Local art for local people! Who needs fancy dan customers from the Cayman Islands when you can sell to lovely people on your doorstep? This week I supplied three framed A2 posters to Hatters Promotions who have just moved into new premises off Hillgate in Stockport, about half a mile from where I live. They now hang in the firm’s reception area. Hatters Promotions provide promotional merchandise for companies, from pens and mugs to hampers and bandanas (www.hatterspromotions.com). Two of my posters - London and Hats Off To Stockport - are pictured here along with the Teddy, who belongs to Jo Shippen, the boss of the company! Also, I’ve just finished my Rochdale poster, which, naturally, has to feature the town’s most famous export - the Co-operative movement! Those handsome people in the poster are my friends and neighbours, the Cook family!
Read MoreStockport and Altrincham markets this weekend
This weekend I am at Stockport Market on Saturday and Altrincham Market on Sunday, and with the weather forecast being so good, there's no excuse for not coming to say hello and wishing me a happy birthday. Which reminds me, I've got a new set of birthday cards, adapted from my Mancunian Way poster (attached). Every birthday boy and girl should receive one!
Read MoreHat-trick of Manc posters!
One poster good, three posters better, to paraphrase George Orwell. Paul and Jackie Lomas came to my stall at Altrincham Market over the weekend and bought three of my posters - the Mancunian Way, Stretford and Altrincham. Look pretty good, I think, as a nice little triptych. Next weekend it's Urmston and the Northern Quarter, and I'm back at Altrincham the following Sunday. Happy Easter (if such a thing is possible in this foul weather). Cheers - Eric www.statementartworks.com
Stretford, Altrincham and the Mancunian Way...a hat-trick of cheeky posters!
Making Manchester even more magnificent
Here is my Manchester Manifesto, contained in my latest poster (see below). Forget the left, the right or the centre, if we followed this path, everything in the world (well, south of Preston and north of Macclesfield) would be just dandy. So stick that in your London-centric pipes, Corbyn and May, and smoke it. The Manchester Manifesto is on sale, along with my newly-adapted Mancunian Way birthday card (also below), at Altrincham Market on Friday, Saturday and Sunday over Easter, and at Knutsford Market on Sunday. See you there.
EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION
Birmingham, England’s second city? You’ve got to be joking.
SCRAP HS2!
Half an hour off the train journey to London – who cares?
ZERO TOLERANCE!
Of lazy London-centric media folk who use ‘grim’ or ‘oop’ whenever they refer to the north.
LET US EAT CAKE!
Eccles or Chorley ones, please.
CROWN A MANC MONARCH!
It’s either King Colin of Bell or King Eric of Cantona.
ALL STAND FOR THE MANC ANTHEM!
Station Approach by Elbow, an ode to Piccadilly, the gateway to the best city in the world.
BUILD A WALL!
Those Yorkshire folk have got to be stopped migrating over the Pennines to civilisation somehow.
BETTER DEAD THAN RED!
No child shall be encouraged to support Liverpool. Ever! Same goes for Leeds United and Chelsea.
A NEW BANK HOLIDAY!
In honour of Tony Wilson, our late spiritual leader.
SELF-RULE FOR CHORLTON
Recognise the right of the trendy enclave to operate entirely according to its own liberal, yoghurt-knitting, vegan agenda. Build its new parliament as an extension to the Unicorn co-operative vegan superstore.
STRONG AND STABLE
Old Toms all round, on prescription! The beer, one of Greater Manchester’s strongest and produced by Robinsons Brewery, is laughing juice and after two you’re barely stable. So lovely though.
RISE UP, MANCUNIANS AND PARTY!
Nothing new there, but let’s not do any more of that 24-hour stuff.
GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!
Let’s call a truce with our nice Scouse neighbours over in Liverpool. Don’t like that idea? Well just calm down, calm down.
There's the left, the right or the centre. Then there's bang on!
Happy birthday, Mancunian Way style
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
Oldham and Saddleworth poster, Eric Jackson
Black Chew Head. When I heard that such a place existed on the moors high above Oldham, I had to use it in the poster. But not only does it sound odd, it also happens to be the highest place in Greater Manchester, hence the high society caption in the poster. The area around Oldham and Saddleworth is dotted with spectacular views and walks, and on a nice day it can rival anywhere in the country. And as for the town's swanky new cinema tagged on to the old town hall, well that's something special indeed. www.statementartworks.com
Oldham and Saddleworth poster by Eric Jackson, www.statementartworks.com
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.
MANCUNIAN WAY, by Eric Jackson, Statement artworks
The Mancunian way is not to be confused with the Mancunian Way. The former - the mindset and spirit of the city's people - is very special indeed. However, the road of that name, with a capital W, is about as horrible as it gets. Has anyone ever travelled on it and not be gripped by terror at where to come off and what lane to use, or indeed where the bloody hell they are? My Gran used to have a flat right next to it in All Saints, and she'd say, " Eric, i love it here, because the lights at night are fabulous, what with all the different colours and the speed. Champion." She said champion - a sadly dying northernism - quite a lot, but on the subject of the Mancunian Way I had to disagree with her. Not champion, Gran! So you're not likely to see a smiling couple on a Vespa any time soon on the Mancunian Way, buy hey, I love Vespas, and I quite like couples who smile while motorbiking (see the film Priceless), and I love Manchester, in spite of the Mancunian Way! Great Ancoats Street - now there's a road - and being transformed into something amazing. Go to the Port Street Beer House, and then go for a wander. My Gran and I did that years ago when it was the heart of the textile industry, and it still sends a tingle down my spine.
The MANCUNIAN WAY, by Eric Jackson, www.statementartworks.com
Framed A2 Sale poster by Statement Artworks
It's a strong and stable composition...or is it a composition of chaos? Hey, who cares about cheap slogans, it's just a picture painted by me about Sale in Greater Manchester, or is that Cheshire, or should we just say Trafford? Goddamit, why can't things be clear-cut in life? One thing I do know, though, is that this is my first framed A2 print of my new Sale picture (it's signed accordingly), and it's going on sale (more confusion) this Saturday and Sunday at Altrincham market, for £50, or you can reserve it, by emailing on statementartworks@gmail.com. First come first serve, first past the post, that sort of thing, just to labour the political metaphor. Anybody would think some kind of strange, weird election had taken place! Of course I'll have lots of smaller framed and mounted versions, too. We are also at the Northern Quarter market on Sunday.
And just one last thing. Went to London on Monday and Tuesday, and my London poster (also attached) never seemed more appropriate. Had a great time in Twickenham (very nice) with our lovely mates, and then it went downhill in the city itself. Southwark, home of Tate Modern, used to be our favourite bit, but now it looks like an even worse Dubai - crap apartment blocks creating wind tunnels, noice, congestion and a dystopian cityscape straight out of Orwell. Vile, and then we paid over £10 for two pints in a bog-standard pub. How do people cope with that? Ah, that train to Piccadilly...
Anyway, hope to bump into you in wonderful Altrincham and theNorthern Quarter over the weekend.
Worsley, deliciously rich Tomato Soupville!
No, it's not polluted - it's the iron oxide, or something like that, that seeps into the water, which gives the Bridgewater Canal in Worsley its distinctive orange colour, an almost identical hue to that of tomato soup, in fact (many thanks to my old mate Simon Donohue for coming up with that comparison). And that, along with the classy Arts and Crafts homes and buildings, makes Worsley one of the most sought-after districts north of the Irwell. The jewel in Salford's crown. Deliciously rich! So cool is it, in fact, that it was recently featured in the The Great British Interior Design Challenge. Now that's trendy. This poster, by Eric Jackson, is available from A4 size all the way up to A1, through statementartworks.com and at the usual markets and selected shops/galleries.
Worsley, good enough to drink!
The Ascent of Manc
Ascent of Manc poster by Eric Jackson, Statement Artworks
The Ascent of Manc
We've come a long way in the area now known as Manchester...or have we? From tribal, hairy nut-eater to...tribal, hairy nut-eater. Here is the Ascent of Manc poster, released on November 1.
Available through www.statementartworks.com, at numerous artisan markets around the north west and selected retail outlets and galleries.
Read MoreEccles poster by Eric Jackson, Statement Artworks
Do you know Eccles has one of the finest restaurants in the north west? Put it this way, if Smiths was in London, Giles Coren would think it was the best thing since sliced Prosciutto. It's not all good, though - the one-way system is like entering the third circle of hell. It's a pity, because within it there's the Church Street area, which would not be out of place in a quaint market town or village. Of course, Eccles is famous for its cakes, which are beyond wonderful. Just don't mention Chorley...
This poster is available through www.statementartworks.com
Read MoreThe Heatons of Stockport poster by Eric Jackson, Statement Artworks
Go on, you've heard it so many times, haven't you? Strike up a conversation with anyone from the Heatons, especially Heaton Moor, and you'll get: "It's just like Didsbury, with so many great shops, bars and restaurants, and the houses are amazing, but so much more affordable." And then you'll hear the 'added value' bit. "And it's so much easier to get into the countryside and the Peak District here, yet we can still get into town in 15 minutes on the train. And we've even got the 192 bus every minute."
Now they've got the revamped, Art Deco style Savoy cinema to boast about too, and who can blame them? It's a stonker of a place. See the latest movie then pop over to Damson, one of the hippest restaurants in the north west.
The four Heatons - Moor, Mersey, Chapel and Norris - form the trendiest corner of Stockport, giving the town a much-neeed cachet. If that gold dust could be sprinkled over the regeneration projects currently sweeping Stockport, then the town will once again be able to lure in the visitors from the affluent suburbs.
This poster is available through www.statementartworks.com
Read MoreThis is the North by Eric Jackson, Statement Artworks
That errant 'r', pronounced in bath and path, and probably a few other words, by people from the south of England, is just wrong, wrong, wrong - a stupid affectation probably brought over by the Normans, whose linguistic influence generally stopped at the point now known as the Watford gap. The little 'r' is the one thing that truly separates northerners and southerners. In most other respects we're exactly the same, at least genetically. This poster is available at markets around the Greater Manchester and Cheshire area, and online from statementartworks.com
That little 'r' - the true definer of where you are from in England
Wigan poster from Statement Artworks
Wigan hasn't just got pies - as folklore would have it - but also plenty of balls...rugby balls, footballs (the town can accommodate clubs of both codes) and Uncle Joe's Mint Balls. Of course it was also the epicentre of Northern Soul and its 'pier' inspired the author George Orwell. For this poster I've borrowed the imagery of Soviet era propaganda, in keeping with the red of the Mint Balls logo. Come the glorious revolution, it will be free Mint Balls all-round. Or perhaps not!
This poster is available to buy, unframed, from Statement Artworks (www.statementartworks.com) or framed at selected galleries and markets around the north west.
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