Image: ‘Telegraph & Argus’, Bradford
In addition to his own work, Shipley artist, Tim Curtis, has a particular interest in community art projects helping people to create large scale art works, including collage and wall murals. His own mixed media work includes people and life drawing, landscape paintings and drawings, and etching and printmaking.
He studied for a degree in Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, graduating in 1996, and then gained his PGCE teaching qualification from Bradford College in 1997. Tim worked as a primary school teacher for 12 years and left school teaching in 2007 to work as a community artist and develop his own work.
Since that time he has worked with many local groups and organisations, including Baildon and Shipley Extended Schools, The Childrens University Bradford District, HALE, Opera North, RHS Harlow Carr, Kirkgate Studios and workshops, Bradford Parental Involvement Team, individual childrens centres, primary, secondary and special schools.
I work with groups of children as young as 3, and grandparents as old as 83, to create ensemble art pieces. These are usually large scale wall murals and can be drawn, painted, mosaic, ceramic, collage or bespoke.
Above: ‘Green Lane 600’. Mural created by Tim Curtis, Jon Scurrah and the pupils, staff and governors of Green Lane Primary School Bradford. Acrylic, ink, gouache, emulsion on 600 canvasses. Image: see artist’s website
His work has been shown at a wide range of venues, including the University of Bradford, Listers Mill, Industrial Museum, Saltaire Festival, Leeds Corn Exchange, and in outdoor and public spaces, including Centenary Square, Bradford.
Above: Buttons & Flower Collage, created by Tim and 30 High Crags Primary School parents and pupils using, paper, card, fabric and buttons . Image: Artist’s website, see below
His mixed media work, ‘What did you do in the Nineties, Daddy?’ (illustrated below), was shown as part of Bradford Open art exhibition, 2011, and featured again in his solo ‘Near and Farscapes’ exhibition July 2012-February 2013 at Cartwright Hall.
‘What did you do in the Nineties, Daddy? Image: see artist’s website below.
In 2013 Tim worked with Forsters Bistro and Deli in Bradford City Park on an exhibition that featured artwork from his ‘Near and Farscapes’ exhibition, and added lino prints, mixed-media illustrations on recycled cardboard, and large-scale canvas illustrations.
He worked with local sculptor, Sam Shendi, in 2014 at Cartwright Hall, to help local people create artwork as part of the ‘Big Draw 2014’ project. In 2014 he also collaborated with other artists to produced a commemorative map of the Bradford district route of the Tour de France.
Website: http://www.timcurtisartist.co.uk/