Flint artist, Liam Quigley, to launch art exhibition

Liam Quigley, aged 19, is relatively new to the world of art having picked up a paint brush for the first time only three years ago. 

His exhibition, called 'The Historic Hills of Flintshire', will feature nine paintings of the landscapes of Flint, from which he drew inspiration to begin painting. 

As a sixth form student during the pandemic he had an abundance of time to explore the hills and mountains available on his door step in Flint. 

Liam Quigley Flint

He said: "I never really imagined doing art as a possibility as I was so set on doing chemistry at University." 

Speaking of his time as a student during the pandemic, he said: "I think there was a lot of demoralisation and demotivation" due to home-learning, changes to exam structures and marking systems."

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In pursuit of exploring his creativity, he began to bring a canvas, oils and paintbrushes with him to paint the beautiful sights he saw in front of him. 

His art has also given him the opportunity to connect with different members of the Flint community.

Through conversations with residents, he became interested in exploring the history of Flint and set about his research at Flint Library, where his exhibition will take place.

Having remained in sixth form for an extra year to pursue his passion for art in the classroom, he will now go on to Aberystwyth University in September to study fine art and art history. 

His paintings that are featured in the exhibit, most of which were painted on site, took between 2-6 hours to paint and around 20 hours in total for varnishing and framing. 

Liam Quigley Flint

As a self-proclaimed beginner in art, he hopes the exhibition will allow him to "throw his hat in the ring and learn from his mistakes."

He also hopes his art will reflect the, often overlooked, beauty of Flint. 

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He continued: "I think Flint can often be overlooked as a town, over the last few years, learning the history of Flint and painting it I have realised how lucky I am to be around these trails that I have grown up visiting.

"I want to show that there is a different side to Flint."

As a self-taught oil painter Liam believes that art should be for everyone, and he encourages others to just pick up a paintbrush to give it a go. 

The exhibition will take place from August 13 to August 31 at Flint Library and is fully open to the public for free during this period.

Some of the art will be on sale however prices are not confirmed at this time. 

The library is closed on Sunday and is open Monday 9am-5pm, Tuesday 9am-6pm, Wednesday 9am-5pm, Thursday 9am-6pm, Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-1pm.