Arts Centre Washington's new exhibition of local work

Stockport-born Tanja Vukasinovic-Powell now lives in Washington and was a regular at the arts centre before her exhibition. She was diagnosed with autism and she thinks her condition allows her to focus harder on her work.

Tanja studied art at school, but only re-ignited her passion for it in recent years. Originally she only worked in black and white, but now works in colour too. Her work takes inspiration from patterns in nature and architectural design.

She said: “I often pop in to see the exhibitions, but never dreamt I would have my own work on show.

“It doesn’t feel quite real, but it’s given my confidence a real boost. I’ve had all sorts of health problems over the last few years so that’s made this even sweeter for me.

“My designs are very intricate and I have to hyper-focus over a long period of time to complete each piece. I work six or seven hours a day over a fortnight to finish a piece; so it’s intense.

“I love looking at church windows and old buildings, they inspire me."

A friend of George’s approached Arts Centre Washington suggesting George could have an exhibition. He was “gobsmacked” when they agreed.

George also studied art at school and then went through a period when he wasn’t producing art. He played in a series of bands and also performed as a solo singer-songwriter, occasionally designing album covers for other bands and artists.

He said: “I completed an O-Level and then an A-Level in art and was then accepted in to the Royal College of Art. But I didn’t go. I decided to park art and got really into music instead.

“I suppose I kept my hand in by designing these album covers, but I was really able to refocus on art during the lockdowns. Obviously any gigs I had were cancelled, so I spent a lot of time painting.”

Matt Blyth, audience development officer at Arts Centre Washington, said: “We are extremely excited to be the first gallery to display their works. I think it’s going to be really popular with our audiences.”

To find out more visit www.artscentrewashington.co.uk.

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