Yates, Herbert

Statement

‘Until a knee injury a year ago most of the inspiration for my painting came from walking the moors around Manchester. By necessity, I had to find somewhere closer to home. I live in Ancoats, where the closest things to the natural world are the waste-grounds with their flora of un-killable weeds, spindly shrubs, and an abundance of tough wildflowers. Also discarded fridges and furniture. But it was nearby. I chose an area, bordered by Oldham Road on one side and a railway wall on the other, with a car wash at the top and a burnt-out office building at the bottom. Not very attractive.’

‘But, of course, the very act of starting to draw or paint opens the eyes and the imagination to the potential of wherever one happens to be and my waste-ground has so far given my several paintings and the subject is not yet exhausted.’

‘There may even be some buried nostalgia. I was born in Miles Platting, just across the road.’

Email: yates159@btinternet.com

Mobile:07530408509