Drawing a fine line

Kathryn Robertson is a local lass from Wearside lighting up Sunderland with striking murals that nod back to the city’s illustrious heritage.

One of the North East’s leading lights when it comes to handdrawn art from the heart, Matthew Thomas checks in with Kathryn, a graduate of the University's Graphic Design programme, as she reveals all about her latest projects and how the North East holds a special place in her heart…

What is the North East like for a freelance artist?

I’m currently managing to make freelancing a full-time thing and I still have to pinch myself on the regular that it worked out this way. I’ve worked closely with people like Sunderland Culture and Sunderland City Council who have always been massively supportive of my practice, and they’re keen to keep creatives in the city by providing opportunity, and I think that’s what makes it a much more attractive prospect to be freelancing in the North East at the moment. I can actually afford things like a small studio space and I’m not sure I could afford that elsewhere. The North East is a good place to be a freelance artist. I’m sure experiences vary, but I do feel incredibly lucky that my work and style has struck a chord with people to enable me to do it full time. I’m not sure I would have had the same types of opportunities if I’d gone to Londonstraight away.

How has Sunderland affected your creativity?

When I was a teenager, I didn’t appreciate Sunderland as a place very much at all. I thought being somewhere bigger and better would define me as a person, increase my creativity and enable me to do whatever I wanted to do. As I got older, I started to fall in love with Sunderland and all of it’s quirks, I realised I’d been looking in the wrong places for things, and my opinion completely changed. I also realised that I’d been inspired by the North East and all of it’s wonderfulness and daftness way more than I had realised.

Tell us a little about the creative scene in Sunderland at the minute...

There’s a DIY attitude which has existed since way before my time, and it makes things more understated and interesting. We now know how fragile the arts and creative industries are, and so people here want to nurture it all and it’s very encouraging. This applies to independent businesses and venues too; we have some extremely talented artists, illustrators, photographers, designers, performers, musicians here.

Was a career in art always something you wanted to follow?

Ultimately yes, but I didn’t think it was a thing that I could pursue when I was looking at my career options at a younger age. Getting a “proper job” was what I thought needed to happen. Work was something that everyone had to do and nobody enjoyed it. Drawing was a hobby and you’d have to be pretty good or pretty lucky to make a living from it. I think it was always what I had to do though, it’s the only thing that keeps me right.

Tell us about your particular style? What do you enjoy the most about this particular art form?

I have a few layers to my practice at the moment; graphics, illustration, and murals. Something I find the most rewarding and enjoyable at the moment is murals and wall painting. I like to improvise whatever I’m doing based on a rough plan and challenge myself with the spontaneity of just showing up with some materials and a blank canvas. I think I have quite a playful style, heavily influenced by the past, present and future workings of a city.

Do you have a favourite art piece among your work?

A drawing titled ‘Everything will be alright in the end’ which raised a bunch of dosh for local food-banks. I hope to do some more print designs when I have fewer public projects on the go. There’s nothing better than being able to raise money for good causes and people actually wanting to display something you’ve made in their home.

What does the future look like for Kr. illustrates?

I’d like to put on a solo exhibition of my work somewhere. Long term, I’d like to get into designing large scale work within the environment with more typography and colour. I’d also really like to write and design a graphic novel too!

Could you foster a child?

There’s no such thing as a typical foster carer – they come from all walks of life and all sorts of backgrounds.

• Earn up to £34,320 per year plus allowances • A flexible, home-based role • Ongoing training and support • Short or long term foster caring opportunities

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or call our team on 0191 561 2223.

The Bridges Means Business

With Sunderland Business Festival whistling into the city this autumn, the Bridges are pulling out all the stops during their highly-anticipated enterprise week as they back bold business in Sunderland...

Huge news for the city! The Bridges and other major organisations from Sunderland have come together to celebrate the city's transformational developments and emerging businesses in a week-long, free to attend festival across the city. To celebrate the inaugural Sunderland Business Festival, Wearside’s everpopular shopping centre, the Bridges, have devised their own programme of totally unique events to coincide with the autumn celebrations. Already home to an eclectic range of high-street stores and vibrant independent businesses, our friends at the Bridges have once again showcased that they’re more than just a shopping centre, by inviting people to get involved with a series of events designed to help people back into work, offer top tips when it comes to job interviews and sharing invaluable advice on how to establish a highstreet presence. Transforming their world-class facilities into an in-situ business hub for the week, the Bridges will welcome people from far and wide to the centre to learn more about the business opportunities around them. A stand-out event that is set to shine is Let’s Call Karen; a unique event which will see the Bridges’ very own Centre Director visit various businesses and offer expert advice to staff and even try her hand at other roles!

Just one of the many highlights set to shine bright this autumn, let’s take a deeper look at the bold business events arriving at the Bridges…

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

4 - 8 October 2021

OCTOBER 4

Sunderland Business Festival is here and what a jam-packed week there is in store for the city! Whether you’re checking out the business hub, looking to join a series of exclusive sessions on how to fund your business or enjoying the Let’s Call Karen initiative, Sunderland Business Festival is shaping up to be one to remember.

OCTOBER 5

Time for entrepreneurs day! Be sure to head into the city and pitch your business idea to a panel of experts and receive invaluable feedback from business specialists!

OCTOBER 6

Wednesday 6 October is shaping up to be a brilliant day for the city! Get ready for a work day that sees a formalwear pop-up shop arrive, free advice from hair and beauty artists as well as tons of free giveaways. That’s not all either - there’ll also be a post it wall; an area for people to display jobs with information in the Bridges and a speed careers information point. A brilliant idea where you can visit throughout the day for 10 min chats about various employment opportunities. Our pick of the bunch? You’d be a fool to miss the Bridges’ From Online to Bricks and Mortar workshop. Here, you’ll learn all about the ins and outs on how to move your business into the Bridges and give your beloved business a physical presence on the high street. What an opportunity!

OCTOBER 7

The Bridges means business! Thursday will see a raft of sessions arrive in the city, with expert advice on perfecting your CV, intelligent IT workshops designed to help your résumé stand-out and even more general careers advice.

OCTOBER 8

As the curtain begins to close on the first Sunderland Business Festival, be sure to check out Bridges Has Talent; a fab workshop from Istage Group on how to embark on a career in arts and entertainment. MBC Wellbeing and Theatre Space North East will be on hand to answer all your burning questions and give you top-tips on how to get started in the arts and culture sector. Friday 8 October will also welcome a hospitality jobs fair to the centre where you’ll be able to showcase your talents and chat to businesses with new openings in Sunderland and beyond.

Bridges’ sensational student shopping night returns! 27 September 2021

We check in on the Bridges to find out what’s coming to the city’s leading shopping centre this autumn …

GREAT READS OPEN BOOKMARK IN THE BRIDGES

As our wonderful city begins to welcome thousands of students from across the region back to Sunderland, the Bridges are tearing up the rule book and inviting university students from across the North East to dive into some of the biggest brands at killer prices thanks to the return of their iconic student shopping night. Renowned amongst students and university freshers alike, the Bridges' Student Shopping Night will be laying on an evening of exclusive discounts, free giveaways, exhilarating competitions and cool entertainment come 27 September. Always a firm favourite in the social diaries of newcomers to the city and veteran students, the Bridges Student Shopping Night presents a fabulous opportunity for shoppers to get their hands on discounted goodies for some seriously sweet prices. From cool clobber at JD Sports, homely decorations at Next and university essentials piled-high at Primark, the Student Shopping Night always comes up trumps when it comes to stocking students with great kit, from great retailers at low prices. So, expect a night of crazy deals, extended lines and late-night shopping as the Bridges’ iconic student shopping raid returns to the city centre on 27 September! We can't wait to see the city centre flowing with smiling faces once again!

To find out more about the return of the Bridges' Student Shopping Night, head to

THEBRIDGES-SHOPPING.COM

Speaking of bold businesses arriving in the city, the Bridges have welcomed a brand new store to their vibrant business community and what a little gem Great Reads has turned out to be! Standing next to O2, Great Reads is the city’s newest book store and they’re a brilliant bunch who offer the bookworms out there everything from best-selling hardbacks, colourful cook-books from the globe’s greatest chefs and a raft of brill children's toys and puzzles to choose from - all at a discounted price. Whether you're keen on catching up with Arsène Wenger's football memoirs, want to see why everyone fell in love with Matt Haig's The Midnight Library or desperate to dive into Douglas Stuart's stunning debut novel Shuggie Bain, a trip to Great Reads is certain to have a paperback blockbuster for you. With Halloween and Christmas just around the corner, we have a sneaky suspicion that this bold new business will be pretty busy stocking the very best novels out there. Be sure to pop in to Great Reads next time you're shopping the very best of the high-street at the Bridges.

THEBRIDGES-SHOPPING.COM