Wigan teacher's quest to bring original and local art into people's homes

Lora Marsden, from Swinley, can often be spotted sketching away in local pubs, on trains or wherever she can find the time.

But it is only within the last 12 months or so she has decided to take the plunge and begin selling prints of her work inspired by Wigan.

The first piece which garnered interest from friends and colleagues was based on the famous lucky statue of Sir Francis Sharp Powell in Mesnes Park and the Standish High art teacher has since captured the face of Wigan, Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls and is now working on a series inspired by Northern Soul.

Lora said: “I actually contacted Uncle Joe’s at the time, to get their blessing in a way. They were really happy and liked the piece which was lovely.

"It’s pushed me out of my comfort zone a little bit and it’s been a really invaluable experience for me.”

An avid artist from a young age, Lora described drawing as a safe space and her grandad spotted her talent from an early age despite her never quite believing in her ability.

But having people around her that champion what she does has given her the push needed to create work that is original and on a large scale.

Work can be created with any combination of different media including watercolours, ink pen, crayon, graphite and coloured pencil and are all made in Lora’s dining room.

The creations are original and can take up to a day to be finished, before being scanned to create a high resolution copy that is done professionally.

She added: "All the branding and packaging I do myself as well, I’ve learned a lot through doing it by using different companies and fidningthe right companies for the prints because I want them to be as high quality as possible but the price to be affordable too.

"Most people tend to buy pre-done prints from Ikea or a shop as they’re an affordable way to get art into the home but I’m passionate about more people supporting businesses and having more original art in their home.

"I love what I do and I think it's so important for my students and other local artists to be paid for the work they do as well as seeing what a great, enriching hobby it is!”

Prints can be bought online on Lora’s Etsy website or on her facebook page Lora Marsden Art