This is a short amateur comic sketch about an artist invited to exhibit at the Laing Gallery, made by members of the Newcastle & District Amateur Cinematographers Association. It received a commendation at the Scottish Amateur Film Festival in 1953. Title: Scottish Amateur Film Festival 1953 – Commended. Title: And The Artist The film opens with a man holding an artist’s palette and working on a painting at his easel at home. A letter is pushed through the letterbox and the doorbell...

This is a short amateur comic sketch about an artist invited to exhibit at the Laing Gallery, made by members of the Newcastle & District Amateur Cinematographers Association. It received a commendation at the Scottish Amateur Film Festival in 1953. Title: Scottish Amateur Film Festival 1953 – Commended. Title: And The Artist The film opens with a man holding an artist’s palette and working on a painting at his easel at home. A letter is pushed through the letterbox and the doorbell button rung. The young man looks up from his painting, hearing the postman, and walks out of the room. An envelope is lying on his doormat. The man picks up the letter. A close up follows of his hands as he opens the letter. He reads the letter: ‘The committee is pleased with your work, and a space has been reserved for it in Gallery “F”’.  ‘Yours faithfully, A. Pringle – Curator’. The letter is from the Laing Art Gallery, Monkchester. A profile follows of the artist as he smiles after reading the letter. Another young artist is trying to sell his work on a street in the rain. A flat cap lies upside down in front of the pictures for possible donations. Andy the artist walks down a city street with a large thin square parcel wrapped in paper under his arm. He looks at the man’s display of pictures, leaves him some money then walks on. Walking down a more suburban street carrying his package, he looks up at the building he is approaching. A notice on a wall reads: Exhibition of Works By Artists of the Northern Counties’.  A nearby street sign reads: ‘Higham Place’. The word ‘Gallery’ is fixed to the wall with a directional arrow next to it. The man walks on, and enters the gallery. He unties the string on his parcel. An empty space between two pictures on a wall is shown. The man places his work in the space. He stands away from his work of art, to reveal a simple notice which reads: ‘No Smoking’. Title: The End [‘Artists of the Northern Counties’ exhibitions were organised by a group of local arts societies and clubs, and were selling exhibitions. The exhibited works were selected by a panel of 'experts' (often lecturers from the local arts colleges, and sometimes including the curator of the Laing). They started being held at the Laing in May 1905 and continued most years until 1962.