A Fine Art student at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is holding an art exhibition in the Highcross Shopping Centre, Leicester, to showcase his solo exhibition.
Gavin Thackray-Jones, who has cerebral palsy, is holding the exhibition on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April to display the paintings of commercial aeroplanes, London cityscapes and portraits that make up his impressive collection.
Gavin’s condition affects people in different ways concerning their movement and their speech but in his artwork at DMU, Gavin has found something that allows him to express himself completely unhindered.
He said: “I love producing art, it makes me feel free and it enables me to be as creative as possible.
“My time at DMU has been fantastic and very rewarding, I am a more confident and outgoing person now and I have had great support and managed to reach my goals, even the Vice-Chancellor has shown a big interest in me and my artwork.
“I am coming towards the end of my undergraduate degree and I will hopefully be going onto to do my Masters here at DMU as well.”
Last year Gavin held a similar exhibition and the success he enjoyed during that has encouraged him to push himself even further.
He added: “During my exhibition last year I managed to sell a few of my paintings and postcards. I then had an article in the Leicester Mercury newspaper and I also had an interview with BBC Radio Leicester.
“My artwork was then on display at DMU for six months and all of that encouraged me to go out and find other venues to exhibit my artwork.”
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With Gavin’s artwork on sale to the public over the two days of the exhibition, he will hope his Malcom Morley and Andy Warhol-inspired creations will provide him with a platform to find himself future exhibition venues.
Posted on Thursday 9 April 2015