Geoff Butterworth Exhibition at pop-up art gallery

Bob Chadwick, President of the Rotary Club of Rochdale, John Kay, of Rochdale Online, Irene Davidson, President of the Innerwheel Club of Rochdale, Chris Doidge, Rochdale Exchange Operations Manager and artist Geoff Butterworth

A pop-up art gallery at Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre will showcase the work of Geoff Butterworth, a local artist who turned to his passion of painting after surviving a motorbike crash.

The exhibition has been organised by Rochdale Online Director John Kay, who had the idea to bring in his good friend Geoff to exhibit his paintings in a unit at the shopping centre.

The opening is on Saturday 20 September and it is hoped the exhibition will raise funds for the NSPCC at the same time as increasing awareness of the local Rotary Club who will be helping man the six-week exhibition.

John said: “Rotary is an organisation which does much good in this country and abroad.

“We want to give more people the opportunity to join us and the NSPCC is one of our President’s charities this year.”

John added: “Geoff Butterworth is an excellent local artist who deserves more exposure and I believe that together we can achieve great things. So with the help of the Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre we set up this exhibition. "

Geoff, who has been painting professionally since 1980, was only too happy to oblige when he heard John’s suggestion, even if it did mean the demanding task of selecting 100 pictures for the show.

He said: “There will be some urban landscapes, some towns and cities but some figurative stuff too. Pretty much everything I do will be there because it’s such a vast space.”

Geoff, aged 62, is also hoping to use the unit as a studio during the exhibition so members of the public can come along and watch him creating his work.

Specialising in watercolours, Geoff has enjoyed considerable success as an artist – a dramatic change in career that was forced upon him at the age of 22.

He said: “I used to be a welder and served my time as an engineer but I was involved in a serious motorbike accident that was so bad I was off work for three-and-a-half years.

“I had always painted in my teens but once I went back to work I wanted to do more of it and eventually decided to go self-employed painting instead.”
Geoff hasn’t looked back, and being quite prolific he has earned what he describes as a ‘reasonable income’ as well as selling work nationally and internationally, gaining substantial recognition.

Geoff, who lives with his wife in Whitworth, said: “There will be an awful lot of people passing by, the footfall will be massive and it’s quite an unusual thing to do. We’ve had nothing but help and encouragement from the Exchange, it has been great so I hope it goes well.”

Lorenzo O’Reilly, Rochdale Exchange Manager, said: “Geoff is such a talented, local artist. We feel quite privileged to have him exhibit with us.

“While our visitors can enjoy a day out shopping with us, they will also have an extra reason to come and visit and I feel sure it will be a huge hit with shoppers.”

The Geoff Butterworth Exhibition will run from Saturday September 20 to Friday October 31.

Geoff Butterworth Fine Arts can be viewed and purchased on the Rochdale Online Department Store