Fans travelled from all over the country to spend the evening with the creator of Ted and Doris, the loved-up couple whose travels in their trusty camper van form the basis of the ‘Northern Romance’ series of paintings.
The event, which sold out in record time, was organised by Cottingham’s Artmarket Gallery, which represents David Renshaw.
Three brand new original artworks featuring Ted and Doris and inspired by the beautiful Pipe and Glass and its surroundings were revealed on the night by David Renshaw himself and by Artmarket director Robert Power.
The Northern Romance series is, David explains, inspired by his beloved grandmother.
“She was a prominent and influential figure in my childhood,” he says. “She adored my grandfather, who had died when they were quite young. She never remarried, and she always used to tell me stories about him.
“When I was looking for a new direction in my painting, my grandmother’s stories sparked the idea of Ted and Doris – I wanted something that people could connect to on an emotional level.
“So now there’s always the couple, always a heart, and love is always the theme. But geographically, they can go anywhere. And they’ve evolved over the years. At first they were always quite Lowry-esque cityscapes – my parents are from Manchester and Leeds. But I was born and brought up in Southport, and I love the countryside, so now they’re often in more natural environments, reflecting my own experiences more.”
The three new pictures had a more specific inspiration, too: before starting work, David visited the Pipe and Glass to have lunch, meet James and Kate and enjoy the surrounding countryside and landmarks, including the Humber Bridge and the soaring church spire of St Mary’s at South Dalton.
Guests enjoyed a delicious Pipe and Glass dinner starting with a selection of canapés, followed by a little cup of game and wild mushroom broth, with a game and juniper sausage roll; beetroot and Yorkshire gin-cured salmon with crème fraîche, crab croquette, pickled cucumber and dill, and Two Chefs ale-braised ox cheek with marrowbone potato, crispy onion, anise carrot.
Pudding was white chocolate and semi-dried cranberry bread and butter pudding with spiced clementine suzette and cardamom custard, all rounded off by coffee and sweet treats.
This was the third Artmarket Gallery artist event at the Pipe and Glass – previous guest artists were Bob Barker and Peter Smith.