Professional Ainsdale artist, Neil Prior is currently busy putting the final touches to his forthcoming one-man-show at the ArtHouse in Eastbank Street, Southport scheduled to open later in the month.



This new exhibition will feature over 25 original works exploring a diverse range of subject matter captured by Neil in his trademark oils. Having retired in 2018 from the Leicestershire constabulary, Neil has been able to turn his full attention to his life-long love of oil painting – dog duties permitting!.



Neil is a self-taught artist, who mounted two successful solo exhibitions in Leicestershire in 2017 and 2018 prior to moving with his wife, Martha, and their two Bedlington Terriers, Bruce and Herbert, up to Southport.



Now, no stranger to galleries across the Northwest region for his stunning dog portraiture, Neil gained instant national recognition earlier this year when one of his commissions – “Lily the Hero” - was also featured in the July issue of the SAA Community Paint magazine.



“During lockdown I became involved in the Portraits for NHS Heroes set up on Instagram by Tom Croft for artists to offer free portraits to NHS workers. One NHS doctor in Liverpool, Sofia, responded to an offer of a free portrait, however, she didn’t want a portrait of herself. Instead, she told me that her hero was her dog, Lilly, a springer spaniel. At the end of a hard day’s work on the wards, she would be greeted with heaps of licks and cuddles when she returned home. It was a true honor to paint such a beautiful dog for a very special person.”



“In April , I had the pleasure of meeting both Sofia and her partner, Sam (also a doctor in Liverpool) along with Lilly as the lockdown relaxed. We were able to go for a walk on Ainsdale beach along with my two Beddies, Bruce and Herbert, who got on brilliantly with Lilly and we’re now arranging further walks. They are hoping to get to my exhibition which will be fantastic.”



When the government locked the country down in March, to restrict the spread of the Covid-19 virus, Neil took up his ‘virtual’ brush along with other members of Southport Contemporary Arts, to share artwork related to the topic of the lockdown - “Separate Yet Together”.



SCA Director, Norrie Beswick-Calvert, explains: “As a way of staying connected creatively, our Friday art class and some SCA members devised an on-going sharing project. The idea was that each member shared on-line a small section of an art piece they were currently working on, and then the others in the group used it as a starting point for a new artwork based on their personal experiences and feelings about the Coronavirus and it's impact into our lives.”



Neil painted two new pieces, “Time to Reflect” and “Freedom”.



Neil describes his submissions: “The two pieces speak for themselves, In “Time to Reflect”, the yellow boat is an indication that despite how alone we can feel at this time, we are all in the same boat and that we should use this slowing down of time to reflect on ourselves and those around us (represented by the clouds).”



He went on to add, “The second painting, ”Freedom” is a very large canvas and probably my favorite piece over the lockdown as it was taken from a photograph that I took of a single Black Headed Gull in flight on Ainsdale Beach. I used the images of the gulls flight to represent our own flight path as lockdown relaxes and we seek some kind of freedom and return to normality.”



Both these paintings will be on display at the solo exhibition and will also be available to purchase as original giclee prints and greeting cards.



Despite all that is going on, Neil certainly seems to have a positive working method of dealing with the current restrictions: “As an artist, coping under Covid -19 hasn’t really been an issue for me. I have been able to use my time effectively in the studio at home, producing dog portrait commissions and assembling other pieces in preparation for my solo exhibition at the ArtHouse.”



This 10-day exclusive showing is certainly not one to be missed. “Just in Oils” will be on display at the ArtHouse, Eastbank Street from July 21st –August 1st. The gallery is open Tuesday – Friday 10.00-15.00. Saturday 11.00-16.00.



In line with Government advice, the SCA team have introduced strict measures to keep visitors to the Gallery as safe as possible: There will be a policy of 2 visitors at a time, with social distancing once inside, and hand sanitize dispensers at the door to use on arrival.