HE made the decision to become a full time artist just as he won an Art Battle in front of hundreds at Parr Hall.

Now Padgate painter Cameron Brown has strengthened his connections with his hometown after becoming an artist in residence at the Pyramid.

Charity Culture Warrington is already working closely with a number of artists at its No. 7 Studios, next to Warrington Museum and Art Gallery. But with the waiting list growing, cultural manager Leah Biddle wanted to find a way of accommodating more artists.

She said: “We’re very lucky to have so much fantastic talent in Warrington and we’re delighted to play a part in nurturing these artists and creating opportunities for them.

“We’re thrilled to see how well our No. 7 Studios have taken off and with another venue just down the road, we thought this was a fantastic opportunity to reach out to more artists.”

Cameron will be recognised by many as the artist who won the Art Battle at Parr Hall during last year’s Warrington Arts Festival.

The event, which was held outside of Manchester for the first time for the festival, saw 10 artists go head-to-head with just half an hour to create their masterpieces before a live audience casted votes to find a winner.

Former Cardinal Newman student Cameron, who used to run Hop Co in Bold Street, added: “I’m very passionate about improving the accessibility and regularity of events or projects of some cultural impact within Warrington.

Northwich Guardian:

“The opportunity to work alongside Culture Warrington and apply my studio practice in a public space will allow me to work on ideas that I otherwise would not have had the means to facilitate.”

Cameron’s residency signals the start of a new offer at Pyramid where links will be forged with creative professionals in Warrington.

The programme called Pyramid Scratch has also welcomed dancer and choreographer Joseph Reay-Reid, who has established a regular contemporary class for professional dancers.

An upcoming exhibition by Birmingham artist and Brexit Britain satirist ‘Cold War Steve’ at the Pyramid between April 4 and May 1 is part of the same project.

It will run alongside a display by Great Sankey comic artist Ste Kilb, who is better known by his pseudonym Waspdodger.

Looking to provide a wide range of workshops, classes, exhibitions and performance opportunities, throughout the year, Leah hopes this new outlook will help Warrington become more of a hub for culture.

The former Bridgewater High student said: “After engaging with Warrington professionals, we identified a need for an offer that enabled working professionals to practice their craft, to meet with other artists and share ideas to really make Warrington’s cultural offer the best that it can be.

“By facilitating this, we’re hoping we can inspire a new level of creative excellence that can really compete with cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and even London and present an offer that will put Warrington on the cultural map and encourage more Warrington artists to stay in their home town.”