the centre of the envelope to prevent any corners from being bashed. We use washi tape for this, which is an eco-friendly alternative to plastic adhesive tape. Washi tape is an adhesive tape made from traditional Japanese paper. It is biodegradable and can be made from different kinds of tree or plant fibre. The adhesive side is made from natural rubber adhesive.