'How my obsession with the weird RNLI fish in Robin Hood's Bay led to an award winning poster'

The winner of the Hepworth Wakefield print prize, Tall Paul Kelly now has a exclusive exhibition of his prints created during lockdown on show at the gallery. Catherine Scott reports. Pictures by James Hardisty

Tall Paul Kelly’s award-winning screen-printed posters of the Yorkshire places he visited in his youth hark back to a romantic age of travel posters of the 1950s and 1960s and can now be seen in his own exhibition at the Hepworth Wakefield.

"I started screen printing at university in Leeds and I won a few prizes for my work. It is also where I met my good friend Tommy (Davidson-Hawley) – actually in the print room and we graduated we lost the use of the university facilities and used a space in Mirfield for quite a while. Tommy made a business out of screen printing mainly gig posters and band merchandise and no runs Prints of Thieves in Leeds where I do my screen printing now.”

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Kelly – known as ‘Tall’ Paul, didn’t particularly like school, but his old art teacher at Bingley Grammar School encouraged him to explore his creativity, “I’ve always loved art and drawing and my career has pretty much been about doing things I enjoy.”

Saltaire graphic artist Paul Kelly is this year's recipient of the Hepworth gallery’s annual Print Fair Prize – has an exhibition of his prints of Yorkshire at The Hepworth Wakefield café.  Picture By James Hardisty.Saltaire graphic artist Paul Kelly is this year's recipient of the Hepworth gallery’s annual Print Fair Prize – has an exhibition of his prints of Yorkshire at The Hepworth Wakefield café.  Picture By James Hardisty.
Saltaire graphic artist Paul Kelly is this year's recipient of the Hepworth gallery’s annual Print Fair Prize – has an exhibition of his prints of Yorkshire at The Hepworth Wakefield café. Picture By James Hardisty.

After art school he moved to London where he pursued a career as a graphic designer – and he still works as a graphic designer when not creating posters.

"Even when I went to London I was still designing posters but I wasn’t screen printing them.” Fast forward ten tears and he moved back to Yorkshire and he picked up where he left off in regards to screen printing.

His inspiration is very much travel and Yorkshire places he has visited over the years and has a connection with as well as a fascination with early travel posters., but he also does officially licenced music posters.

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Kelly’s posters draw on the timeless charm of tourism posters and commercial art in general, with bold colours, striking compositions and evocative imagery that transport viewers to another place.

Graphic Artist Paul Kelly  Picture By James Hardisty. Date: 5th September 2024.Graphic Artist Paul Kelly  Picture By James Hardisty. Date: 5th September 2024.
Graphic Artist Paul Kelly Picture By James Hardisty. Date: 5th September 2024.

"I consider that to be the golden era of design. I fall into a weird category of designers who can illustrate. When you go to art college you normally have to decide whether you are a graphic designer or an illustrator. My inspiration falls into the place where designers of the 1950s and 1960s where they were traditionally taught many were draughtsmen and women – they could create a composition but could also render it as well it wouldn’t be two separate things like it is now. Now you tend to have an illustrator draw something and the graphic designer would lay some type over the top.

"All those references and influences I love. I wanted to find away to combine my skills as a graphic designer and illustrator.”

He began his poster series, which depict locations in Yorkshire and beyond, during lockdown. "It started as places I hold dear from my childhood. I’m not the first person to do travel inspired posters but it was what’s my stamp on it. It was born out of the frustration of not being able to go out and about and it made me cherish those spots that perhaps I couldn’t even drive to at the time and look at them in a new light.” Kelly, who lives in Saltaire, combines these traditional elements, including an initial sketch of his poster design, with modern computer aided tools.

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"Just for speed such as changing colours and things, you’d be a fool not to lean on those tools we have today. My sketches are pretty rudimentary but I find if the composition works as a thumbnail sketch it will generally pack a punch when it’s a larger poster. It’s quite easy to over complicate things.”

Graphic Artist Paul Kelly at Prints of Thieves Scott Hall Mills, Leeds.  Picture By James Hardisty.Graphic Artist Paul Kelly at Prints of Thieves Scott Hall Mills, Leeds.  Picture By James Hardisty.
Graphic Artist Paul Kelly at Prints of Thieves Scott Hall Mills, Leeds. Picture By James Hardisty.

He loves to screen print, mainly at his old friend Tommy’s Prints of Thieves workshop, despite it being very time consuming and fiddly. "Screen printing is a real art and it’s very complex, the way the colours lay on top of each other. It gives a depth to the posters that just printing them out digitally wouldn’t,” he says. “It also means that everyone is slightly different. It’s quite romanatic back to my influences I love the look and the punch of the colours which you can’t replicate digitally.”

Kelly enjoys adding hidden visual puns to his designs to capture the essence of a place, inviting viewers to discover the magic within the landscape.

“Yorkshire is a place brimming with pride for its landscape. But too often, it feels like our county gets ignored," says Kelly. "The prints are my way of celebrating the places I loved as a kid and continue to dazzle me as an adult. It seemed fitting to give something back. I want my posters to grab your attention and encourage you to get out of the city and breathe in some nature."

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He picks the things that are instantly recognisable to him about a place. "With the Robin Hoods Bay one. I’ve been obsessed with the weird RNLI fish money box on the sea front since I was a child. When you’re a kids its huge. I thought I need to put this one as for me it is integral to Robin Hood’s Bay.

Tall Paul Kelly's screen printed poster of Flamborough HeadTall Paul Kelly's screen printed poster of Flamborough Head
Tall Paul Kelly's screen printed poster of Flamborough Head

“I try to pull out the things I hold dear that other people might not notice I also like to include places that people can visit pretty much for free, other than maybe a small parking charge.” Another example, he says, is the inclusion of a Peregrine falcon on the Malham Cove poster. "Loads of people go to Malham Cove but not everyone knows there are Peregrine falcons there. The poster was really born out of my own frustration at the number of people flying drones around there now due to the fact that a scene from Harry Potter was filmed there. The RSPB do a lot of work to try and raise awareness but it’s really said as they can’t do anything about it and there are some years when the falcons don’t raise chicks and it could be because of the drones. I want people to notice these things I hold dear and so I put them on the posters.”

Kelly decided to take his posters to the Hepworth Print Fair earlier in the year and was thrilled to win the annual prize which includes the chance to have his own exhibition which is currently on in the gallery’s cafe.

“I’m over the moon to win the Print Fair Prize and showcase my work at The Hepworth Wakefield,” he says. “The gallery and its stunning garden are always a source of inspiration so having my art displayed there is an honour. It’s more than an exhibition though—it’s a nod to the gallery’s commitment to nurturing emerging artists like myself, making it a true gem of the North.

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"It came at a perfect time for me as I had been wanting to collate my posters into an exhibition and I’d ben looking around for places when the Hepworth prize came along. I go there a lot, especially the gardens with my two young kids. A lot of galleries can be a bit stuffy and intimidating but the Hepworth is so accessible and great for kids and its free.”

Clare Bridge, The Hepworth Wakefield’s Retail Buyer and Product Developer said: “We are obsessed with Tall Paul Kelly’s travel style posters celebrating our beautiful Yorkshire landscape in bright and bold colours. We think Paul’s work will appeal to audiences visiting the gallery and garden.”

Now in its 5th year, the Prize is open to all artists and collectives participating in The Hepworth Wakefield Print Fair and was devised as part of the gallery’s work to support artists at all stages of their career.

Tall Paul Kelly's poster of Malham CoveTall Paul Kelly's poster of Malham Cove
Tall Paul Kelly's poster of Malham Cove

Kelly’s screen-printed posters, including a new limited edition exclusive to the gallery, will be available to purchase from the Hepworth Wakefield until March 30, 2025 and online at hepworthwakefield.org/shop; tallpaulkelly.com.

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