The Bright Side of Life: The Holmeswood Art Group

THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE

THE HOLMESWOOD ART GROUP

ArtHouse, Southport 16^th June – 4^th July 2026

With only a passing nod at Monty Python’s enduring tongue-in-cheek anthem, the forthcoming exhibition titled “The Bright Side of Life” at The ArtHouse by The Holmeswood Art Group will be “an eclectic display of different subjects and styles that captures the little moments of joy and which brings joy to the artist and viewers alike”.   The group’s leader, Marion Bayliss, originally from Somerset where she exhibited at the Somerset Art Weeks for several years, also adds: “In these times of troubles in the world, we wanted to bring a bit of Joy to the world.”

During the event their own distinctive “Flying Circus” of artistic skills, ranging from acrylics to watercolours, will be persuasively revealed under the gallery’s discerning spotlight. Marion explains “This exhibition will be the first time ever that the group will have displayed their work and are pleased to be able to take this opportunity to exhibit at The ArtHouse in Southport, so they are very excited but nervous at the same time. The exhibition brings a delightful mix of subjects from music and dance to food and street scenes with a bit of poetry thrown into the mix.”

The Holmeswood Art Group, namely Pat Anders, Rona V Flynn, Nikki Lindsay and Clare Hyams, under Marion’s tuition, over the last 3 years have been gaining in confidence at their regular weekly meetings just north from the Martin Mere Wetland Centre at the Holmeswood Village Hall where the rural landscape persistently provides a natural stimulus to their growing artistic endeavours: “We have now reached the stage where we can develop our own skills by challenging ourselves to paint using different themes or subjects that Marion presents to us for inspiration”.

Marion, who can trace her own fascination with painting back to Secondary School where she was encouraged to go on to Art College, was only able to pick up her brush again after respite from a busy family life and children flying the nest gave her back some ‘me’ time: “I have often visited Devon and Cornwall to paint the sea and could be found sat on the beach with the sand in my toes, hair and paint trying to capture the atmosphere. I have always had a connection with water through swimming (my father, an ex-water polo player, taught me how to swim) and being constantly being surrounded by water in rivers, ponds, etc and of course the sea. The media I like to use mostly are acrylics but I tend to use the medium that I feel will fulfil the effect that I want so it could be anything from watercolour pencils to oils and anything else in between”.

Originally from Aintree, Pat Anders, although she “enjoyed doing art at school but didn’t have that option to take it because of the other subjects I wanted to do, which was a big disappointment. I did no art other than technical drawing, design sketching and some presentation drawings, whilst training as a design technology teacher as a mature student”.  However, a fortuitous encounter later down the line proved a turning point: “A few years ago I had a chance to go on a painting holiday with a friend and loved that. The teacher would set us up with a task and show examples of what to do step by step. This trip really reignited the desire to do more although I didn’t really know where to start”.  Attending Marion’s weekly classes has been a steep learning curve for Pat: “We started doing watercolour painting which I found difficult at first but enjoyed and I have loved doing all sorts of techniques and different drawing exercises with this group and absolutely love it. I find art so absorbing and I can get lost for hours doing it. Sometimes I get frustrated trying to get the effect I want and not having the proper skills yet – but hopefully I’ll continue to progress. There’s still so much still to learn and practice but look forward to carrying on and improving, though still a way to go”.

Rona V Flynn, who has spent most of her life in Lancashire and Merseyside, similarly recently rediscovered her love of art: “I’ve always been a creative person in one way or another, but drawing, painting, writing and photography have been ever present as some of my favourite things. I picked up my brushes again a few years ago after a long break and it was like coming home. I had forgotten the pleasure painting brings and the meditative qualities of sitting, considering, examining and absorbing. I love the delicacy of watercolours and mostly paint from nature, appreciating the beauty it holds for us and the depth of feeling it brings”. The author of two novels and seven poetry books, Rona confirms: “I like my paintings to speak poetry and I like my poetry to paint pictures and stories”.

A graduate of Leeds University, Nikki Lindsay, who grew up near Wigan, before retirement worked as a teacher in Liverpool and Southport: “I started painting just before the Covid lockdown and found a passion that just gets stronger and stronger with each painting I attempt. I’m keen to explore different styles, from realism to complete abstraction, as I find them all fascinating. I love how light works in a painting and often try to make that my focus, but most of all I have fun. If I don’t enjoy it, I won’t do it”.

Fully immersing herself in the experience, Art has become a journey of self-discovery for Nichola: “I believe that art matters more and more to me. It helps me to share who I am and what I’m thinking. Art gives me a voice from a whisper to a loud shout, a scream and a laugh. It matters to me because I love the process of choosing how I spend my time and I can’t think of anything better than making art”.

When Clare Hyams took early retirement as a primary school teacher she soon realized that other than making displays for her classroom, she hadn’t done any actual art since the age of 13: “It was time to try new things and learn some new skills, and top of my list was learning to draw and paint”.  Attending Marion’s weekly classes has given Clare the opportunity to develop those ‘new’ skills and discover even more: “I increasingly take holiday photos with future artwork in mind and I am becoming more confident at drawing and painting in public”. Clare has enjoyed working on the pieces for inclusion in the exhibition and exploring those things that represent the ‘bright side’ of her life.

Certainly not one to be missed, “The Bright Side of Life” will be on display at the ArtHouse, Eastbank Street, Southport from 16^th June – 4^th July 2026.  The gallery is open Tuesday – Friday 10.00-15.00.  Saturday 11.00-16.00.