Lesley Halliwell creates fascinating and magical drawings using simply biro pens and spirographs!. For Taxi Gallery she created a set of new drawings that break away from her characteristically ordered compositions. Using different spirograph motifs she created five 'trails' that journeyed around the windows of the Taxi. The drawings were made with carbon paper on a frosted plastic surface, they seemed to appear and disappear as you followed them around - a quality reminiscent of the trail left by a snail or icicles on a cold morning. As in her larger Spirograph drawings mistakes are inevitable; the trail is interrupted by a slippage or at times the wrong pattern is used. Even the imagery on the Taxi's windows interferes and jars with the simplicity of the spirograph trail. The desire for a smooth journey (or pleasant pattern) is ruined.

Lesley says; "Because the Taxi has such a strong visual presence in its own right, one of the challenges for me was to come up with something that wouldn't be over-shadowed. The trails aim to be a natural addition to what is already there, encouraging the viewer to walk around the Taxi and follow the weaving and interaction of the different pathways."

Lesley usually titles her spirograph drawings according to the time that they take to make but as a subtle nod to the context of the taxi these drawings have been titled as well according to the distance that the pen has travelled in their making ...

Since Lesley completed an MA in Fine Art at Manchester (2001) there has been renewed interest in her work and practice; she has exhibited drawings in the Oriel Mostyn Open (2002), the Cornerhouse in Manchester and in Bloomberg's New Contemporaries 2002 (Static, Liverpool Biennial and Barbican Curve, London). She was recently nominated for Beck's Futures 2003 and her work can be currently seen in an exhibition of Manchester Artists at the Lowry, Salford. The theoretical and academic aspect of her practice is also important. Lesley recently co-curated an exhibition of abstract works with artist Dr. Alec Shepley (Gallery 103, Wrexham, 2002) and, in the past, has had a research essay published in the Dictionary of Women Artists (Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997). Earlier this year she organised Beyond the Pale , an exhibition of drawing and sculpture, also at Gallery 103, Wrexham (2003), the catalogue for which includes a commissioned essay by Kathy Kubicki. Lesley is a part-time lecturer in Fine Art and Critical Studies at North East Wales Institute.

More information can be found at www.lesleyhalliwell.co.uk

comments book extracts:

It's so pretty ! we walked round + round ....

I loved it - how did you make the tracks through the patterns - so much concentration.

note:

The opening for Round In Circles was held on FA Cup Final day - so I put a TV in the Scout Hut which was very popular with a lot of visitors - the afternoon ended with a huge game of rounders on the Scout Hut field.

During the exhibition of Round In Circles I arranged a visit for a class from Abbey Meadows Primary School with their teacher, the children enjoyed getting into the taxi and also had a go at making spirograph patterns themselves.

This exhibition was featured in the local Abbey quarterly newsletter, this and the exhibition of the large drawing in the community cafe has helped to spread the word about Taxi Gallery beyond the immediate Stanesfield Rd neighbourhood.

artist's reflections:

coming soon