{"id":785967,"date":"2026-02-24T14:14:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/785967\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:14:13","slug":"farsley-artist-talks-about-latest-work-and-value-of-sunny-bank-mills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/785967\/","title":{"rendered":"Farsley artist talks about latest work – and value of Sunny Bank Mills"},"content":{"rendered":"

By James Bovington<\/strong><\/p>\n

West Leeds artist Mel Davies turns 70 this year but promises there\u2019ll be no let-up in his prolific work output as WLD caught up with him to discuss his latest work\u00a0Rain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Davies was one of the first artists to set up a studio 15 years ago on the top floor of The Spinning Mill in Farsley\u2019s Sunny Bank Mills complex.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fancied doing something abstract,\u201d said Mel, who also lives in Farsley. \u201cI like vivid colours which clash and fight with each other for attention, such as orange and green which reflects on the colour their respective places on the colour spectrum. <\/p>\n

\u201cOrange is a favourite colour of mine, it gives definition. Like many people I find bright colours uplifting and I shy away from overuse of colours I find gloomy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI began painting aged five and have always been deeply affected by colour. It came as no surprise that I\u2019ve a mild form of synesthesia so I attach colours to days of the week. Monday means white and Tuesday green. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019m anymore affected by the weather than the next person, but the genesis of\u00a0Rain\u00a0partially lies in all the precipitation we\u2019ve had recently. I\u2019ve painted horizontal ripples on the lower half to make it clear that the rhythmic vertical strokes are rain. Had I adopted landscape format and dispensed with ripples,\u00a0Rain\u00a0could well have been\u00a0Wind. That\u2019s the fun of abstract painting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"End of Summer. Photo: James Bovington<\/p>\n

Mel Davies spent approaching 40 years working as a lawyer, including at courts in Leeds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a stroke four years ago and seriously thought that my painting days might be over,\u201d he told WLD. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was determined to continue even if all I could do was throw paint on a canvas. I recovered, fortunately.\u00a0 I don\u2019t always like the finished work and it\u2019s goodbye even good riddance to some paintings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, I\u2019ll miss\u00a0The End of Summer\u00a0when it\u2019s sold. It\u2019s an autobiographical painting evoking my memories of the half dozen halcyon weeks ending late September. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe time when the pink rosebay willowherb took over the derelict industrial sites of my childhood as this Wetherby lad trudged to Holbeck Baths of all places. Then there\u2019s brambles reminding me of hours spent blackberry picking and getting it finished before the Devil brushed remaining berries with his tail as September died.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m reluctant to take on commissions,\u201d explained Mel. \u201cBut I enjoy collaboration with other artists. I\u2019m working closely with North Yorkshire artist Kim Coley in simultaneous painting of a single canvas and we\u2019re planning a joint exhibition in September. We only show our work here. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are now nearly 50 disparate creatives in the whole complex meaning we\u2019re a sizeable community. Art and design underpin everything Sunny Bank Mills has become. We\u2019re internationally recognised. It\u2019s good for us and it\u2019s great for Farsley.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mel and other artists are looking forward to welcoming as many as possible to the next Open Studios weekend at Sunny Bank Mills on 7\u00a0and 8\u00a0March.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Sponsored content<\/p>\n

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