SARAH MAYHEW enjoys a journey down memory lane at Art You Grew Up With.

IOWN a lot of books, but I’d say the majority of them are 70 per cent pictures, 30 per cent writing, and I think that my belief that a picture tells a thousand words stems from a childhood spent pawing at the pages of storybooks, and letting my own imagination tell the story… So when I heard that Creation Art Gallery in Woodstock is about to open a new exhibition Art You Grew Up With – A Hundred Years of Illustration and Animation I was there, knocking on the door, begging for a sneaky peek.

The exhibition consists of a satisfyingly huge tranche of some of the most loved pictures from the last century of childhood stories.

The illustrative nature of the works, be they firm favourites or new discoveries, mean that the exhibition holds a strong, cross-generational charm that is enjoyable for all, and makes for an enjoyable trip down memory lane.

While it is so often the afterburn of an image that is conjured up in the mind’s eye when one recalls a book, it is generally the case that the author’s name overshadows the illustrators. However, Art You Grew Up With affords viewers the perfect opportunity to celebrate the talents of the artist/illustrator.

That said there are some talents in this exhibition that know no bounds.

For example, the young, aspiring artist and author, Katie Cleminson, whose beautiful simplicity and delicately innocent touch, won her the title of Best Emerging Illustrator at the Book Trust Early Years Award last year, and she is not alone, there are several author/illustrators showing their work in this exhibition.

In addition to the abundance of knee-shakingly exciting names on display, and the joyous lightness of Angleina Ballerina illustrations by Helen Craig, and comedic insertions from The Beano and The Simpsons, there are also works by local, multi award-winning author/illustrators Korky Paul, and Mini Gray – both brilliant!

Equally, there are also some very interesting lesser-known (at least to the uninitiated) artists on display. Petr Horácek, for example, is a Czech childrens illustrator and author best known for his works Silly Suzy Goose and Strawberries are Red.

Just as impressive are the flat surfaces, and busy content of Mr Benn’s Costume Shop, pictured by David McKee, which possess something of the nature of obsessive innocence as seen in Peter Blake’s Self Portrait With Badges with his references to modern popular culture, and doffed cap to historic, artistic precedence.

While Creative Art Gallery is slightly off the beaten track, the ambitious curators and exhibition organisers behind the gallery ensure that their shows are not to be missed, and they never fail to put on a good show.

While showcasing the work of local, and emerging artists, they also attract world-renowned names, and with seamless sensitivity, exhibit established and emerging talents alongside one another, and in doing so attract the kind of footfall that many more centrally located commercial art galleries would give their left arm for (the left arm being more precious than the right among creative types).

This dedication to something a bit different can be seen in this exhibition; not satisfied with merely securing a brilliant selection of artists to exhibit, Creative Art Gallery have taken the notion of storytelling, imagination, and adventures one step further.

Organiser Alison Parry explains,: “We’ve organised some associated events to accompany the exhibition, from a children’s workshop to a Character Trail that takes excited visitors to the exhibition on their own little adventure around Woodstock, which sometimes feels as though it’s a town straight out of a storybook itself!”

All in all the efforts that have been put into Art You Grew Up With culminates in an imaginative, inclusive, and fun time in Woodstock. Viewers cannot help but love, and lose themselves in this perfectly formed exhibition!

* The exhibition runs from Oct 9 Nov 7, at Creative Art Gallery, 43 Oxford Street, Woodstock. Call 01993 810084 or see creativeartgalllery.co.uk The exhibition includes a children’s illustration competition running until Oct 18 and a character trail around Woodstock until Nov 7 (pick up a form from Creative Art Gallery or The Woodstock Bookshop for a chance to win vouchers from The Woodstock Bookshop and Creative Art Gallery. Suitable for all ages.)