Let Battle commence New exhibition features work of artist couple

THE Weavers Factory, Uppermill is launching two new exhibitions featuring Saddleworth artist couple, John Hewitt and Sarah V Battle.

John’s daily line drawings have made him an Instagram star while Sarah’s intricate collages have taken North America by storm.

The couple’s newest collections will be on display at the Weavers Factory in Uppermill from April 19, 2022.

John’s exhibition is called Quadrupeds Quadrupled and is is inspired by wood engraver, Thomas Bewick, who published A General History of Quadrupeds in 1790.

John’s exhibition of digital prints, Quadrupeds Quadrupled, forms a tribute to that landmark work of Natural History.

It features four sets of four prints of four types of four-legged mammals. These groups consist of cats, cows, sheep and wild animals, all discovered and drawn in Saddleworth.

Each animal returns our gaze, be it through curiosity, trust, need, threat or fear. The 16 portraits began as small observational gel-pen drawings, measuring a maximum of 14cm square.

They were initially made as part of John’s daily sketchbook practice, instigated in 2013, and now consisting of over 3,500 drawings.

Sarah’s exhibition is entitled Bibelot and features collages, paper-cuts and digital and traditional prints explores the cultures of collecting, collectors and collections.

This newly created body of work refabricates and celebrates small treasuries of household ornamentation.

Her working methods include collage, drawing, painting, paper-cutting, stenciling, monoprinting, Lino printing, dry point and digital printing.

Sarah’s background in printmaking and textile design have equipped her with fluid skills in the media of print.

Many of her motifs are made at a size no bigger than a thumbnail, each pieced together from a multiplicity of tiny cut-out components, and Sarah’s enduring interest in vintage advertising design, billheads and typefaces makes for a fascinating exhibition.

For more information visit www.weaversfactory.co.uk You can find this fascinating cultural space at 13 New Street, Uppermill, OL3 6AU. It is open from 10am to 4pm Thursday to Sunday.