Penny's postcard puts Saltburn on the map

Penny’s postcard puts Saltburn on the map

Rachel Smith August 4, 2021

A beautiful painting of the Saltburn Cliff Lift by a former fine art student from The Northern School of Art’s Middlesbrough campus is featuring in a UK-wide art exhibition.

Penny Tetlow‘s artwork is one of a series of postcard images included in Network Rail’s ‘Wish I Was There’ exhibition that is being displayed at major railway stations across the country throughout August.

The exhibition is aimed at helping to reconnect British citizens to the places they have missed the most during lockdown. It includes a range of artworks selected following a call-out earlier this year by Network Rail, inviting art students to submit their postcard creations for places they would think of and say; “Wish I was there”.

Penny, from Stockton-on-Tees, who studied on the UAL Extended Diploma in Fine Art, explained: “I decided to submit a piece which I completed during my studies at the School. It’s taken from our Fine Art, Shore Recollection project which concentrated on Saltburn-by-the-Sea.

“The project itself aimed to look at how Saltburn’s scenic beauty can be captured through the expression of media, something which really made me see beyond the location itself. I therefore submitted this piece of Saltburn and its Cliff Tramway to celebrate Teesside, to influence tourists to visit our Teesside and allow them to see beyond its locational stereotype and see what beauty it holds.”

Network Rail’s ‘Wish I Was There’ exhibition tour dates are as follows:
London Waterloo Station – 19 July – 1 Aug
Reading Station – 2 Aug – 8 Aug
Liverpool Lime Street Station – 9 Aug – 15 Aug
Leeds Station – 16 Aug – 22 Aug
Glasgow Central Station – 22 Aug – 29 Aug

We asked Penny to tell us a bit more about herself.

What did you study at The Northern School of Art?

From 2018-2020, I was a student at The Northern School of Art where I studied an Extended Diploma in Fine Art, joining from Ian Ramsey C of E Academy in Stockton-on-Tees. The course itself really enabled me to understand the way which media is applied affects the mood and the emotion of a painting, something which I feel truly makes a piece of art. From this, the skills I gathered during my time at college have been fundamental so far in my university studies and will play an important role in my creative career.

How was The Northern School of Art special for you?

The studio environment at the School really felt like a community, something which really enabled me to open up and explore different creative interpretation. alongside the Extended Diploma in Fine Art I also studied A-level Photography, something which fed nicely into my fine-art practice.

Tell us about what you are doing now in your creative field.

Currently I am studying BA Hons in Fine Art at Loughborough University. I would not have made it here without The Northern School of Art and how the school helped me build confidence towards my practice. I am also working towards my creative portfolio which will help me find a placement for my third year.

Any advice for future creatives?

Honestly in terms of advice, I just feel like I am starting out in all this myself but one bit of advice I have learnt from is to take every opportunity which is out there by just applying for any art exhibitions which you feel are relevant to your practice to grow your portfolio. Plus, do not feel disheartened by any negative feedback because art is really subjective, just find what you like and develop from that and passion will always outshine any negativity.