OK, I confess. Some people have accused me of being a bit parochial, a bit too obsessed with my home town and its near neighbours. Guilty. In my defence, I was born in Manchester city centre, went to my first school in Manchester, supported Manchester City from the age of four and even went to watch United occasionally with my mate Rod Gibson. I was also the arts editor, TV critic, travel editor and deputy features editor on the Manchester Evening News, where I worked for nearly 20 years. I may live in Stockport, which I also love, now, but I’m still always going into town to meet friends, watch City or just to enjoy the buzz. But to address this ‘professional Mancunian’ thing, I’ve decided to go national with my new map of the British Isles. Now, surely, no one can accuse me of being too Manchester-centric. Surely. This will be available to buy in the regular formats from Wednesday, July 25. www.statementartworks.com

From the Manchester Evening News

Stone Roses singer Ian Brown famously said ‘Manchester’s got everything except a beach’ - but now it’s even being touted as a seaside resort by an artist.

Eric Jackson has created posters of different towns and cities in the region and are inspired by traditional seaside advertisements for tourists.

But the humorous posters have a twist as they actually poke fun at the places they depict.

Eric, 58, said: “They are meant to be a bit cheeky without being offensive, to highlight the idiosyncrasies and quirkiness of a place.

“For example, the headline on the Chorlton poster, which shows a yoga woman with a teapot on her head, is: ‘Be different – just like everyone else in Chorlton.’

“The people of Chorlton will get that joke and hopefully laugh at it.”

Full story - http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/new-exhibition-tongue-cheek-traditional-9766389