COP26 Climate Conference exhibiting artist Mark Weighton, painter and printer Ian Mowforth and respected plein air artist Alan Streets are just three of the artists showing works in a special exhibition at The Lightbox in Woking next week.
Replacing Kitty: An Exhibition of Canal Artwork runs from Tuesday, 22nd February, to Sunday, 6th March, featuring pieces by a whole host of artists inspired by the waterway.
Mark Weighton, who also teaches at Cranleigh School, hit the headlines recently when his major sculpture installation Burnt Wood featured at the UN COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow last year.
Alan Streets was the subject of a double Academy Award-winning film ‘My name is Alan and I Paint Pictures’, and Ian Mowforth was actually the person to raise the idea of an exhibition following the success of his work at Great Dixter House & Gardens, where an exhibition raised money for the Great Dixter Charitable Trust.
He was introduced to the Basingstoke Canal during a visit to friends in Woking and mooted the idea of an exhibition to raise funds for the Basingstoke Canal Society’s plans to replace the ageing canal trip boat, Kitty.
Now the Society is preparing for the doors to open on a diverse selection of artworks showcasing the styles and skill of 19 talented artists, including members of the Woking Art Society and Cobham Art Group.
Brenda Ord, Carla Scarano D’Antonio, Charles Duncan Twigg, Christopher Wright, Diana Uzun, Ingrid Skoglund, Stephen Kinder, Zoe Devika Navarre, Diana Philips, Tinx Newton, Liz Seward, Julia Jacs, Thinesh Thirugnanasampanthar, RG Best, Dodie Shariff and Natalie Eliasz complete the line-up.
Woking MP Jonathan Lord will formally open the exhibition at 11am on Tuesday 22nd February, while Replacing Kitty: An Exhibition of Canal Artwork will be open to visitors between 10.30am and 5pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 11am to 4pm on Sundays.
Entry is free, with a suggested donation of £3 going to the Basingstoke Canal Society.
Every artwork on display is available to buy at auction, giving fans of particular pieces or artists the chance to take a much-loved original and unique artwork home to enjoy forever! Buyers can make their bid at https://app.galabid.com/kitty
All proceeds from the go to the Basingstoke Canal Society project to replace its ageing canal trip boat, Kitty.
A new, solar-electric canal trip boat and installation of electric charging points along the canal in Woking will cost around £200,000 in total. The Society has already raised in excess of £100,000 towards this total.
For further information please email:
Lisa Taylor, press officer, at lisa.taylor@basingstoke-canal.org.uk
Gren Gale, fundraising, at gren.gale@basingstoke-canal.org.uk