Self-taught artist's homage to his home town
One man's vision of Hartlepool
It’s 45 years since Stanley Davison first displayed his work in Hartlepool and now he’s back with a timely exhibition at Hartlepool Art Gallery.
Stanley Davison: A Decade in Paint features paintings done over the last 10 years in homage to the people, places and history of the town - and, you could say, warts and all.
There’s no art school qualification to bolster Davison’s credentials since he’s completely self-taught, having begun painting as a child when his mother bought him a set of paints using cigarette cards.
It would be fair to say he took to it like a duck to water.
In adulthood he painted when working in the steel industry and also when framing other people’s pictures in a shop on Hartlepool’s Park Road.
Locals will recognise familiar landmarks in Stanley’s work, including Fish Sands, the old cemetery on Hartlepool Headland, the derelict Steetley Pier and the town’s harbour.
Whether they recognise themselves is quite another matter.
Stanley has often used artists’ and shop window mannequins in place of human subjects and they recur as characters in his paintings, which owe as much to the imagination as to faithful representation.
Some of his paintings place scenes immortalised by masters such as Caravaggio, Velázquez and Cézanne in contemporary Hartlepool settings.
The way Stanley puts it: “I’ve been painting since I was 10 years old and I’ve never really stopped – in digs, in the sitting room and in a box bedroom with the easel fixed to the wall.
“Everything I paint comes from this place and the people in it – family, friends, people I’ve worked with and drunk with over the years.
“I had my first exhibition here in Hartlepool in 1981 and it’s good to be sharing my work here again.”
Others clearly agree.
Councillor Rob Darby, chair of the Hartlepool Borough Council’s housing, growth and communities committee, said: “Stanley’s work captures the spirit, character and history of Hartlepool in a truly distinctive way.
“This exhibition is a fantastic opportunity for residents and visitors alike to enjoy - or even buy - the work of a very talented local artist whose paintings celebrate the town, its heritage and its people.
“We are delighted to welcome this major exhibition to Hartlepool Art Gallery and I would encourage everyone to come along and see it.”
Stanley Davison: A Decade in Paint runs until Saturday, October 10. Hartlepool Art Gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, and admission is free.
All the paintings in the exhibition are for sale and since the gallery is part of the Own Art scheme, interest-free credit is available.