Auction alert: Northern Art

L.S. Lowry - "The Reference Library"

Ever since we lived in Todmorden, we’ve been great fans and collectors of contemporary Northern art and Northern fine art painters, in particular, such as Peter Stanaway, Will Turner, Geoff Key and Olivia Pilling. This is why we just had to highlight the upcoming Northern Art – Live Online auction.

It takes place on Thursday 10th March 2022 from 11am. It’s being held by Wilson55 Auctioneers & Valuers (previously Peter Wilson Fine Art Auctioneers) in Nantwich, Cheshire. There will be 187 lots and we’ve included a few by our favourites below.

Buyer’s premium inc. VAT/sales tax: 26.40%
Online commission inc. VAT/sales tax: 5.94%

Lots purchased online with the-saleroom.com will attract an additional charge for this service in the sum of 4.95% of the hammer price plus VAT at the rate imposed. You can register and bid live through their website at no extra charge.

We can offer UK in-house shipping for smaller items, please contact us.  For larger items and furniture please find our recommended couriers

Northern School (20th century) - "Miners"

Lot 5: Northern School (20th century) “Miners”
Unsigned, oil on board. Dimensions: 61cm x 67cm (24in x 26.5in)
Estimate: £300 – £500

L.S. Lowry - "The Reference Library"

Lot 13: L.S. Lowry R.A. (British 1887-1976) “The Reference Library”
Signed in pencil in the margin, with the Fine Art Trade Guild blind stamp, from the edition of 850, limited edition print. Dimensions: image size 24cm x 35cm (9.5in x 13.75in)
Estimate: £1,500 – £2,500

Liam Spencer - "Mancunian Way at Night"

Lot 68: Liam Spencer (British 1964-) “Mancunian Way at Night”
Initialled, oil on board. Dimensions: 19.5cm x 24.5cm (7.75in x 9.5in)
Estimate: £500 – £700

Geoffrey Key - Northern townscape

Lot 73: Geoffrey Key (British 1941-) Northern townscape
Signed and dated 28.6.19, pen drawing. Dimensions: 26.5cm x 17.5cm (10.5in x 7in)
Estimate: £300 – £500

Helen Bradley - "Early November at Blackpool"

Lot 87: Helen Bradley M.B.E. (British 1900-1979) “Early November at Blackpool”
Signed and with fly insignia (lower left), with the artist’s handwritten narrative on verso – “It was early November at Blackpool and the weather was still mild, so we went for our last walk through the Enchanted Garden and on to the lane. There George and I saw two rabbits, we would have liked to chase them, but Aunt Mary called to Mother to call us back. It was nearly tea time and Grandpa would be waiting for us and the year was 1907. Helen Bradley”.
Oil on board. Dimensions: 26.5cm x 34.5cm (10.5in x 13.5in). Gifted by the artist to the vendor’s grandmother.
Estimate: £15,00 – £20,000

Peter Brook - "The Months of the Year"

Lot 93: Peter Brook (British 1927-2009) “The Months of the Year”
Complete set of twelve, 1978, each signed and numbered 100/150 in pencil in the margins, printed under the direction of Stanley Jones at the Curwen Studio, London, published by Thomas Agnew and Sons Ltd., London (originals in the Tate Collection), presented in original portfolio, lithographs printed in colours. Dimensions: each sheet 57cm x 77.5cm (22.5in x 30.5in)
Estimate: £1,000 – £1,500

Reg Gardner - "Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester"

Lot 94: Reg Gardner (British 1948-) “Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester”
Signed, oil on canvas. Dimensions: 29.5cm x 24.5cm (11.5in x 9.5in)
Estimate: £300 – £500

Kyffin Williams - "Snowdon from Llanllyfni"

Lot 106: Kyffin Williams (British 1918-2006) “Snowdon from Llanllyfni”
Signed and numbered 143/250 in pencil in the margin, limited edition colour print. Dimensions: image size 40cm x 49cm (15.75in x 19.25in)
Estimate: £200 – £400

William Turner - 
"Which Way?"

Lot 111: William Turner F.R.S.A., R.Cam.A. (British 1920-2013) “Which Way?”
Signed, titled on verso, oil on board. Dimensions: 19cm x 24cm (7.5in x 9.5in)
Estimate: £800 – £1.200

Olivia Pilling - "Mills and Canal in Halifax"

Lot 118: Olivia Pilling (British 1985-) “Mills and Canal in Halifax”
Initialled, titled on verso, acrylic on canvas board. Dimensions: 49cm x 39cm (19.25in x 15.25in)
Estimate: £300 – £500

Peter Stanaway - "Huddersfield Canal, Stalybridge"

Lot 125: Peter Stanaway (British 1943-) “Huddersfield Canal, Stalybridge”
Signed, titled and dated 2007 on verso, acrylic on canvas. Dimensions: 38cm x 48.5cm (15in x 19.25in)
Estimate: £500 – £700

Friday Folks: Olivia Pilling

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Portrait of Olivia Pilling in her studio

This Friday, we’re really pleased to be featuring local artist, Olivia Pilling. We first saw her gorgeous, colourful paintings in Todmorden Fine Art. Owner, Dave Gunning was excitedly enthusing about this new and extremely talented young artist that he had just started representing.

About a year later, we went for dinner at the Todmorden Vintner and saw two large paintings on their walls… unmistakeably Olivia’s work. When we said to the owners how lovely they were and if they were in fact done by Olivia, they said yes, she’s their niece! Since then, we’ve been to the restaurant to attend an exhibition opening of her work – and she’s invited us to another one happening next week – we’re really looking forward to it!

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painting of a viaduct by Olivia Pilling

Who are you & what do you do?
My name is Olivia Pilling. I’m am artist, more specifically a painter. I work in acrylics. I’m 26 years old, and have recently moved to Manchester from Todmorden.

painting of canal barges by Olivia Pilling

How did you get into the business?
It was by accident to some extent. I was doing my Fine Art degree at the time in Nottingham but over the long summer holidays I’d have small exhibitions at the Todmorden Vintner restaurant back home. I needed to get two paintings framed, so went down into Todmorden Fine Art gallery to get them framed. The paintings were just placed on the floor (apparently lent against the wall of the gallery to one side) when one customer came in and took a shine to them and offered £250 for them, then another customer came in and offered £500, then another came in and offered £750! As a skint 19-year-old student, I was ecstatic when I heard! Since then, I’ve been selling my work through the gallery mentioned and have gone on to sell with four others in the North West and the Midlands.

painting of houses by Olivia Pilling

Who or what inspires you?
I don’t have to go far before I feel totally inspired to paint. I love to walk, and try to do everyday. When I lived in Todmorden on the hilltops, I’d walk to the end of the hill and be surrounded by rugged moorland, patchwork fields, steep cliffs and be able to look down to Todmorden in the valley to my left and Cornholme on my right. Cornholme especially is a feast for my eye, the train-line runs straight through it squeezing through the valley walls. Dotted around are rows of terraces, mills chimneys and zig zagged shaped factories. It’s like a little toy town, it looks very sweet and quaint. The shapes, angles of the architecture really appeal, it allows me to create wonderfully simple fresh planes of colour with one brushstroke but still with a decorative element. I’m unashamedly a sucker for aesthetics and colour. I try to squeeze as much colour as I can into my paintings, and in parts, sections of my work will look abstract as I put brushstrokes of rich colour anywhere I can.

painting of cows in a field by Olivia Pilling

Travelling inspires me, especially exotic colourful places. I was lucky enough to go to India last year, and visited Jaipur known as the pink city and Jodhpur know as the blue city, I was in heaven with the colours and decorative jewellery and clothing, and architecture. I’m planning a trip to Jordan next year. It appears to be an absolutely fascinating place. David Bomberg’s paintings of Jerusalem and Petra are a real inspiration to me, he handles paint amazingly and creates such beautiful paintings.

I love the work of the Fauvist painters, specifically Jawlensky, Vlaminck and Kandinsky. Russian folk art is also an influence – the heavy use of black in the motifs and drawings, help to make the colour pop and this is something I try to do with my own work. I like to play around with light sources in my work. Having light coming from different directions can give a sense of isolation, and confusion, Russian folk art does this very well. It makes the image look quite enchanting and mysterious.

painting of canal barges by Olivia Pilling

What has been your greatest success?
I think simply my greatest success is just being able to do what I do for a living. Sounds cheesy I know, but I forget how lucky I am to to able to do something that I love on a daily basis. I came straight out of university and more or less started to sell work immediately. To have someone like your work is great, to have someone love your work is fab, but to have someone actually want to spend their hard earned cash on my work, that’s unbelievable – the feeling never gets old.

painting of a train on a viaduct by Olivia Pilling

Have you got any advice for someone wanting to break into the business?
I’m not quite sure I have some advice about how to actually get into the business, as the circumstances about how I got involved were quite accidental. The obvious thing to say would be to approach galleries and see if they are interested in your work.
I would say though that if painting is a real passion then you just have to stick at it, and be clear that it is what you really want to do. Sometimes you’re up, sometime you’re down, and sometimes you’ll get knock backs, that’s just the way it is but if you’re passionate about it, then the rest will hopefully fall in to place!