A little introduction to artistic beginnings.

AnthonyHodgsonArt initially grew out of the biro doodlings in the margins of exercise books whilst in Whitby School, a secondary school in Whitby, North Yorkshire, which, for those of you unfamiliar with the UK, is in northern England. The environment is important: Whitby is an ancient northern port steeped in an Anglo-Celtic/Viking past, sandwiched between the beautiful but wild North Yorkshire Moors and unforgiving North Sea. Despite its size, it is culturally very rich and can lay claim to the Synod of Whitby, 664AD (deciding the date of Easter), Captain Cook (one of the greatest European explorers), Dracula and Alice in Wonderland, amongst others.

At the beginning the artwork was fed by everything from Dungeons & Dragons to Dr Who - the Sci-Fi and fantasy books, comics, TV and films of the 1970’s and 80’s. This hobby continued and matured as I moved first to the village of Sleights then to the industrial city of Leeds to study History with Primary Education (this changed to Public Media after a year), London and then abroad to Le Mans, France, (to follow my French sweetheart) before returning to London in the mid-90’s.

Throughout all this time the doodles evolved. Life experiences - the interior and exterior - all provided material for the creations. Marriage, children, good and bad relationships, jobs in the Care and Education sectors, health struggles, changes in society, culture, the arts, history...everything played its part.

2012 was a pivotal year. Having been an English teacher to international students for 5 years , I was struck down with a relatively unknown illness called CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). At the same time I felt a calling - some might say a vocation - to pursue my art, music and poetry. So I made the seemingly foolhardy decision to leave a full-time job as an English teacher in order to pursue my creative side.

Having made this dramatic step, the art really took off and over the following year I created more artwork than I had in the previous 20 years. My first exhibition was ‘Husk’ at the Departure Gallery in Limehouse, East London in July 2014. Since then I have exhibited in London and nationally, selling work both in the UK and abroad.

I continue to create art in my studio at our London home, exhibiting and curating in London whilst being a regular trader at the bi-annual Whitby Gothic Weekend in my home town, as well as various cultural events around the country.