Thank you

Help Much Appreciated

Lee Corner Art Consultant – Lee has given me support and help in establishing the idea, advice on meetings with Bolton Museum and Library Services. Perhaps most notably Lee’s help in structuring my ideas and the practical elements of applying to the funding for the Arts Council application was invaluable. She has helped with advice and support at every stage of the project, particularly the difficult days.
lee@lac-ltd.com

The Arts Council England – have provided the central aspects of the project funding and the whole application process is structured in such an effective way, as to clarify the direction and clarity of my ideas.
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/

Bolton Museum and Library Services – this project needed the support of gallery staff to make the initial application a reality. Kirsty Haikney, Matthew Watson and Matthew Constantine have all been very helpful with information I needed for the Arts Council application and most importantly securing the space in the gallery timetable for the exhibition to take place. It was an enormous boost when the gallery decided to extend the proposed length of the exhibition just before I travelled to America.
It was an absolute pleasure to meet with Kirsty Haikney and Barry Yearsley as the project developed following the trip and I will never forget the care and attention with which Gary Webster hung and lit the exhibition.
I would like to extend these thanks to all the staff at the Gallery for giving the exhibition such an enthusiastic reception and dedication during the long run of the show.
http://www.boltonmuseums.org.uk/

Rebecca Sitar –  Art BA hons Course Leader Bolton University – Enabled me to use the Print room at Bolton University, this became such an important aspect of the project. In returning to the roots of my paintings I was able to try experimental approaches and mark making and this returned with me to the studio in the painted work.http://courses.bolton.ac.uk/Details/Index/1767

Adrain Jenkins at the Bowes Museum Barnard Castle – Adrian was responsible for the initial acquisition of the “Nearing Camp” painting for Bolton in his role as curator at the time. We met at a snow laden Bowes back in Feb(2013) and the meeting was a wonderful insight into his passion for Moran. We discussed the importance of this subject in Moran’s paintings and how that might inform the project. The Bowes is a wonderful museum in a beautiful part of the country.

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Professor Joni Kinsey. Through an incredible coincidence Professor Kinsey visited the UK to lecture in Nottingham and research Moran’s time here, during the time of the exhibition. I’d used one of her books for my research and I recommend them to anyone interested in a thorough but fascinating account of the period. She came to the town as part of her research and was kind enough to spend some time with me walking around the exhibition, discussing the work as well as revealing wonderful insights about both her life as an historian and of course Moran’s life and work.
joni-kinsey@uiowa.edu

Dr Fiona Vivien Salveson Murrell who toured America visiting museums with collections of Thomas Moran and Thomas Cole, another of Boltons sons. Fiona gave me some good travel advice at the outset.
The report of her trip is here-

Click to access 98_1.pdf

Ruth Lauritzen at the Sweet Water Museum in Green River(they have an archive of vintage photography here which Ruth has kindly invited me to view on the trip). She gave us a very warm welcome when we arrived in the town and made sure we got our bearings during our stay. She is a fountain of historical knowledge about Green River and the Museum is a perfect introduction for anyone visiting the town.
http://www.sweetwatermuseum.org/index.htm

Matt Aindow at Scan Computers in Bolton, Matt works for the Pro Video team at Scan and has given me invaluable expertise in the newest technology to visually record the trip on film.
https://www.facebook.com/ScanProVideo
http://www.scan.co.uk/shop/pro-video

Jim and Erica at Rendezvous Mountain Rentals gave us some great local knowledge at the start of the trip. The apartment we are staying in is perfectly placed to see the Tetons and Yellowstone. http://www.rmrentals.com/

Jeriemy Gomez the Vice Chair of the Arts Council at Green River, Jeriemy gave us a very warm welcome to his town and organised the Civic Reception at the new Civic Hall.

Mark Hoffman, he ended our trip perfectly with an impromptu tour of the cliffs of Green River which were passed on to him by his father who purchased in the middle of the last century for $5000.

John Wineyard, Tehcnical support in the Printroom at Bolton University. His suggestions encouragement and support in the Printing residency phase of the project lead to me trying all the cola print techniques that became such a vibrant element of my sessions there.

Ashley Jones, the Art coordinator at Prestolee Primary School, Was responsible for a very unexpected aspect of the project. She organised for me to give workshops about my paintings at Eight Primary Schools in Bolton, where the children had visited the exhibition. This was perfect in fulfilling my desire to inspire other artists. Working with the pupils gave the project a different impetus after the exhibition had started. Thanks must also go to the other teachers and the children involved, who all made this a very special period.

Chelsea Delay From Questroyal Fine Art, New York, Chelsea wrote about the project in April 2014 on Questroyal Fine Art’s Hudson River School blog. Thankfully I have recently been made aware of the review and the site which is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in American Painting.

http://hrs-art.com/2014/04/thomas-moran-paintings-american-west-james-naughton-exhibition/

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