alan hardcastle - Past Exhibitions


In early 2007 I submitted an exhibition proposal to Calderdale Council Museums and Galleries. After over 20 years absence from the exhibition circuit I am grateful to them for their support and confidence in my work which has led to this opportunity to mount this solo exhibition at the Smith Art Gallery. The paintings and drawings on display in this exhibition are the practical results of my work during the past two years although some of the ideas have been germinating since the early 1980s. The work is made up of three strands, 'Roots, Tracks and Waterways' which are separate yet inter-connected. My work is essentially representational and I make no apologies for this - I find inspiration in the landscape of the region where I was born and bred.

'Roots' refers to my background. My roots are firmly planted in Halifax and the surrounding area; my family arrived in the district in the early 1700's and have been here ever since. At this time a branch of the Hardcastle family farmed a smallholding in Hipperholme which they rented from the Shibden estate. Their tenancy came to an abrupt end during Ann Lister's occupancy of Shibden Hall when a large part of the farmland was sold off to make way for the new road to Leeds, effectively rendering the Hardcastles redundant as farmers.
In William's time this was the front of the Inn	Present day front of Ring o' Bells but was the rear in William's time	View of Ring o' Bells from south porch of the Parish Church
In the middle decades of the 19th century my great-great-great grandfather, William Hardcastle, was innkeeper of the Ring o' Bells Inn.
View of church tower from the Piece Hall	Bell Tower	Churchyard
The Ring o' Bells Inn is just a stones-throw away from Halifax Parish Church where, for more than 50 years, William was a renowned bell-ringer and composer of peals of bells.
Painting of Old Bank Cottages based on a 1912 sketch by Arthur Comfort	To view full-size please click on image Some of these files are large - please allow time for them to open	View from the top of Old Bank 2007
William was also a member of the Halifax Town Council and towards the latter end of his life he lived in a cottage in Old Bank.

'Tracks' refers to paths made by people and animals, ancient trackways, erosion of the land by wind and water and implied paths created by cast shadows.
Pathway in Judy Woods	Dry Rill in Judy Woods	Track in snow in Judy Woods
Judy Woods is the setting for much of the work on display and is a valuable new discovery for me. My wife had plagued me for years to visit Judy Woods, relating memories of the wonderful place she used to go to as a child. She thought it "might be a good place to paint". As childhood memories rarely live up to expectations (and as my wife doesn't have an artistic bone in her body) I had pooh-poohed this and was only reluctantly dragged there in the late summer of 2006 for a picnic with the grandkids.
Autumn in Judy Woods		Sun and shadow in Judy Woods
How wrong I was - I found myself in magnificent primeval woodlands of beech and oak trees with ancient drover's roads snaking their way among them. I was awestruck and knew I had found another source of inspiration.

'Waterways' refers to canals and related industrial landscapes. Huddersfield Narrow Canal is the subject of this strand of work which harks back to drawings and black and white photographs I made in the late 1970's.
Neglected lock c1977	Short stretch of canal c1977	Lock near Bates Bridge c1977
The canal and its surroundings of probably less than a mile of waterway behind Huddersfield Polytechnic (now the University) were in a state of decay and neglect and I wanted to document what was there before it disappeared forever - these are the images you will see in the exhibition.
Short stretch of canal 2008	University buildings 2008	View of Bates Bridge 2008
More recent visits to the area have revealed a very different environment. A major project of rebuilding and refurbishing has been completed which is a credit to all concerned; but for me is also a little sad. The appeal and resonance of that time in the 70's, when I worked along the canal-side, looking at cast-off rubbish floating half-submerged in the water, seeing the derelict buildings reflected in the canal and where I could almost hear the shouts and curses of men going about their daily grind, have been lost. But such is progress and the area is now again a vibrant working waterway albeit for leisure rather than commerce and trade.
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