New Black Country exhibition
Over the next two months, visitors will be able to view original artworks by Ken Wood which showcase Black Country industry and particularly the waterways, as well as family life hundreds of years ago.
Free entry
The exhibition is free to visit in the temporary exhibition space of the Dudley Canal & Tunnel Trust's visitor centre, the Portal. All art works will also be for sale.
Views in this exhibition include atmospheric scenes of Atherstone locks, the Wordsley Cone, Netherton Branch, as well as scenes of Black Country life such as ‘Gettin Babby Washed'. Ken's dramatic use of oil paints captures skies glowing in pinks and reds from the roar of the furnaces which would be kept going through the night, with his paintings of everyday life focusing on the family lives of workers. The above picture shows Ken at the exhibition and the one below shows his painting of a Lock.
New exhibition
Holly Wain, Heritage Activities Assistant at Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust, enthused:
"We're so pleased to be welcoming Ken back to the Portal for a new exhibition for 2017. His last exhibition was very successful and visitors loved his atmospheric industrial scenes which are perfect for our location at the Dudley Canal Tunnel and Limestone mines."
Intense labour
Ken was born in Ironbridge and later moved to Dudley. At an early age Ken became very aware of the intense labour carried out by the local people keeping industry alive in the area. Ken's paintings are testament to this industrial heritage. His works have been exhibited widely and even found their way to the USA and New Zealand.
The exhibition is free to visit and is be running now until 14th April.