Local History Month

A WATERCOLOUR painter celebrated Local History Month with an exhibition at Rayleigh Library.

Kathryn Cooper’s paintings featured incredibly detailed watercolour and ink pictures of iconic landmarks, including the Dutch Cottage, Windmill and even The Pink Toothbrush.

“I was thrilled to be approached by Rayleigh Library to show my work as it’s the real hub of the community,” said Ms Cooper, “and it’s a great way to appreciate the rich array of buildings we have around us.”

Ms Cooper, who has lived in Rayleigh for 11 years, unexpectedly fell in love with painting the town just a few years ago.

“I trained at art college, but then work and family life took over, raising my three children, so I didn’t pick up a paintbrush for 25 years,” Ms Cooper adds.

“Then my husband, James, bought me a watercolour lesson for my birthday a couple of years ago. It was only two hours long, but after that, I was addicted. I painted every moment I could, and my first local building was the windmill.

“I posted it online and couldn’t believe the amazing reaction it got. So, next I painted the Dutch Cottage, then popular places on the high street like the Paul Pry and Half Moon pubs, and Squires coffee shop. People then began asking me to paint buildings that were important to them from where they had their first dates, such as at The Pink Toothbrush nightclub, to wedding venues like The Old Parish Rooms and I’ve also painted lots of people’s houses in Rayleigh.”

Picture: Kathryn Cooper at the library

 

Read more.

Visit: https://leigh-on-sea.news

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leighonsea.news

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leighonsea.news

Contact us. Visit: https://leigh-on-sea.news/contact-us

Twitter: @leighonsea_news