When the world is in danger and no one else can help, only Wonder Kitten and Super Dog can save the planet. Don’t worry, I haven’t been eating dodgy mushrooms, but I have been to Central Parade on Hoe Street to check out Emma Scutt’s new gallery. Central parade which is home to flexible working spaces and a cafe run by Today Bread, also offers start-up and incubator units, small shops or studios that each tenant leases for six months to get them up and running. Local artist, Emma, is one of the new batch of tenants, and her gallery space and studio is a joy to visit.
You may well have heard of Emma, she’s popped up in my blog a couple of times before. Emma painted the marsh themed Little Free Library we have in our front garden, we adventured up the Markhouse Lighthouse tower together, and her work was projected on to St Mary’s Church during the AdventUs project last year. She is also the artist behind the legendary Walthamstow Calendar, which features landmarks from across Walthamstow. Emma is a regular participant in the E17 Art Trail, and a number of her murals can be found gracing walls around E17. It’s fair to say, she has many strings to her bow, and you can find examples of all kinds of her work in her small gallery/studio space.
Work from the Wathamstow calendars features heavily in the gallery. Beautiful original paintings and prints of buildings and places from all over E17 hang on the walls. The Bell Pub, mighty marsh, Manze’s Pie & Mash Shop, the Town Hall and a snowy St Mary’s Church Yard all feature. Scanning the walls of the small space is like taking a wander around Walthamstow, but a Walthamstow made of brush strokes, it’s wonderful. Don’t be put off, this isn’t a gallery where you stand in quiet contemplation, clutching your chin and nodding your head so that everyone knows you are appreciating the art work. This is a fun colourful space, and Emma is always up for a natter
The Walthamstow landmarks aren’t the only things to see in the gallery. There are the super hero cats and dogs, fantastic prints based on a Hitchcock mural Emma painted, and even Grayson Perry and William Morris make an appearance. Wait, that’s not all! You can also take Emma’s work home with you. The calendar art work and prints can be purchased, there are greetings cards, post cards, mugs and tote bags. My dog was rather taken by the Super Dog tote bag and decided to pose with it.
Emma is at the start of her six month residency, so you can find her at central parade until January. If you would like to know more about Emma or her work, click here to view her website, or even better, go along to central parade and say hello.
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