Trains, Boats and Cranes is an art exhibition by local artist and printmaker, John McGowan, which will open in Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery on 3 June 2023. It will feature over 130 of his prints and paintings from 1967 to 2023, and will be the largest exhibition of his work. The exhibition will be free to visit until 5 August 2023.
Although John is mainly known as a printmaker, specialising in screen-printing, this exhibition will show his local work based on Northborough and Glinton, early colour abstraction paintings, more recent work on railway signal boxes, docklands warehouses, the remains of Victorian railway bridges and experiments in printmaking on a cubist theme.
John McGowan was born and educated in London and studied at Bulmershe College of Education, where he was awarded a B Ed (hons) in Art and Education. He has worked as an Art Teacher for many years, specialising in printmaking in Doncaster, Northampton, Peterborough and finally at Oundle School.
He has been making prints for over 55 years and his passion for printmaking is undoubtedly evident in the work he has produced. John’s prints and paintings have been exhibited widely in the local area and are featured in the collections of Northampton Museum and Art Gallery and The Museum of London, who accepted the Rotherhithe Suite into its collection in 2016. John tells us how thrilled he is to be exhibiting in Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery once again -
“I’m excited to be able to show a large body my work in the Art Gallery. The gallery was my first port of call when I moved to the Peterborough area in 1985. My work has featured in exhibitions in the Art Gallery over the years but I relish the opportunity not only to show my work but also take the opportunity to explain my printmaking techniques and the connections I have made with other artists, some of whose work will be shown alongside my own.”