For those that appreciate art – in particular acrylic paintings, 3D photography and stereo slides then you are in for a treat. Local British ex-pat Bernard Makinson has an exhibition of some of his extensive works at the Casa de Cultura in Alfaz del Pi until this coming Saturday – 24th January. An exceptionally talented man, Bernard moved to Spain twelve years ago at the age of 71 but never managed to properly retire due to his creative and artistic passion.
Born in Rochdale he studied at the Manchester School of Art after which he started his career with an advertising agency - think of the hit US television show Mad Men, set in a 1950´s Ad agency! Having achieved the position of Art Director and working for the company for 25 years, he moved down to London where he eventually set up his own company ´Design Europe´. He then had a long and very successful career designing exhibition stands, brochures and advertising campaigns for some very well known National companies including Royal Doulton, British Telecom – including the interior of their headquarters in London, Girobank and Milton Bradley – Europe's biggest game and toy manufacturer.
He has an extensive scale model bus and tram collection – one of his many hobbies in addition to a substantial stamp collection, which both came over in the move to Spain. Bernard has always been interested in photography, in particular 3D photography and became President of the Stereoscopic Society, the oldest 3D Club in the world with over 700 members. Together with his wife Sue, they successfully ran the club for 12 years and are now life long members – they are hoping to attend the annual convention in Canterbury this June. But his love of photography got him into hot water in the 1970´s – he was arrested by the then KGB in Poland at the height of the Cold War for taking a photograph of a train heading from Moscow to Germany! He collaborated with the film industry, taking 3D photographs of several blockbuster epics, including The Muppets on Treasure Island and the Disney classic, 101 Dalmatians. It is where he met actress Glenn Close who played the evil Cruella de Vill, gifting her a 3D photograph he took of her daughter on set in the Shepperton studios.
His interest in acrylic painting only manifested after moving to the sunny climes of the Costa Blanca. All the paintings are from his own private photographs – taken over the course of his extensive worldwide travel. The 3D images in particular bring the entire scene and recollection back to life and his love of animals and travel is evident in the pieces he has produced. His exhibition also has a 3D section, which you will need to wear the blue & red glasses to view - and Bernard is giving away for free, in addition to a selection of A3 digital prints, Phantograms and Stereo Slides. It is a stunning recollection of his memories and certainly worth seeing. His son Anthony has also followed in his father's footsteps and is a professional photographer – among his portfolio is a trip to Buckingham Palace to photograph the Duke of Edinburgh.
The exhibition is open Monday to Friday from 11:00am until 9:00pm and on Saturday until 2pm. The number 10 bus stop directly outside the building – as you walk up the main steps go in, turn right and go to the room at the far end.
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we loved all of it
thank you