The other week I was invited by the lovely @joecopleyphoto to spend an afternoon posing for his ‘Pride & Place’ project.
Joe is a brilliant, self-taught photographer who has been documenting the creative scene in Teesside in recent years.
Working with Joe was great. We mostly just wandered around Middlesbrough talking about art for hours. En route we visited some spaces close to my heart.
We visited my first gallery, House of Blah Blah. We called by Club Bongo where I ran Felix the Gallery for a year. I went back to Pineapple Black for the first time since it became Boots. Finally we called by @creativefactoryboro where I’ve been establishing my latest project @spagnorth over recent months.
Check out @joecopleyphoto and the amazing work he is doing to document alternative culture here in Teesside
(Most people haven’t been around long enough to remember but the art scene in Boro before and after Blah Blah is like 2 different worlds)
Had a mint couple of days going back and forth to Hartlepool as a keynote speaker at Northern School of Art and to visit the launch of ‘Resilience’ at @hartlepoolartgallery
Proper mint exhibition and a privilege to show amongst some amazing artists in such beautiful surroundings
We spoke to @bobbybenjamin creator of @spagnorth about his recent residency at No.46. Since December he has been putting on a series of pop up creative cultural happenings ranging from art exhibitions, poetry nights, music, swap shops, book launches and sonic arts - we’ve loved every second of it!
Creative Factory 2.0 is the next chapter in how Middlesbrough supports the artists, creatives and innovators who shape our town’s identity. It’s more than one building - it’s a growing network of sustainable spaces that create. Studios, living spaces, workshops and venues where creativity can take root and grow.
Huge thanks to Bobby, all the artists involved and everyone that came down to join us! It’s been an amazing few months and we can’t wait to re-open the factory doors!
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#CreativeFactory #SpacesThatCreate #MadeInMiddlesbrough #Teesside #UTB
I’m clearing out my studio and selling some work on the cheap. If you want some sculpture culture for your house hmu. Including this little pretty for £80 x
If there’s something you’ve seen me post you’d like a price on drop me a line - if it’s not sold already, it’s for sale x
Showing at @hartlepoolartgallery alongside some amazing artists as part of ‘Resilience’, launching this Friday; 6-8pm. Here’s a lil teaser of the new work…
I’ve been collecting art for years now and have a pretty big collection. I love curating my walls at home and talking guests through the work. So I figured I’d start posting some of it on here too, a little bit at a time, to share with the rest of yers…
1. John Wheeler
John is one of Teesside’s most versatile and prolific painters and someone who was always very generous with his time and knowledge back when I started out. When I launched my Felix the Gallery project at Club Bongo International in 2015, John displayed 2 paintings with us and kindly gave the to me afterwards. They’ve been on the walls of every house I’ve lived in for the last decade and I still stand and stare at them
2. @ida4_ncl
I worked with Newcastle Drag Queen Latrine (IDA4) on the final Pineapple Black exhibition, as part of the @outout.boro takeover upstairs, where she transformed our toilets into an amazing walk-in installation. Knowing I’m a big Divine fan, she let me keep hold of this record from her display.
3. @samjudgestudio
Sam is a brilliant painter and a lovely guy. I invited him to do a solo show in Pineapple Black’s window gallery a few years back and in return he gifted me this piece from his beautiful collection. Cracking artist.
4. Martin Smith
Martin is an incredible painter with an enormous body of work spanning decades. I’ve been lucky enough to work with Martin a couple of times, curating retrospective collections of his paintings. The first time we worked together he gave me an enormous painting that was too big to even get into my house, so the second time we worked together I swapped it for 2 smaller ones I could actually hang at home.
5. Richard Milward - Freaky Disco
Milward is one of my favourite contemporary authors and also a brilliant artist. I first worked with him at House of Blah Blah, curating a solo collection of his work in 2014. The following year he lent me this piece for the launch of my 2nd gallery above the Bongo. I never saw Milward for a few years after that but kept it safe. A couple of years back I invited him back up to Boro to launch his book ‘Man-Eating Typewriter’ with us at Pineapple Black where he gave me the piece for keeps :)
I loved all the work in the last @spagnorth show that I haaad to take some home with me…
1. Me with my newbie by @molllyarnold
2. @heyitsme_kingcharles
3. @molllyarnold
4. @heyitsme_kingcharles
I’ve worked with Molly lots of times over the years; during her BA, at Pineapple Black and now through Spag North - so it’s about time I collected some of her work.
Chloe is a former student of mine and is co-director of art-space @thezoo_boro . Both the works I picked up are from their collection CHAV which took over the @creativefactoryboro window.
Both are really interesting and dedicated artists who are making strong work - give them a follow if you don’t already x
I love @thezoo_boro me. I’ve watched it grow from a concept for uni project to one of our towns most engaging and accessible community art spaces. @charmaine100x & @heyitsme_kingcharles are doing amazing things!
Popped in to see the new show today and it looks brill. Tomorrow is the last day to see it (I think?). Here’s me and some of my faves…
1. Me
2. Theo Underwood
3. @oliviaheatherart
4. @rosetiintedcheeks
5. @larsss_arttt
Made some new stuff, re-curated some recent stuff and dug out some old stuff for the @spagnorth x @creativefactoryboro wrap party
1. Can’t Pop, Won’t Pop, 2025
2. Work. Play., 2026
3. Bent Out of Shape, 2026
4. Out of the Ends, 2026
5. A Mile in My 12s, 2020
6. Me, today
Cheers @roman2_2w for the jacket - love it x
