Barry Canning Eaton show at de-junk for the first time

Barry Canning-Eaton

A sculptor, potter, jewellery designer and maker.

Barry was born in Liverpool, brought up and live in Wirral. He started sculpting in his school days using clay.  He then became a potter for several years  making original pieces for mass production, and carrying out high quality restoration work on ceramic pieces for antique dealers.

Mostly self taught, over the years Barry has expanded his knowledge and skills in making 3D pieces using various media including steel, copper, gold, silver, other metals, concrete, and found objects.
Many of Barry’s works are created using recycled materials.

Barry was introduced to metal work when he could not find the right wedding ring for his wife. He wanted a gold ring of interlinked seahorses. So he sculpted one and cast it in gold himself.

Inspired by the experience, Barry then studied Jewellery Design for 3 years at Wirral Metropolitan College where he gained a Distinction in 2009 and won a First Prize in the "Inspired By..." in 2009, an arts and crafts competition sponsored by Liverpool Museum and V&A, with a bracelet and necklace set in the form of a spine made of ceramics and silver, inspired by Dinosaurs bones.

Barry has shown his work at ‘Transformations’ at Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead in 2009 and The Six Rooms Gallery as part of Independents Liverpool Biennial in 2010.

His future exhibitions include:
Canvas for Youth Exhibition at Mid Cheshire College, Chester Road, Hartford CW8 1LJ from 18th - 21st July 2012 where Barry will show his Spiral Staircase waterfall.

Barry accepts commissions in sculpture, ceramics and jewellery.

Rubbish exhibition in the park

Helen Smith's workshop with plastic bag flowers

 

A “rubbish” show in Birkenhead Park Visitors Centre doesn’t sound very appealing but with over 30 Merseyside based artists and craftspeople using junk it is definitely an exhibition worth viewing. The exhibitors have taken rubbish, litter and un-used items to recreate into artwork and craftwork showing how with a bit of creativity and skill - things that would inevitably end up in landfill can be transformed and be saved. The exhibition “de-junk, re-junk!” will be open daily from 9 til 4.30pm daily.

Following her involvement with the organisation of recycling art shows in 2010 and 2011, curator Alison Bailey Smith has had support from Wirral Council again in mounting the exhibition, she said of the forthcoming exhibition:

  "Last year, the exhibition took a different approach to the previous community show in 2010 with professional artists and craftspeople re-using my old kitchen and producing paintings, mosaics and sculptures. This year, we have used social media to ask for items such as milk bottles and plastic to transform as well as exchanging our own unwanted hoarded, redundant “gems”. We visited Bidston recycling plant to see the recycling process first hand. After which many of the artists reconsidered the items they were using to shift to items not currently being recycled through local recycling facilities.  One of the pieces to be featured in the exhibition will be our new sign made of scrabble parts and broken plates produced at a mosaic workshop during our de-junk, re-junk workshops funded by MRWA earlier this year and a piece of furniture made using reclaimed wooden floorboards by mastercraftsman, Damon Revans-Turner. Next year, in 2013 we will be looking for sponsors to be able to run the exhibition”

There will be "junk" available for people to take away and create their own de-junk, re-junk creation, photos can be emailed to Alison Bailey Smith info@abscraft.com and their recreations will be posted on the blog during the show http://de-junkre-junk.blogspot.co.uk/

Birkenhead Park Visitors Centre, Birkenhead Park, Park Drive, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 4HY