Award-winning artist Zoë Watson’s success is painted in the stars – and Didsbury
| 9th March 2018
Cheshire-based artist Zoë Watson, who won The Guardian Art Critic award in 2016, will be exhibiting her Galactic collection at The Parsonage Trust Gallery in Didsbury, Manchester, 1-22 April.
Known for her captivating paintings of the heavens and star constellations, Zoë has held a number of exhibitions in and around Manchester before including one at Portico Gallery, however this venue holds fond memories for the artist.
She said: I haven’t exhibited at this gallery before, alongside Turner paintings no less. My Father took me to see them as a child. Galleries are an enticing window especially to children.”
The exhibition consists of 12 original out-of-this-world paintings and is dedicated to Zoë’s late father Bryan Winship Watson, an artist and sculptor. All proceeds will be donated to The Parsonage Trust Gallery.
I hope to transport people to another world. A kind of escape from reality so we can see our significance in the world by observing the vast beauty of the universe.”
The Turner paintings played a great influence in inspiring Zoë to want to create pictures of the sky and above.
Last year, Zoë was praised for her imaginative piece for the Phoenix Post, a charity ran by Dr Sara Payne MBE and Shy Keenan, delivering Emotional Health Services and drug-free Civilian Post Traumatic Stress management tools..
In 2000, Sara’s eight-old-daughter Sarah was abducted, raped and murdered by a known paedophile.
At the same time Shy had already set up and was voluntarily running Phoenix Survivors to help those affected by Operation Phoenix 2000, Merseyside police investigation/conviction of a paedophile network that abused many children , one of those children was Shy.
The picture represented both Dr Payne and Keenan as female silhouettes coming out of the flames.
.@ZoeWatsonArtist Your talent is simply breathtaking, we can't wait to share it, thank you so much for this Zoë :0) S&S xx
— Dr Sara Payne MBE (@DrSaraPayneMBE) March 2, 2017
The exhibition is open 1-22 April, seven days a week, 9.30am-5pm, at The Old Parsonage, Stenner Lane, Manchester, M20 2RQ. There is also a chance to meet the artist on Sunday 8 April 1-3pm.
For more information on Zoë go to: zoewatsonartist.com
For more details on The Phoenix Post click here.