Have you spotted the beautiful Darwen Tower drawings around town this summer? They’re making up The #shopdarwen Tower Trail, which is all about backing our local economy, spending time with family during the holidays and getting creative!
The artist behind the window displays and chalkboards is Lucie Cooke, an accomplished designer and illustrator from Clitheroe, who is an expert in all things visual. We caught up with Lucie to find more about her love of art and how she found her time in Darwen Town Centre…
How long have you been drawing/designing?
All my life! I have always been arty and have always enjoyed being creative in one form or another. Art was always my favourite at school and when I went to uni I studied fashion. I worked for a few years as a lingerie and nightwear designer before moving more into print design and illustration. I have been freelance for eight years now and I love the range of projects being freelance brings.
How did you come up with the Tower Trail design?
Just walking around Darwen town centre, it is clear to see how much the tower means to the people of Darwen, so it was a no brainer! It is an icon and so I wanted to stay as true to it as possible in the design. The combination of the red Lancashire roses, linking to the areas heritage, allowed for a bit more creativity and artistic license to be brought in.
What does being a Lancashire native mean to you?
I am proud to be from Lancashire, it’s given me a strong work ethic from the industrial heritage of the area. Lancashire is home. The sense of community you have, particularly in a town or a village and being able to have a chat with a stranger is always comforting and something I am happy to be a part of.
How did you find your time in Darwen?
I had a great few days darting all over town. People were really interested in what I was doing and complimentary about my work. I am often told watching me draw can be somewhat entrancing, I did have an audience on a number of occasions!
Can you let us know a little about The Big Summer Draw?
Absolutely, it is a totally free event being held at Fourteen on Saturday 17th August and is a chance to have a go at window art. The theme is ‘feels like summer’ and we will collectively be creating a window display about what summer means to all of us. Everyone is invited to draw what they think of when they think of summer…it could be the sunshine, ice-cream, the beach, picnics or even strawberries and cream! I love this kind of community art event, because of the mix of ideas and creativity that create something that you just can’t envisage at the start! It is so exciting to see it cometogether.
Thank you Lucie!
If you’d like to have a go at window art with guidance from Lucie, come along to The Big Summer Draw at Fourteen Market Street! Find out more here.
The #shopdarwen Tower Trail runs until 2nd September. Activity sheets can be collected from the office in the annexe at Darwen Market, and from many participating retailers. Read more here.
Follow Darwen Town Centre on Facebook and Shop Darwen on Instagram to keep up to date with news, events and activities in Darwen Town Centre.
