Abstracting Reality
An exhibition of limited edition creative photography at CreateBolton
Last year I was delighted to be asked by CreateBolton, a Bolton-based community arts charity, to be their guest artist. Entitled Abstracting Reality, it’s combines an exploration of creative photography techniques with imagery inspired by my keen interest in place and sense of location.
“I greatly admire the work that CreateBolton offers to Bolton residents, encouraging people to explore their creative and artistic spirit. I particularly enjoy seeing the regularly changing exhibitions hosted at Cafe Create, so it’s an absolute honour to be a featured artist this September and October.”
I chose to curate a selection of images that I have created using techniques such as multiple exposures and intentional camera movement, where images take on impressionistic styles that invite reflection and engagement, adding a rich, dreamlike dimension to her landscape, nature and urban scenes.
Landscape was arguably my first love photography genre, so I had to include these images taken with intentional camera movement.
Combining photography with my other passions of travel, hiking, culture and heritage,I draw from a diverse range of opportunities for creativity and exploration, often choosing floral subjects for multiple exposures.
Some images have been inspired by imagery and feelings conjured up from poetry. The ones below are accompanied by an extract from the poems that have inspired them.
A Greeting
Good morning, Life–and all
Things glad and beautiful.
My pockets nothing hold,
But he that owns the gold,
The Sun, is my great friend–
His spending has no end.
Hail to the morning sky,
Which bright clouds measure high;
Hail to you birds whose throats
Would number leaves by notes;
Hail to you shady bowers,
And you green field of flowers.
William Henry Davies
Peckham Rye Lane
The sun, today –
it leaks desperation,
Gunmetal droplets of perspiration
gather.
I take the bus – through Peckham.
Knickers lie flaccid
in Primark.
Like salted jellyfish – tentacle pink,
grandmother mauve
briny in £2 racks of rainbow.
Angels gaze from the treetops
like William Blake
and radiate
comfort.
Amy Blakemore
If Once You Have Slept on an Island
If once you have slept on an island
You’ll never be quite the same;
You may look as you looked the day before
And go by the same old name,
You may chat with the neighbors of this and that
And close to your fire keep,
But you’ll hear ship whistle and lighthouse bell
And tides beat through your sleep.
Oh, you won’t know why, and you can’t say how
Such change upon you came,
But – once you have slept on an island
You’ll never be quite the same!
Rachel Field
Sometimes the weather creates all the atmosphere needed to product a painterly-style image. The one below was taken in Blackpool just as a morning sea mist was starting to clear.
A minimal look links the two complementary multiple exposures below.
I’m also drawn to strong geometric shapes of architecture, so selected these three examples of multiple exposures for the exhibition.
An exhibition of haute-couture set in a series of palatial rooms in The Louvre on a trip to Paris in June 2025 provided fabulous inspiration for multiple exposure techniques, accentuating the opulence of the exhibits and their surroundings.
Last but not least, the only monochrome image in the exhibition, using both multiple exposure and intentional camera movement techniques. It’s also the most recent image, taken en-route to check-in for a flight from Manchester airport.
CreateBolton is a Christian charity that uses multiple forms of creative arts to bring out the gifts and talents of those people who face barriers to being able to confidently play an active part in their community.
Joy Kilpatrick, founder and lead artist at CreateBolton adds:
“We look forward to welcoming Julia. It is always exciting to see the response to our new exhibitions, and with Julia’s you are in for treat. Her collection is very different, being photography, it is so inspiring and really draws you into Julia’s world. Fascinating!”
CreateBolton is located at Claremont House with the main cafe & gallery entrance on Bark Street, Bolton, BL1 2AX (diagonally opposite the NCP Car Park).
