This cheeky piece of artwork has been commissioned for a new cafe that’s soon to open in Hoylake.

Painted secretly (I think) this weekend by Hoylake artist Micheline Robinson the cupcake can be seen on what will be the Cupcake Cafe, located in the building next to the Holy Trinity School car park. Micheline has wondered if the artwork manages to create the strong 3D effect that she was after? Have  you popped along and had a look …what do you think?

Pictured above and below mid-performance are the members of the Hoylake School of Dance (HSOD) team that has just performed at the first ever Dance Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. The HSOD team won a public vote held in September and were one of just 24 teams from across the country chosen to perform at the inaugural dance event.

Well done to all !

During November Seagrass Studios at The Quadrant, Hoylake are presenting a Peter Macaulay exhibition.

Seagrass Studios owner Jo Smith says: “Peter has been an artist for many years but is now able to dedicate all his time to his absolute passion in his life.

Having been resident artist at the Walker Art Gallery and after exhibiting regularly at the Williamson, Peter was invited to exhibit in Liverpool this Summer and consequently Spain and Italy next year.

On the cusp of Peter finding stratospheric success, we are proud and lucky to have him show his work on our doorstep.”

Peter Macaulay’s exhibition ‘Between Representation and Abstraction’ kicks off on Thursday 3rd November 2011 and runs to 5th December 2011. Gallery opening times are Tues to Thurs 10a.m to 4p.m, Fri and Sat 10a.m to 5p.m

Call Jo on 07732 533999 for further information or see www.seagrassstudio.co.uk

Pictured: Susan Meyerhoff Sharples, Meols (photograph: Terry Hayes)

The recent Wirral Open Studio Tour, held in various venues across Wirral and including Hoylake, has been hailed as a great success with thousands of people visiting the studios.

Tour organiser and contributing artist Micheline Robinson of Hoylake comments:

“Our event was a tremendous success with a count of around three thousand people visiting the studios. There was also a reported increase in sales in shops such as Urbane and Society Rocks in Hoylake on the Sunday. We’ve had visitors from as far as Durham, London and North Wales which was really encouraging! The Mayor also came in on the Saturday morning and had a chance to visit 2 studios.”

For further details of the tour visit the official website and browse the photo gallery.

Did you visit any of the participating venues? What did you think? Please leave a comment below.

A group of Irish dance students from Hoylake School of Dance has been selected from hundreds of dance acts from around the UK to perform at the Royal Albert Hall.

The dancers will join 24 other dance acts to appear at the first ever Dance Proms, a major national dance festival, at the Royal Albert Hall on 13th November.

The students won a public vote (mentioned here) – against four other dance acts – to take part in the prestigious Dance Proms. The group of 24 dancers are aged from 11 – 14 years and their routine Siamsa (which was rehearsed by Louise Rutter) is an Irish piece choreographed by Karen Bostock – inspired by her time performing in the international smash hit Spirit of the Dance. The tempo of the music changes frequently so that the dancers are able to show a huge range of Irish dance techniques. The genre of the dance and the Shamrock green costumes promise to bring some cultural flavour to the dance festival.

Dance Proms, organised by the UK’s leading dance organisations: the International Dance Teachers’ Association (IDTA), Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD); and the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) in association with the Royal Albert Hall, Britain’s most iconic venue; celebrates dance in all its forms and the unique relationship between students and their dance teachers. The initiative covers all dance genres from ballet to ballroom, salsa to street dance, and jive to jazz dance.

Teachers and students from each of the participating dance organisations were invited to enter a short dance piece featuring original choreography in any genre. The pieces could be performed as a solo, couple, trio or group performance.

Entries, which were submitted online by video, were judged by a panel including Artistic Directors and senior examiners from all three organisations who selected a shortlist of 24 dance acts to perform at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 13th November 2011. An online public vote took place in June to decide the final (25th) act to join the shortlist.

Christopher Nourse, Dance Proms Project Manager comments: “We have a fantastic line-up of acts from all over the UK for Dance Proms and with a diverse range of genres from tap and ballet to ballroom and South Asian dance, there will be something for everyone to enjoy on 13th November. Thousands of people participated in our online vote, which is a great indication of the tremendous enthusiasm and support for Dance Proms. This is the first time that these three organisations have collaborated in such a way, so it should create a unique experience for all involved and we are delighted that we are able to showcase emerging talent from our young dancers in such a fantastic setting.”

Image: Glass work by Robert McCoy

Following on the previous Artists in Our Midst studio tours featuring Meols and Hoylake artists, Hoylake-based Micheline Robinson has kindly sent in details of an extended programme for 2011.

The 3rd Open Studio Tour on the Wirral will be opening many doors on the weekend of the 24th and 25th of September, giving the public a secret peek into the studios of many of the talented artists based in Wirral. The Wirral wide arts trail will have over 30 professional artists, sculptors and creatives of every stripe inviting you to visit their workshops and display spaces. It’s an excellent opportunity to talk first-hand to the artists and to view their work in the environment in which it was created.

Main organiser and exhibiting artist, Micheline Robinson says of the tour:- “ I hope everyone will enjoy a leisurely week-end of art discovery. The work is varied and there should be something to appeal to everyone as this year we have artists working in batik, glass, textiles; jewellers, photographers, felt makers, fine art painters as well as a metal milliner. Many have an international reputation or are at least recognised nationally. They will be demonstrating how they work and it is a perfect opportunity to meet one on one with the artists and to perhaps even have a dabble. Some have very interesting stories to tell: Tommy McHugh for example, a plumber who suffered haemorrhages on either side of his brain and suddenly became a prolific artist. We are also proud to announce that this year we received a grants for the arts through Arts Council England.”

Wirral Art (previously known as Artists in our Midst) was founded in 2009 by Micheline in order to create a quality arts trail (Open Studio Tour) on the Wirral peninsula. For those who are unfamiliar with a studio tour, it is an event where artists open up their studio spaces to the public in order for people to meet one on one with the artist, to view the work in the location in which it was created, to participate in workshops led by the artists or to just enjoy having a nosey through the various venues. The first open tour took place in the Hoylake/Meols area with 10 artists participating in 2009 and quickly grew into a Wirral-wide tour in 2010 with 26 artists. It was linked to Liverpool’s Independents Biennial and attracted many visitors. This year, the tour has been supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Brochures are available in libraries throughout the Wirral or download a map from the website at: www.wirralart.com. Various venues will be offering workshops and some will even offer a selection of teas, coffees and biscuits. This is a family event not to be missed!

For more information on opening times and venues, visit the website for the tour: www.wirralart.com