Jo Wade

I was born in Manchester to Cypriot parents; I now live in Stratford upon Avon.

My art journey began at North Manchester College in 1984. I immediately felt at home. Ever since art has become an increasing passion. In my two years at the college, I received a good grounding in drawing. From my degree at Staffordshire Polytechnic, I learned visual literacy and how to develop my own artistic voice.

I lived in Stoke until 2002 during which time I played a key role in setting up Stoke on Trent Artist Cooperative and artists’ studios in an old silk mill in Leek, Staffordshire. We hosted open studios and put on other exhibitions in the city, including one along a bus route. We were invited to exhibit in the City Museum and Art Gallery.

As a family we moved to Stratford upon Avon in 2002 when for many years my focus was on raising a family.

I now consider myself a painter and budding printmaker. When painting I like to be experimental and to exploit the incidental. Similarly with printmaking I aim to use the potential of all the disciplines whilst allowing space for the accidental. In both painting and printmaking, mark making is an important motivation. Similarly, I need to be constantly developing my themes and use of materials.

My inspiration is the transience of time. In tandem I like history and how time impacts on memory.

Selected Exhibitions:

  • Shuuki exhibition. The old lock up, Matlock
  • Tarpey Open 24, Castle Donnington
  • Saltaire Summer exhibition, Saltaire Art gallery & school
  • Ironstone Prize exhibition, Banbury Museum and Art Gallery. Banbury
  • ‘Abstracted,’ three persons show. Spring Gallery Cheltenham
  • Wells Art Contemporary, Wells Cathedral. Somerset
  • The Herbert Art Gallery open art competition. Coventry
  • Derby Print Open. Derby
  • Shortlisted for RA Summer show
  • Rugby Art Gallery & Museum, ‘2 Blues,’ duo exhibition. Rugby
  • The people’s landscape.’ Claydon House. Berkshire
  • The Gallery Chipping Norton Theatre solo exhibition. Oxfordshire
  • Little Buckland Gallery Broadway Arts Festival open competition. Worcestershire
  • RBSA open all media competition. Birmingham
  • Prize winner at Pershore open arts Competition. Worcestershire
  • Art in the Ark exhibition group exhibition. Basingstoke
  • Runnymede Gallery group exhibition. Berkshire
  • Lichfield Library group exhibition. Lichfield
  • Keele University group exhibition. Staffordshire
  • Blackfriars theatre and art centre group exhibition. Boston/ Lincolnshire
  • ‘Wanton Girls & wicked Women.’ group exhibition. Milton Keynes
  • Stoke on Trent Gallery & Museum group exhibition. Stoke on Trent
  • Bank of Cyprus touring exhibition. London, Cyprus, Greece
  • Gallery K group exhibition. London
  • Burslem Art centre solo exhibition. Stoke-on-Trent
  • Pankhurst Centre solo exhibition. Manchester
  • Bond Gallery solo exhibition. Birmingham