Carys Anne Hughes

An interview with Carys Anne Hughes about the exhibition Self. This exhibition included works from Carys Anne Hughes, Nicola Billington and Christine Evans.

How did it come about to do the exhibition together?

Me and Nicki have been working on this theme for about 18 months. We have already shown this work in the Brindley in Runcorn and in the Turnpike gallery in Leigh.

Where did the theme ‘Self’ come from?

The theme Self came from our need to critically evaluate where we stood contextually. Using self-reflection as a vehicle to move our work forward and by showing the work the feedback and reflection that comes from this process is far more informative.We were both unhappy with where we had been and had felt stuck in a void, therefore by getting together to work towards a project enabled us both to move forward.

What were your inspirations for the exhibition?

My work is inspired by my childhood memories and nightmares.

Who are your main artists influences?

My influences are Anna Maria Pacheto, Clair Curreen, Anthony Gormley, Paula Rago, Jan Svankmaker, Tim Burton (post Disney), Angela Carter’s writing and Susan Sellers, and also Folk art and Fairy tales but post Victorian.

Does all of your work have a meaning?

Yes all of my work is made for a reason and this is my next part, why I am doing an MA I feel that the narrative needs to be clearer.  Much of my work is dealing with disabilities, how we view what we consider to be normal and I use found toys dolls which have been thrown away discarded abandoned and I take them and give them new life using my influences of folk readings, this often involves mixing things up in a big fabric pot and just like all good tales they have to tell a tale themselves.

Do you think you will do a joint exhibition in the future?

I often work with other artists and I am happy to show with others.

What’s next for you all?

I am now busy doing an MA Textile in Manchester Metropolitan I am on the first of a two-year part-time MA.  I am working on a public project in Halton knitting the old town back together.  I am working on a narrative exhibition with Mark-makers group from Runcorn and I am hoping to have a piece of work going to Croatia sometime this year.
Myself and Nicki have discussed taking this current exhibition collaboration to other venues but firstly we are working on new pieces and therefore we may change the direction.  Watch this space!

Self Exhibition Review

Well the Self Exhibition has finished now and its gone so fast!

Its been a very successful exhibition and has been received well by the viewing public.

The three artists that were involved all had very different work however it all worked together so well throughout the gallery. As you know the exhibition was based on the idea of Self and each artist interpreted this theme in there own way and style.

Christine Evans

Christine is a printmaker who has always been interested in line quality and lose mark making. Her content is everyday things in front of her, either regular things surrounding her or whilst travelling. The outcomes become snapshots of Christine's life. So Christine interpreted Self within this way.

A highlight of Christine's work was definitely the shoes, the meaning behind this was that the shoes belonged to the daughter she never had! The line quality and mark making within these pieces (especially when close up) were very interesting.

Nicola Billington

Collaging materials, found images and text then working over the surface with paint, stitching and drawings, the work becomes that of a visual diary.

'Self' to Nicola is about self realisation, self direction, self fulfillment and self discovery. 

Nicolas work is very detailed and only when you study it close you can see exactly how much detail goes into the pieces. The word that springs to mind when I saw the work was delicate as it looks so hand crafted and fragile which is maybe what makes it so beautiful.

Carys Anne Hughes

 Carys works with a variety of materials to communicate a narrative that is both personal and universal. Her media consists of rejected toys, dolls and cloth selected by way of serendipity and often the story is entwined in their history or what Carys interprets as their history.


Carys work was very different from any of the other pieces within the exhibition as they were mostly 'things' as a pose to framed pieces. Even the framed work was 3D which I gave the exhibition a different kind of feel. 


The most interesting thing about Carys work is that everything has a history that she works with, nothing is fresh, its all had a journey or has come from somewhere so they tell a story to.




The Exhibition ran from 21st Jan - 1 March and was a great success! 


Make sure you get down to the gallery for the new Photographic exhibition its very interesting and doesn't just celebrate the society it celebrates Warrington as well. 

Installed the Warrington Photographic Society Exhibition

We Installed the Warrington Photographic Society exhibition yesterday!

Its looking great and we have changed the gallery around slightly.

Definitely worth a look!

Dont forget Private View Thursday 3rd March 6-8pm!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Celebrating 125 years of Warrington Photographic Society.

In 2011 Warrington Photographic Society celebrates 125 years from it’s inauguration. In this exhibition we show a selection of pictures made by our members over the last 125 years

In 1886, some 47 years after Louis Dagerre and William Fox Talbot invented the first photographic processes, a group of enthusiasts met to form a Photographic Society with the aim of improving photography amongst it’s members. The Society was called The Warrington Amateur Photographic Society and it’s first President was Mr J.T.Down, Secretary and Managing Director of the Wilderspool Brewery.

In the early days photographs were taken on glass slides for projection. The Society has a large collection of slides from these days which cover summer trips by the Society, seaside holidays taken at the turn of the twentieth centaury by some of it’s more wealthy members. Perhaps the most interesting collection “ Slumming with a Hand Camera” a title considered not politically correct today, was described as “depicting Local Scenes in that part of the town not generally frequented by the amateur photographer”.

Developments in photographic techniques and materials saw the growth of monochrome printing alongside projected slides and the first exhibitions of prints were held.

The war years severely restricted photographic activities, added to that was a scarcity of photographic materials. The post war period saw a boom in membership driven by the growing popularity of 35 mm film and affordable 35mm single lens reflex cameras.

By the late 1960’s colour printing became possible for the amateur photographer. Printing was an exacting task requiring seven separate processing stages and accurate time and temperature control and was attempted only by highly skilled darkroom workers. In the 1980’s however simplified colour processing became available and colour printing started to surpass monochrome printing.

In 1986 the Society, boosted by a buoyant membership, celebrated it’s centenary and looked forward confidently to the future. By the late 1990’s however, Warrington Photographic Society in line with similar societies saw a decline in membership and a lack of interest in photography, particularly amongst the upcoming generation.

The digital revolution burst upon photography leading to a renewed interest and growing membership. By now the vast majority of members use digital cameras to tackle traditional subjects along with the opportunity offer by digital technology to push photography in to more creative realms.

As we progress through our second centaury we hope that there will be people still willing to associate together with the common cause of making pictures. We meet weekly from September to May and monthly during the summer months. You are welcome to join us; full details may be found on our website at http://www.warringtonps.co.uk/

4th March - 11th April

Private View 3rd March 6-8pm

Self Private View

Photographs from the private view of the Self Exhibition. It was a very successful evening with plenty of interest from the public. This exhibition will run until March 1st so still lots of time and it is definitely worth a look.

Exhibition Installation

Installed the Self exhibition today!

The work and gallery looks amazing and there is a good variety throughout.

Come and check it out.

21st Jan - 1st March 

First exhibition of 2011!

Self: An exhibition of original artwork that brings together the talents of three North West based artists. Through respective mediums of expression including 3D, Textiles and Printmaking the artists explore their own themes of 'Self'.


Nicola Billington
A former Royal College of Art student, Nicola is now a tutor at Warrington Collegiate. Collaging materials, found images and text, then working over the surface with paint, stitching and drawings, the work becomes that of a visual diary. 'Self' to Nicola is about self realisation, self direction, self fulfilment and self discovery.

Christine Evans
Christine is a printmaker who has always been interested in line quality and loose mark making. Her content is everyday things in front of her, either in regular surroundings or whilst travelling. The outcomes become personal snapshots and souvenirs of Christine's life.

Carys Anne Hughes
Carys works with a variety of materials to communicate a narrative that is both personal and universal. Her media consists of rejected toys, dolls, and cloth selected by way of serendipity and often the story is entwined in their history or what Carys interprets as their history.

I hope you can join us for some complementary fizz and nibbles at the Private View on Thursday 20th January.

Exhibition runs from 21 January to 1 March 2011
Please see the invite attached flyer for more info.

Free Admission
Family and friends welcome!