Page 1 Page 2 Dear Readers With lockdown restrictions now eased we find ourselves able to venture out to shops, hairdressers and pubs all of which have been through very difficult times over the past year. Of course, it’s great to be able to visit towns and cities again but please remember our local traders who are the very heart of our village. Although in recent years we’ve lost two of our pubs, at least temporarily, we still have some great places for a drink with friends and family. In the village centre we are lucky to have The Black Bull with outside seating. They will be open on Thursdays from 3 to 9pm and Friday to Sunday from 12 to 9pm. Please note that the carpark will be closed on those days. Call 01484 608111 to make bookings which are essential. The Toss o’ Coin on Penistone Road will open from 12pm onwards Friday to Sunday, for drinking only at the moment. They have a large beer garden and with good weather, this is a lovely place to have a drink with wonderful views over the surrounding fields. They plan to be back to normal with their popular indoor meals from the 17th of May when government restrictions are due to be eased further. One of the regular supporters of Shepley’s Magazine is The Rose and Crown at Thurstonland, another popular pub with a great reputation. They are open every day from 12pm for outside drinking and dining. Booking in advance is recommended here so please call 01484 660790 for a table. According to their Facebook page The Sovereign Inn is planning to be open from May 17th for meals as usual. Government restrictions obviously apply everywhere. The Thursday morning Baby and Toddler Group, held in the Methodist Church Hall, plans to re-open on 13th May and further details can be found in the article on page 9. Shepley Cricket Club has an article in this issue of the magazine detailing its activities and fixtures. Also, worth noting is that it will be 150 years in July since its founding. There will be more information on this nearer the time. The grounds are also open for outdoor drinking - more information is available from the club. So, let’s all get out and support our local businesses and groups and make 2021 a year to remember for all the right reasons. Shepley's Magazine Team. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email contributions by the 12th of the month to: [email protected] Write to us and drop your contributions into the library addressed to: Shepley’s Magazine All other enquiries including advertising to: [email protected] If you would like a PDF digital copy of the magazine email: [email protected] Magazine donations to: Lloyd’s Bank - Sort Code 30-98-97 Account - 64780368 or put a cheque made out to Shepley’s Magazine into an envelope and hand it in at the library, thank you. © Copyright Shepley’s Magazine Page 3 Spotlight on local Artist and Illustrator - Jane Middleton Tell us a bit about yourself, how did you start your career? Have you always been an artist? Creativity is a big part of who I am, and art was always my favourite subject at school, ranking much higher in preference than PE or maths! I was always drawing and making little books, getting lost in my imagination and always daydreaming too, (I still do a lot of daydreaming!) The natural career path to take for me without question was the Art & Design route, so I studied Graphic Design & illustration at the University of Teesside where I achieved a BA Hons 2:1. When the time for job hunting came, I was attracted to the very design led and creative roles. They all seemed to be in London so off I went…I had a few knock backs, but I also reached the second interview part of the process several times…mainly lacking two things though…experience (I couldn’t afford to work voluntarily) and I was very shy and lacked confidence back then…so networking and promoting myself didn’t come naturally. Plan B (which I’d written in my ‘record of achievement’ aged 14!) was to become an Art teacher…I took a year out first to travel …I spent almost a year in Australia backpacking and working in various preschools, nurseries, farms and a call centre; gaining experience, building up my confidence and growing as a person. I then completed a PGCE and spent 6 years working as a secondary school/A level art teacher in Rotherham, followed by a year at QEGS, Wakefield. We relocated to Shepley from Sheffield 11 years ago because of my husband’s job and have never looked back. The next few years were dedicated to raising my 2 children. My husband worked away a lot, so art and teaching went on the back burner… I decided to work on a self-employed basis upon returning to work, running art clubs in local primary schools. This worked around the family and my parents relocated from our hometown of Darlington to help me out with childcare and see more of their grandchildren. The schools I worked with gradually increased (I have 8 schools that I work with) and I was feeling rather pleased with my achievements…until Covid came along…but every cloud has a silver lining…although it’s been over a year since my last art club, I have been able to focus on other parts of my business that were more of a hobby in the past. I am starting from scratch…again… building up business and networking as best I can during a pandemic; creating murals and window art for businesses, educational and home decor settings. I have created murals within Shepley First School, both voluntarily and paid and have created artwork for several schools as far afield as Chesterfield. I also have an online shop where I sell my self-designed and printed greetings cards, prints and original pieces of art. It’s really hard work trying to ‘get out there’, especially at the moment but I’m giving it my best shot! I recently designed and produced all the exterior and interior artwork for a new Page 4 food hall in Kingsgate, called Street Eats; this was an amazing experience, and it will hopefully be opening this month when restrictions are lifted. How would you describe your process and what, if any message are you conveying through your work? I have been on an ever-evolving journey with the materials and processes I use. After a long, long creative time out from drawing or painting, it’s been a euphoric experience to have the creativity flowing again and the missing part of what makes me, is finally back. So instead of holding back like I did in the past and crippling my creativity by worrying what people will think of my art, I’ve just gone for it! I took on Andy Warhol’s philosophy, “ Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it is good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” I’m experimenting with illustrative digital work produced on my iPad. I’ve used collage, inks, bleach, watercolour, gesso textured canvases…character design, fine art, large scale, small scale, humorous, serious, vast really! I’ve dedicated all the time I have to creating and then even more time marketing my business. I have a range of art works that represent empowered, body confident women, and a lot of my work focuses on this…mainly due to personal feelings and reasons I experienced during my adolescent years. I’m working with Japanese and Chinese papers and inks at the moment as I’m experimenting and developing a new range…this is work in progress, it may or may not work but I’m going for it. What are your goals? What does the future hold for Jane Middleton Art? I’d like to continue building up my portfolio by completing more murals and window art for local businesses and I’d like to have some paid illustration work published in editorials, especially a women’s health magazine as this is a subject close to my heart. I’d like to get my brand out there; stocking cards and prints with businesses both local and further afield. Hopefully, art fairs and trade shows will go ahead soon, so I will apply for those and hope it brings me some business. What advice would you give to any aspiring artists? I would tell a younger me to stay true to yourself, don’t obsess over style, get as much experience as you can, try to steer in the direction of the industry that can provide opportunities for paid work like graphic design, sign writing, teaching art or architecture to name a few and most importantly, believe in yourself. And the advice to the 42-year-old me or those looking for a career change in the art industry….it’s never too late, but marketing yourself and your business is a full time job in itself if you decide to go freelance/self-employed. Don’t be afraid to ask other creatives for advice. And I still give the same advice to myself whilst battling with the self-doubt demons…As Matisse quoted, “creativity takes confidence.” If you feel passionate and want to succeed in something that means so much, then you will get there.