Home Truths - John Duffin Exhibition

Dalton Road snow

John Duffin's small exhibition at the Dock Museum consisting of paintings for sale of his home town of Barrow-in-Furness but you will not be able to buy any of these as they were all snapped up on the day it opened. A very popular local artist who interprets the local landscape. He says he comes home to recharge his batteries and "The availability of heavily built up areas, wide open spaces, vast skies and the beaches are a cocktail that continually moves me"

Duffin splits his time between London and his home town, his work is dominated by the urban landscape and influenced by cinema and comic books. It is said his work processes a noirish quality and he does like scenes dominated by shadows and lamplight with architecture overpowering the tiny figures. In some of his paintings there is an Atkinson Grimshaw, vibe although of course the style is very different. He spent some time as a draughtsman in the local shipyard before studying at Goldsmiths College and the draughies love of straight lines certainly evident in his drawings.

The exhibition has something for everyone and covers aspects and the atmosphere of local scenes. There is also a nice display of some of his black and white sketches of the paintings on show. Duffin also seems to have a liking for dogs as there is usually a small one present somewhere in his paintings however not in the one on this page so if you wish to see more pop along to the Dock Museum this month.