Dark and dangerous in Littleborough

Karen Lyons

Karen Lyons, artist and proprietor of Littleborough Ebor Studios, held an exhibition, titled 'Dark and Dangerous', of some of her drawings today (Saturday 5 October) at her studios.

The exhibition is a prelude to the upcoming Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival and features a collection of drawings based on the Bluebeard folk tales.

Karen said: “The idea was to put on an exhibition that could incorporate my drawings and the Grimm fairy tales.

“We have had a steady flow of people coming in and had a lot of people showing interest in the other aspects of the display, so its been great.”

As part of the exhibition, Karen will also be joined by storyteller Vickie Orton, who will tell stories to accompany the drawings on display.

Karen added: “The Grimm fairytales can easily be adapted so Vickie will be adapting the stories to the drawing on display.”

The partnership between the two came about when Karen came up with the idea for her display. She said: “When I came up with this idea, I knew I wanted a professional storyteller to get involved and that’s when we got in touch with the
Shaggy Dog storytellers and Vickie was happy to get involved.”

Work from artists Paul Haywood and Maxine Kennedy is also currently on display at the studios.

Paul and Maxine have designed a bespoke colour pallet of Littleborough by collecting colours from the landscapes around the town, moorland and valleys. Littleborough Arts Festival commissioned the work.

Paul said: “I have photographed the ambient, built and natural areas of Littleborough to find the different colours.”

As part of their work, paint of the colours from the exhibition has been made as well as fabric. Local designer Lindsay James has designed dresses in the fabrics. Paul said: “She has made some big fashion dresses so it’s like wearing a landscape.”

The displays can be seen at:

Ebor Studios
William Street
Litleborough
OL15 8JP