Fantasy Expo as Florence Arts Centre

4th September - 30th September

Throughout September Florence Arts Centre at Florence Mine in Egremont will be presenting a very different sort of offer inspired by local people’s creativity around fantasy themes – through writing, film, painting, modelling, gaming, miniature painting, manga, world building and spell-making.

The Programme of Events: Florence’s adult and family film clubs will be running a season of fantasy themed screenings (please email the centre for details) and there are additional events for all ages and tastes – an introduction to table-top gaming, fantasy figure painting and spell-making, character design and storyboarding and mapping fantasy worlds. Please see www.florenceartscentre.com/events for more details.

The Exhibition – “Whispers of a Forgotten Land”

10th September - 4th October

The exhibition includes original paintings and sculptures plus AI digitally enhanced artworks which were created to illustrate Kevin’s book of the same name. Based in West Cumbria, Kevin James Bell is an author and multidisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of grief, resilience, and escapism through high fantasy storytelling.

An Egremont postman by day, Kevin's artistic journey began unexpectedly in 2009 as a therapeutic response to severe depression following the passing of his father. This isolated period of healing sparked the creation of Whispers of a Forgotten Land, a massive world-building project spanning multiple disciplines.

From his first painting of Eve the fairy to three-dimensional clay sculptures, dioramas, and a fully realized novel, Kevin’s portfolio balances traditional painting with physical model-making to invite viewers directly into his imagination.

“Kevin’s use of AI to enhance his original paintings adds to a very contemporary debate around the use of AI in artwork generally and one we are interested in having with our audiences,” said Sue. The exhibition launches on 10 September but there is a chance to meet Kevin and hear more about his work on Sunday 13 September 1-3pm.

Find out more about Kevin’s work here https://www.facebook.com/kevin.bell.5439