Wirral's Williamson Art Gallery honours family with art in their genes

Apr 21 2009 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

Peter Edwards and family

THREE generations of the same family have had their artworks accepted for one of Wirral’s largest and most prestigious exhibitions.

Peter Edwards and his daughters Millie, six, and Grace, eight, and his father, Gordon, have all had artworks accepted for the Williamson Gallery’s Spring Exhibition.

The exhibition at the Birkenhead gallery is due to open this Saturday, April 25.

More than 600 artists had submitted works and around half of those will be on display – including paintings, photography and sculpture.

Mr Edwards, from Bebington, said he and his family were pleased at their joint success this year.

Mr Edwards said he had been submitting his artistic endeavours into the exhibition for more than 20 years, but this was the first time so many members of the family had works accepted.

His daughter, Millie, is also the youngest of those to have art work exhibited, although under-16s have their work judged separately for the prize.

The 40th anniversary of Wirral's Spring Exhibition was held in 2002, and this year Wirral-born artist Michelle Molyneux – currently artist-in-residence at the gallery on Slatey Road – is one of the more high profile names expected to figure in the exhibition.

She was a prizewinner at the gallery’s 1990 spring exhibition and went on to win prizes at the Royal College of Art.

London-based Michelle, who has exhibited across the world has earned an international reputation for her art.

She takes photographs of places or people, cuts them up into hundreds or thousands of pieces, and reassembles them.