Wilmslow poster, by Eric Jackson, Statement Artworks

Let’s all go to WILMSLOW, as…

Superior beings are resident there

with mansions, Ferraris

and very big hair

Wilmslow poster available at www.statementartworks.com

Wilmslow poster www.statementartworks.com

Disley 'Disleyland' poster, by Eric Jackson, Statement Artworks

Disley is a nice Cheshire village close to the Derbyshire Peak District and Dales. Which makes it kind of schizophrenic. A bit Cheshire Setty, a bit rustic Derbyshire. And just to confuse things, the majestic Lyme Park used to be managed by Stockport Council, which is in Greater Manchester, and the equally majestic Lyme Hall is a National Trust property. No wonder Darcy in the TV series of Pride and Prejudice, which was partly filmed at Lyme Park, looked so befuddled when he emerged, soaking wet, from that lake. Joking aside, Lyme Park is THE park of South Manchester/Cheshire, and perhaps THE park of the north. Of course it can be bloody annoying round the car park at weekends, with families venturing little further than 300 yards, but the hinterland and beyond is magnificent, with amazing walks, views and wildlife, including herds of deer. Lyme is sublime in Disleyland! This poster is available to buy at www.statementartworks.com

Disley ‘Disleyland’ poster, by Eric Jackson, Statement Artworks

Stockton Heath prints are here!

Stockton Heath prints already in demand

Getting the new prints of Stockton Heath back from the printers on Thursday morning. The orders are already coming in…from cool cats, obviously!

www.statementartworks.com

Back at Altrincham Market

I am back at Altrincham Market for the whole of this weekend, and I’ll have my new Cale Green, Davenport, Marple and blue ‘barth’ for sale. www.statementartworks.com

Markets this weekend. Yes, really!

Statement Artworks markets

I'm now officially bonkers. This Saturday I'm at Urmston market and on Sunday it's Knutsford. Hopefully the mercury will rise just a tad to stop my fingers and toes dropping off. I'll have all my usual stuff for sale, plus the newbies shown here. See you at the weekend (huskies optional).

Cheers - Eric

Mancunian Way, Statement Artworks

Two new post-Christmas posters - Wythenshawe and Bowdon

Wythenshawe and Bowdon, two South Manchester places that are quite close geographically but miles apart demographically, which is why doing this northern poster malarkey is so much fun! And it shows I've not just been sitting on my arse doing nothing since Christmas.

Wythenshaw poster - by Statement Artworks

Wythenshawe

It was a wonderful dream on a post-war town planner's drawing board. Houses fit for heroes on a large, modern estate, or 'garden city', with none of that old mish-mash of narrow streets and diverse design. No, this was going to be uniform, clean and functional. And my parents bought into that dream, so that was the first Jackson family home, in Baguley, a district of Wythenshawe, the new town on the edge of Manchester which became the largest estate in Europe. Most of my aunts and uncles and cousins lived there too. But the dream turned sour, and Wythenshawe became a byword for problem families, crime and town planning gone mad. What's this, though? Wythenshawe, by degrees, is turning itself around, thanks in no small part to the tram line and the train line, both going to the nearby airport and the city centre. Young singles and families are discovering that the housing stock is affordable and not too bad either. Posh apartment blocks are springing up, and the once-dire Civic Centre is looking lively again. Just a pity the old theatre is no longer functioning. Now that would have been the icing on the cake for the new Wythenshawe. This poster in available at statementartworks.com in any size you like!

Bowdon poster - by Statement Artworks

Bowdon

Whereas its nearby neighbour Hale loves to flaunt its chi-chi trendiness, affluence and desirability, Bowdon presents itself as understated, restrained and 'old money'. Hence there's not a lot going on really - a few posh gastro pubs, a posh hotel, a posh looking green with a few posh shops, posh sports clubs,  and a posh Indian restaurant. Oh yes, it's posh, especially when you look beyond the high hedges and gates and wonder at some of the finest houses - indeed mansions - in the whole of Cheshire. Wow, are they grand, which is why they say you're going 'up the hill' when you go from Altrincham or Hale, and that is meant in so many ways. Footballers, TV stars and the generally well-wadded live there, in a very understated way, of course. This poster is available through statementartworks.com at any size you like.

Bramhall poster by Statement Artworks

Bramhall, which is actually in Stockport but feels more like hard-core Cheshire and has a fabulous Tudor Hall to prove it, now has more gastro bars than you can shake a feta and olive brioche at. Good thing, bad thing? Who am I to judge? But I would add that the Mounting Stone is the best addition to the high street in 20 years, maybe more. This poster, which you can ponder as we go through the Brexit divorce and beyond, is available through www.statementartworks.com

Lymm poster

The Cheshire village of Lymm, hogging the scenic limelight between Warrington and Altrincham, has a lot to offer. It has a dam (a catch-all title that includes a tiny weir and largish lake), a quaint village centre complete with stocks, the curvaceous Bridgewater Canal, and more chi-chi shops and eateries than you can shake a baguette at. It even has something called the Bongs, like something from Lord of the Rings. Then there are all the ducks - the real ones around the lake and canal - and the plastic ones that compete in the annual duck race. All very hunky-dory, except that all those attractions come with a price - the crowds that flock there every weekend, clogging up the paths, roads, car parks...in fact everywhere. Oh the perils of being pretty...

Poster available from statementartworks.com

Lymm poster from statementartworks.com

Timperley wins by a head...

Timperley, the home of the late, great Frank Sidebottom, is one of those places that instantly evokes the description of 'nice'...a safe, pleasant, middle-of-the-road suburb of Altrincham. But as we all know, things aren't always what they seem. How else could it have inspired something as surreal as Frank? And what's normal or nice anyway once you get behind closed doors? Think about that the next time you go for a pint at the Stonemasons Arms in the village centre...

This poster is available from Statement Artworks (statementartworks.com), from numerous markets around the north west and some shops and galleries.

Bollington poster by Eric Jackson

The folly of White Nancy stands sentinel over the Cheshire town of Bollington in the foothills of the Pennines and on the edge of the Peak District National Park. From White Nancy you can see across the Cheshire Plain, with Manchester in one direction and Jodrell Bank and the Welsh mountains in the other. Cheshire's Chamonix then? Well the people have a kind of mountain man sensibility, judging by the amount of Gortex and Nordic walking poles on show. It's a lovely place, though, albeit mostly strung along one winding road, so it's hard to pinpoint a centre. The cricket ground is amazing, as are some of the pubs and parks, and to top it all there's a micro-brewery. So when you finish any of the many walks on offer, there's always a great pub and a pint to look forward to. The very big one downside for me - no railway station. But that's not Bollington's fault, just that cretin Beeching who closed half the stations in the sixties. The poster is available at markets and online at www.statementartworks.com

Bollington Poster by Eric Jackson

A better bruschetta! Hale, the new poster from Eric Jackson

On the outskirts of Altrincham, Hale is the chi-chi suburb most people in Trafford aspire to. It's the place to be seen and, occasionally, spot the odd celebrity. It's got the lot, from artisan bakeries to trendy bars and restaurants. It's a bit of a mystery how the very wonderful Railway pub has survived. It's only a pub, for god's sake. Of course, it's not all sweetness and light - most locals hate the clock tower, and it's a constant niggle that although posh, Hale isn't quite as posh as Bowdon, which is just 'up the hill ' and is where most of the celebs actually live. This is my latest poster and it will be available at numerous markets in Greater Manchester and Cheshire from this weekend (Jan 16-17) onwards. It's also available on the www.statementartworks.com website

Eric Jackson

Are you local....? Then try this stimulating local art

Fancy a bit of special stuff? Are you local and fancy a bit of local art? Good, so say goodbye to images of remote places such as Ponte dei Sospiri in Venice, Machu Picchu in Peru or especially cliched skyscrapers in New York - about as relevant to most people as Nigella's avocado on toast topped with pomegranate jus  - and say hello to places and sentiments you can relate to. 

That's what Statement Artworks is all about, and which is why, for our new banner, we've happily taken inspiration from the League of Gentlemen. It's about putting the fun back into art, which can so easily be po-faced, boring and up its own paint pot.

We were hoping to unveil the banner for the first time this weekend at the Cheadle Makers Market on Saturday and the Northern Quarter Makers Market in Manchester on Sunday, but we've been told it's going to be Monday before we can get our hands on it.

Both are new venues for us - we've only been doing this trader malarkey for a month - and really excited about them. 

I grew up in Cheadle, so know the feel of the village, while the Northern Quarter is home to my two favourite pubs - the Castle on Oldham Street, and the Marble on Thomas Street.

It would be great if you could join us. We now have mugs for sale along with framed prints, posters, fridge magnets, greetings cards and keyrings. You can also order lots of lovely stuff online. 

Eric Jackson

Statement Artworks