An Isle of Wight abstract artist has been named as the winner in the artists’ response competition at Quay Arts to the Off The Rails exhibition.
The exhibition which showcases artefacts, signs and memorabilia from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway collection, related objects and artworks from the IW Heritage Service Collection, AJ Wells and Sons, as well as a series of artist’s and school’s response work.
The winner is …
Steve Miles has been named as the artist selected from the exhibition to hold a future solo show in Quay Arts’ Clayden Gallery, gaining one-to-one support from the Arts Team in developing their exhibition.
In addition, IW Steam Railway have offered a season ticket to IW Steam Railway, giving him unlimited travel on their trains for one year.
Miles: An opportunity that I will grab with both hands
On hearing the news Steve said,
“This opportunity really is a big deal for me and is an opportunity that I will grab with both hands.
“I am so grateful to the Quay Arts and I’m already looking forward to creating a new body of work for this solo exhibition.”
The judges
The selection was made by Georgia Newman (Quay Arts’ Visual Arts Manager), Ian Whitmore (Quay Arts’ Learning, Education and Workshops Manager) and John Paton (Havenstreet’s Museum curator).
John Paton said this in response:
“What drew me to Steve’s work is the boldness and energy, a sense of movement and the way the carriages are peopled with such a wide variety of humanity. Railways are an enclosed world of their own, operating to their own set of often arcane rules, but as Steve reminds us, without passengers -and freight – there is no reason for their existence.
“I hope that when we can open the railway, people will visit ‘Off the Rails’ at Havenstreet, alongside our exhibition celebrating 50 years of the steam railway and view this exciting collection of art in the context of the trains themselves. And perhaps Steve will be inspired to create a work for display at Havenstreet that encapsulates maybe the energy that railways generate.”
Newman: Bold and expressive work shows great promise
Georgia Newman said,
“I’m thrilled we’ve been able to unanimously select this fantastic artist. Steve’s work is incredibly bold and expressive and shows great promise in adapting the space into something quite exciting.
“I really look forward to working with him to bring an exhibition of his style and content to our Clayden Gallery in 2022 and potentially do something off-site at Havenstreet too!”
To find out more about the exhibition visit the Quay Arts Website, where you’ll also find the artists’ responses.
Find out more about Steve by visiting his Website.
