Mike Grattan
Mike Grattan studied fine art and graphic design at Lancaster College of Art and Preston Polytechnic and the result of these two disciplines are the very graphic pop art portraits he paints today. Hollywood and music icons from David Bowie to Elizabeth Taylor, the legends he grew up with captured in acrylics on canvas.
This is his very first solo exhibition and a dream come true for a Beatle fan Mike to have his work exhibited on world famous Penny Lane!
All of Mike’s original canvas’s are for sale, see our Shop or contact christine@pennylanegallery.co.uk, telephone 0044 (0)151 733 4355 for further information.
Anthony Brown
Liverpool born Anthony Brown is an artist, graphic designer, illustrator and musician who has earned international respect and acknowledgement. His work moves freely between contemporary and abstract art in any medium – to graphic design, photography and illustration. His original and eclectic art has been described as ‘special’, ’brilliantly original’ and ‘genius’. His works are displayed within prestigious locations throughout the UK and internationally with much of his work commissioned and held within private collections.
Throughout 2007-2010 his highly acclaimed exhibition “100 Heads Thinking As One” grasped the public and critics alike, leading to invitations across the world to exhibit his unique style of art. Anthony himself says, “My work with 100 Heads has seen me develop, giving me my own voice as an artist.”
This fantastic exhibition led to a smaller offshoot project which saw the unveiling of four superbly original portraits of his greatest influence, The Beatles – ‘In Their Lives’.
In partnership with his wife Lorraine, 2011 saw the start and initial exhibition of a new project dedicated to the armed forces, ‘The Soldiers Story’ (www.thesoldiersstory.co.uk).
Summer 2012 sees the birth of a special project: Anthony Brown ‘Living Art’ Mann Island, Liverpool Waterfront. Presented in partnership with Neptune Developments, this will offer a rare ‘access all areas’ viewing as he works within the fabulous, glass walled building on a theme that will reflect his inspirational surroundings. Under the gaze of an audience and a film crew and housed amongst a majestic gallery of his original work, he will create a large ‘Living Art’ work. Over a period of months all the progress will be filmed, recorded and ultimately edited to leave a lasting legacy of this visionary and historic project.
Bill Zygmant
Bill’s passion for photography started at an early age seeing press photographers on newsreels photographing film stars. Bill got a job as a paper boy to enable him to purchase his first camera and spent most of his leisure hours looking for good photo opportunities, local rock & roll groups and interesting people before beginning his career at the London Star. He then went on to work at the News Chronicle in Fleet Street – first on the picture desk and then in the darkroom.
In 1962 he joined a Fleet Street picture agency where he soon made lots of contacts, then in 1966 he went freelance, photographing music and show business stars including the Bee Gees, Jimi Hendrix, Marc Bolan, Mary Hopkins and The Beatles, with his work being regularly published in the Musical Express, Billboard, Picture Post as well as British national newspapers and magazines.
Bill took the first pictures of John Lennon and Yoko Ono seen together months before the official announcement of their relationship in public at the opening of John Crittles Apple Tailoring Boutique. He has since worked as picture editor and a lecturer on film and television production. The Hard Days Night Hotel in Liverpool named a suite the Bill’s honour. The Zygmant Suite is in recognition of his many iconic Beatle pictures. In 2009 Bill’s pictures were exhibited in the National.
Horace Panter
Horace graduated in 1975 with a degree in Fine Art from Coventry’s Lanchester Polytechnic. Although most of his career has been defined by his involvement in music, art has always been in the frame.
As the bassist with The Specials, Horace has spent lots of time ‘on the road’. It could be said that Horace’s paintings are autobiographical in that they emerge from experiences, places, people and paintings that he has met on his travels. His influences are eclectic and range from the naive stylised jungles of Henri Rousseau to the pop art paraphernalia of Peter Blake with bits of Mark Rothko, Kenneth Noland, Wayne Thiebaud or Joseph Cornell thrown into the mix. He is not averse to appropriating images from his favourite artists and subverting them to suit his own purpose in his own paintings.
However, he has always been fascinated by traditional forms of iconography so each of his paintings has the concept of ‘iconographic writing’ at its centre.’ Iconography’ he says ‘is like graffiti in that it is written/textualised’ and serves a practical purpose. This also applies to iconic forms of political propaganda in which art reflects an ideology and is used as a tool to reinforce political rhetoric. Horace’s aim in creating contemporary iconography is to question the narrative of the icon by reproducing and questioning its status and authority in a post-modern setting.
Will Sergeant
Will Sergeant is best known for his work as songwriter and guitarist with Echo & The Bunnymen with whom he has recorded and performed world-wide for thirty years. He also has long-term ties with the experimental side of life, in the fields of performance, recording and the visual arts.
Will has produced solo and collaborative works since the 1980s and Penny Lane Gallery was proud to host his first major exhibition, featuring abstracts, collage and screen prints as well as some minimalist pieces.
Tom Maguire
Tom was born in Toxteth, Liverpool in 1960 and worked for 30 years in the retail sector as a service/training manager until he became disabled a few years ago with a spinal condition. His first love and hobby has always been art and graphic design and he’s self taught. Most of his work is based on or around Liverpool, its buildings and culture, and he loves taking photographs at early times of the day then rushing home to work on them in with the aim of producing beautiful and varied visions of his home town.
In 2008, along with American artist and illustrator Donna Stackhouse, Tom was commissioned to produce a children’s book to celebrate Liverpool’s year as Capital of Culture, together with a cartoon style poster of the city’s buildings and cultural areas. Tom has also produced commissions for Liverpool City Council, Merseytravel, The Beatles Story, Pyramid Posters International and John Moores University.
Paul Gent
Paul works as a participatory artist with young people in the schools and the youth environment delivering projects in the UK and abroad including the Balkans, Rwanda, Gujarat and Palestine.
His work typically addresses the themes of education, criminal and anti-social behaviour, health, identity, belonging and social inclusion.
Sophie Green
Sophie Green is a freelance Artist & Illustrator based in Liverpool.
Sophie’s work is influenced by bright colour, the natural world and finding simple pleasures in the mundane. Her artwork reflects her background in Graphic Design and her love of illustration.
Living and working in Liverpool has been a great inspiration for Sophie’s work: ”There’s never a dull moment living in this city!”
Frank Minghella
His love of music, art and photography and his passion for the history of Liverpool has led him to become an accomplished artists and photographer with his work selling worldwide.