Venture Arts are delighted to announce the first solo show of drawings by young up and coming artist, Jennie Franklin from Manchester.
The self-titled exhibition ‘Jennie Franklin: Well Done Good Draw’ taking place at Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre, will feature a selection of drawings created over the last four years, some of which have never been publicly shown.
New artwork featured in Franklin’s debut exhibition revives familiar characters from children’s cartoons, a theme that frequently punctuates many of Franklin’s artworks. ‘Rupert the Bear and Bill Badger’ are the main characters in an on-going series on display.
Through delicate detailed pencil drawings, Franklin takes the viewer on a journey where the much-loved fictional bears appear within a variety of visual narratives. Franklin often depicts them on their own adventures or experiencing joyful celebrations from moments in everyday life.
Other works include ‘POP POP POP,’ that was recently featured in ‘Spilling Out’, Venture Arts and Castlefield Gallery’s joint showcase at The Manchester Contemporary in 2018.
This was Jennie’s second time exhibiting at The Manchester Contemporary. This piece highlights the ‘comic-style’ fonts, regularly used by the artist. Large ‘bubble-like’ text creates dominant captions that scatter dramatically through Franklin’s illustrations, producing recurring sound words that demand the viewers’ attention. Franklin, an artist with autism, often feels compelled to finish her drawings in one sitting. This time sensitive process can alter the final outcome of her drawings adding indecipherable writings and doodling that flows from the paper.
Jennifer Wright, Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre says: “We are extremely pleased to be hosting Jennie Franklin’s upcoming solo exhibition, ‘Well Done Good Draw’. Jennie’s way of combining everyday happenings with her feelings about the world around her makes for unique, intricate and interesting viewing. We feel it integral to feature all types of art, to be able to present a diverse and well-rounded programme, therefore it is a privilege to be working alongside Venture Arts in hosting Jennie Franklin’s first solo exhibition.”
Events and feelings that occur at the time of her drawing manifest themselves in the form of expressive figures in ‘Untitled’ and ‘POP POP POP.’ Franklin takes inspiration from found imagery, from leaflets and flyers and other printed bits and bobs, which she then interprets in her own style which can be seen in ‘Hop, Hop and Away,’ picking and choosing from various sources to make her own compositions.
Amanda Sutton, Director, Venture Arts says: “It is so wonderful to see Jennie Franklin’s work on show at Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre. We have been watching her progress as an artist over many years, her work is a delight to see and gives such an insight into her world. Go see it while you can! I can’t wait to see where she will go next with such talent!”
Jennie Franklin ‘Well Done Good Draw’ opens on Tuesday 5th March and runs until Sunday 28 April at Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre, Bury.
