Bolton artist Margaret Jackson's work on show in exhbition

Born in Bolton, Margaret Jackson grew up in the small Northumberland fishing port of Amble but returned to the North West and taught in primary schools in Bolton and Bury between 1973 and 1991 when she took up a BA in Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University.

After she graduated in 1995, she worked as a professional artist, with frequent exhibitions and commissions, until her death in 2022.

The exhibition, described as wide-ranging and thought-provoking, covers her years as a professional artist.

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Currently showing in the Hive Gallery, run by the not-for-profit organisation, Hive Artists CIC, the exhibition is situated on the upper ground floor of the Market Place Shopping Centre and included in the exhibition are examples from Margaret’s work on environmental issues of which the centrepiece painting “Give Way”, depicting a road protester is a striking example.

Give Way by Margaret Jackson (Image: HIVE CIC)

Speaking about her work previously,  Margaret said: “I think of my paintings as poems. In place of words, I have developed a visual language, each painting is a poem to be “read” by the viewer.

“It takes time to 'read', 'listen to' and 'absorb' a painting. I hope my pieces are about contemplation and the viewer will spend time with them and share with me in the work.”

Margaret’s favourite art medium was “encaustic” a mixture of wax, varnish, and oils, which she made herself.

Quoting Marlene Dumas, Margaret had previously said: “I paint because I want to leave behind a trace of my touch.

“The content of the painting can’t be separated from the feel of the surface.”

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Much of Margaret’s work documented Bolton’s disappearing industrial heritage including a series featuring the last days of the Hick Hargreaves factory and Thomas Mitchell’s works on Derby Street.

Margaret was for many years a member of the Neo-artists collective based in Bolton and was a founder member of “The Slug Society” a group of mainly female artists and writers who produced three major exhibitions based on themes of the environment and nature.

Two exhibitions were held in Bolton in 2016 and the third and final one was in Kendal in 2017.

By the beginning of 2018 Margaret’s health was declining, and though she continued painting, she ceased exhibiting.

Margaret died in January 2022.

The exhibition is now open every Friday from 1pm to 5pm and every Saturday from 12pm to 5pm until the July 8.

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