Current and upcoming exhibitions

Current exhibition

People and Perspectives, Alan Clements

Saturday 22 February 2025 - Thursday 13 March 2025

After teaching Computer Design for over 30 years, Alan now concentrates on his three passions: photography, travel and writing. In the last few years, he’s visited New York, Tokyo, Venice, Iceland, Death Valley and Berlin always combining exploration with photography.

Alan’s work is focused primarily on events, architecture and landscape; for example, the Venice Carnival, Whitby’s Goth Weekend, the beautiful wilderness of Utah, and the graffiti of New York and Berlin.

Alan has taken most of his aerial photographs while flying the aircraft. He is principally interested in images taken from above that seem abstract, like the colours of the salt-pans round the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

People and Perspectives covers four of Alan’s favourite themes:

• Aerial photography that turns real-world images into abstract designs such as the Humber River mudflats glinting in the sun.
• Carnival photography including Venice and Whitby featuring people in glorious costumes.
• Wilderness photography that captures the magnificence of nature such as Bryce Canyon.
• City photography that includes themes ranging from rainstorms to street art.

Drop in and meet the artist in Darlington Library Art Gallery -  Saturday 22 February 2024, 11am - 3pm

An opportunity to visit the exhibition, meet the artist Alan Clements, and ask any questions you may have regarding the exhibition, for as long as you want to stay between 11am and 3pm. No booking required, just drop in

Upcoming exhibitions

Observed Surroundings, Mike Connell

Saturday 15 March 2025 - Thursday 10 April 2025

A Bit About The Artist.

Mike Connell was born in 1957, and grew up in Newton Aycliffe, with his parents and older brother Richard. He attended Marlow Hall and Woodham Comprehensive (1968 - 1975).

After 'A' levels, Mike worked in many bars, shops, and factories, whilst gaining a Fine Art Degree at Sunderland Polytechnic (1976 - 1982), where he benefited from the teaching and guidance of both John Peace (life drawing) and Dave Gormley (tutor).

He returned to factory work and painted everyday scenes in his spare time, showing work in several open art exhibitions, and completing commissions. He also did pencil portraits and caricatures at the Great Aycliffe Show for a few years.

Later, Mike qualified as an Art/Special Needs teacher at Bretton Hall, South Yorkshire, during the Miner's Strike (1984 - 1985) - a real eye-opener!

Mike enjoyed a long teaching career but took early retirement at 55 (although continued supply work until 60). This freed up the time to do his own drawing and painting seriously again - the result of which is this third solo exhibition ‘Observed Surroundings'. This is a 'snapshot' of Newton Aycliffe from 2018 to the present day - including some earlier portraits, studies and some old photos of growing up on town - which visitors to Darlington Library Art Gallery will hopefully find interesting!