Big Donkey Small Bird wins East Coast Open People’s Choice Award at Scarborough Art Gallery

Louise Bass’ winning painting Big Donkey Small Bird was chosen by members of the public visiting the exhibition, which opened in May. Visitors were asked to vote for their favourite work of art.

Big Donkey Small Bird, painted in acrylics on cardboard, is one of 100 varied works of art in the exhibition, most of which are forsale.

Louise is a Scarborough-based artist who studied painting at Liverpool School of Art before moving to London and working in the textile industry.

She has a naïve illustrative style and creates images using a mixed media approach inspired by real and imagined characters and stories.

Dorcas Taylor, head of programmes at Scarborough Museums and Galleries, says: “Lots of votes were cast for the People’s Choice Award by visitors to the exhibition and competition was stiff as we had such a strong field.

"We are delighted that local artist Louise Bass has won. This award recognises the talent of artists along the East Coast and Louise’s art really exemplifies this.”

The East Coast Open exhibition, which was open to artists of any age and skill living and/or working in North Yorkshire.

A new exhibition at Scarborough Art Gallery has will pieced together the voices and artefacts of Scarborough’s fragmented queerheritage.

Always Been Here can be seen at the gallery now and is on until Sunday January 7.

Through a process of collaborative engagement with local queer people, the exhibition brings together unique perspectives on works from the Scarborough Museums and Galleries permanent collection, presenting them alongside objects of personal significance to the local queer community for the first time. This includes a gold gold telephone owned by Jamie and Alan.

Scarborough Art Gallery is open from 10am to 5pm every day except Monday – plus Bank Holidays. Entrance is free with a £3 annual pass, which also allows unlimited free entry to the Rotunda Museum.