Photography exhibition at Upfront Gallery in aid of SBS

Solway Series, an exhibition of photographs featuring the work of former lecturer, David Moyes, will open at Upfront Gallery near Hutton-in-the-Forest, Penrith (CA11 9TG) on Wednesday 6th September. This follows David’s exhibition at The Stove in Dumfries earlier in the year.

The 20 images in the exhibition, each one mounted and framed, show the moods and movement of the Solway’s waters, particularly around the beaches of Dumfries and Galloway.

Blue by David Moyes

“I think the photographs reveal aspects of Solway beaches that are less often noticed,” says David. “Some feature the same location but in different weather or tidal conditions and each image creates a different atmosphere from this beautiful coastline.”

All David’s photographs are available for sale at £75 each with the money raised going to support Suicide Bereavement Support (SBS) for Cumbria and the surrounding areas.

“I’ve put together the exhibition to help a charity that helped me and my family and I want to make people across north Cumbria aware of the help and support that is available,” says David. “I am very grateful to Frank Ritchie of SBS Cumbria for his enthusiasm for the exhibition, to Elaine Parkinson and the team at Upfront for their ideas and hospitality and I also want to thank the key sponsors of Solway Series: Penrith Rotary Club and The Lions Club Penrith. I really hope that, together, we can raise money for an important cause and also make people more aware of its existence and the support that’s available.”

spin cycle by david moyes

Emily Griffiths, our Chair of Trustees and also the host for the SBS monthly meetings in Barrow and Kendal, says: “We’re all volunteers who’ve personal experience of bereavement by suicide. We simply aim to support those who’ve lost someone in this way and we also want to raise awareness of the issues around this particularly tough-to-handle bereavement and grief. I hope David’s exhibition will help in letting those in and around Penrith who might appreciate our support know that we’re available.”

The Solway Series exhibition opens on Wednesday 6th September with a preview event that evening at 6:00pm and runs until Sunday 24th September. It will be available to view during Upfront’s regular hours, 10:00am to 4:30pm, Wednesday to Sunday, and David’s pictures are available to reserve for a payment of £75.

In parallel with the exhibition, Holly Parkinson at Upfront is organising a series of wellness-related workshops (see website www.up-front.com for details).

“The Solway Series exhibition got us thinking about bereavement, mental health awareness and other related issues,” says Holly, “so we’re hoping that the various September events will raise awareness of SBS Cumbria and get people thinking and talking about tough topics.”

beach brolly by david moyes