“Streets to Sea” art exhibition at Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery

A local artist’s photorealistic scenes form the latest exhibition at Alnwick’s Bailiffgate Museum and Gallery.

Alnwick Town Council’s Governance and Community Engagement Committee Chair Councillor Lynda Wearn was fascinated by Ken Oldham’s ability to recreate scenes with precise accuracy. She said “His paintings are so detailed – and I also like his choice of subject matter where he has created scenes from viewpoints that are not the most obvious and he has frozen them in a moment of time.”

The “Streets to Sea” exhibition has been the basis of Kev’s work for the last three years. He explained that the intricate details of the often considered mundane are sadly overlooked, from window reflections to the way light falls on unexpected shadows, a brick wall or peeling paint.

Whilst his paintings are rendered with photographic realism, his true aim is not to replicate a photograph perfectly, but to use the source image as a concept to produce something new and unique, but without any hidden meaning or messages.

Jean Humphrys, Chair at Bailiffgate says, “Kev’s work beautifully depicts realistic seascapes and urban landscapes in Northumberland creating a wonderful sense of each individual place.”

The Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland, Dr Caroline Pryer, was among the guests at the preview evening where she acknowledged the talent of the artist and also the team of volunteers that enabled the Bailiffgate Museum to stage an inspiring range of exhibitions.

Streets to Sea will be displayed at Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery in Alnwick, Northumberland from the 1 September 2026 to 1 November 2026 (closed Mondays).  Entry is included with the museum admission.

Bailiffgate won the 2021 Kids in Museums Best Small Museum and overall best Family Friendly Museum Awards. They will continue to display their extensive range of cultural artefacts from their permanent collection. Pricing: £6 Adults, £5 for Concessions, £1 for ages 5 – 16s and under 5s free! For a full list of opening hours and events, please visit www.bailiffgatemuseum.co.uk

Pictured: Artist Kev Oldham and Cllr Lynda Wearn discuss one of his paintings. Also photos from the exhibition’s preview evening.