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Workers honoured in new art exhibition

Alex Popein Bedford
News imageDavid Lewry Two pieces of artwork, showing a nurse, in nurses uniform, smiling, with red lipstick, the other image is a woman, wearing glasses, in front of a microscope, with short dark hair, wearing a red cardigan and a black top. David Lewry
Danni, a recently qualified nurse at Bedford Hospital, and Jean, a biology teacher, have been immortalised in colour pencil pictures

An artist who spent a year making 36 portraits of people doing their jobs said he wanted to celebrate how "diverse and vibrant" Bedford was.

David Lewry, from Milton Ernest, said his project Bedford at Work showed people "just doing their jobs".

The artworks, made with coloured pencils, will be displayed at The Basement at Bunyan Gallery, Bedford, from this Tuesday until Saturday.

Mr Lewry, 72, said he wanted to honour people like farm workers, dog groomers, funeral directors, and hairdressers who were "just ordinary people".

News imageDavid Lewry David Lewry, sitting at a desk, working on a piece of artwork, he is looking at the camera, with computer and screens in front of him, wearing a blue T-shirt. He has computer monitors in front of him. David Lewry
David Lewry said he had taught painting and drawing on more than 30 cruises around the world including a trip up the Amazon

The artist, who trained as a botanical artist at the Eden Project in Cornwall, said he had worked in the profession for 30 years.

"The idea came during Covid, as my wife, Liz, is a carer and she had worked long hours in very difficult circumstances," he said.

"It occurred to me that people were carrying out their normal working lives and just doing their jobs.

"I just wanted to show ordinary people going about their work in their local area.

"I came across Mel, in a Sharnbrook farm shop, and she worked all the way through the pandemic and she had a lovely smiling face and I thought it would be lovely to do a drawing of her."

News imageDavid Lewry A painting of Mel, holding a pumpkin, wearing a red top, smiling at the camera, with her hair tied back. David Lewry
A picture of Mel, who works in a Sharnbrook farm shop, was the first picture David drew for the series

He said each image was created from a photo and he approached a number of people who he thought would be interested in taking part.

"I hope everyone appreciates just what a diverse and vibrant community Bedford is," he said.

"It gets a lot of bad press, as a lot of towns do, but there's a lot of people working hard all around the town and villages, it's important we celebrate that as much as the headline services."

News imageDavid Lewry Two pictures, put together, the one on the left is of Lorraine, holding a dog, with a collar on, she is looking to the left, wearing a purple top, with long blonde hair. She is smiling. David is wearing a red gilet, with a red poppy on it. He is looking straight forward, smiling and has short grey hair and has glasses on. David Lewry
Lorraine, a regional co-ordinator and trainer for Canine Partners in Bedford, and David, a volunteer courier for the NHS blood bank were happy to be pictured

He said he chose many professions including a market trader, postal worker, dog groomer, charity worker, funeral director, army padre, mechanic, and hairdresser.

"It's been challenging, as sometimes I had to explain the idea but when I showed them some examples they were quite happy to take part.

"It just shows them in their working environment."

News imageDavid Lewry A painting of Khalid, standing in a pharmacists, with medical equipment behind him, he has a grey beard, is wearing glasses, and has short hair, that is grey and dark. He is smiling. Constantinos, is holding a beer bottle, with equipment behind him, he has his other arm across his body. He has on a high-vis jacket and T-shirt. He has a beard and short dark hair. He is looking towards the left.David Lewry
Khalid, a Bromham pharmacist, and Constantinos, head brewer at Brew Point in Bedford feature

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