17 May to 8 June

Clifford William Blakey - Skye Paintings

After a pilgrimage to the Isle of Skye in the Autumn of 2007, Clifford William Blakey realised a longstanding ambition when he was inspired by this most imposing of the Scottish Isles to create this exhibition of works. Using his trademark multi-layered, splattered, dripped and scratched effects, Blakey has captured the looming presence and power of the island's landscapes and the oftendramatic skies.

'Skye Paintings' is a fitting second solo exhibition for this artist at Broughton Gallery. A Fellow of the International Guild of Artists Cliff is also a Member of the British Watercolour Society. He has exhibited widely and has shown at the Royal Academy Summer Show, Singer and Freidlander Sunday Times Watercolour Exhibition and the Royal Society of Painters In Watercolour. He has works in private collections in Europe, USA, New Zealand and Australia.

Clifford William Blakey is an artist in the Northern Romantic tradition, in awe of the landscape and in search of the ultimate reality beneath its surface. Whether the subject matter is landscape, coastline, or sea, Clifford's paintings capture something of the force of Nature. "I'd like to think that my paintings are a celebration of the beauty of the landscape and my personal responses to the elements of air, water and earth. I have favourite places. I go to them again and again and they're always different."

Clifford gained his Master of Fine Art degree at Newcastle University in 1986 and is a Fellow of the International Guild of Artists and a Member of the British Watercolour Society.

Michael Lythgoe

Michael Lythgoe has been creating wooden bird and fish carvings professionally since 1988. He was inspired by the early North American decoys and his early work concentrated on realism and very fine detail but, over time, the eye of the ornithologist and the skill of the engineer have combined so that he has developed his own recognisable style. Lythgoe was born in Liverpool in 1950 and upon completion of an engineering apprenticeship in 1970 joined the Merchant Navy as a junior officer.

In 1975 he emigrated to Canada and was employed in the ship building industry. He lived and worked on the shores of Lake Ontario where his passion for bird photography flourished and he spent his free time watching and photographing the bird life of the area. The extensive network of lakes in Northern Ontario provided the opportunity for canoe trips to photograph his favourite subject, the "Loon", with its beautiful form and haunting cry. On holiday in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts he purchased an old wooden decoy which still sits proudly in his workshop today.

This simple decoy inspired Lythgoe, upon his return to the UK in 1986, to become a bird carver. LythgoeÍs first exhibition in 1988 was a sell out. Shortly afterwards he won the European Decoy Carving Championship.

Jacqueline Scholes

Jacqueline Scholes graduated from the Royal College of Art in London in 2006. She makes functional sterling silver and, occasionally, iron tableware which is designed to enhance the communal dining experience. Indeed, food can be cooked in her ironware pieces when placed directly on a stove or barbecue.

Scholes' silverware is made using the traditional techniques of raising, planishing and spinning and sometimes incorporates materials such as slate or rosewood. She designs for exhibitions but will also work to private commission. Since graduating, Scholes has been presented two awards by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and in 2006 won the Royal Mint medal competition. In 2007 and 2008, her work was exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London as part of ÔCollectÕ which showcases the very best of world craft.