Our current exhibitions
Adventures in paint – An exhibition of recent work by Mark Wearne
4 November – 14 December
In his work Mark Wearne explores the emotive power of abstraction and the expressive potential of mixed media. Born in Cornwall he trained in Interior Design at Trent Polytechnic in Nottingham. In 1979 he moved to Hitchin with his wife Diane and young daughters Joanne and Ruth and began work as a freelance architectural illustrator. Mark’s creative journey has seen him evolve from architectural precision to exploration in paint.
As an architectural illustrator he worked on projects for well-known names like Harrods and Selfridges across the UK and internationally. Mark also put his creative talent to work locally, creating, for example, stage backdrops, posters and promotional graphics for Rhythms of the World, the popular music festival that he played a role in founding. Mark also helped develop the artistic side of local young people in his schools’ Street Art banner-making projects. Most notably this saw the creation of Dream Catcher, a monumental installation involving nine local primary schools, which transformed Windmill Hill into a colourful canvas of collective imagination.
Upon retiring Mark committed fully to exploring his interests in fine art. He attended an intensive course at Newlyn School of Art in Cornwall and several abstract landscape courses. From his studio in Hitchin Mark spends his time creating new works, often inspired by Cornwall, its coast, the windswept wildness of its landscape, extreme weather and abstract expressionism of the St Ives School of artists. Mark’s former life as an architectural illustrator also helps inform his fine art work. He has exhibited locally and in Cornwall and won the 2025 Artist of the Year award at Letchworth’s Wynd Gallery.
Museum Talks
For more information and to book tickets click here to go to Ticket Source, have a look at the events on our Facebook page or ask at the Museum reception and we can book it for you.
Are you part of a local group or society?
We offer a number of bookable talks given by our expert museum staff. The talks need to be pre-booked and cost £65. Talks can be held at the Museum or at your own venue; if your venue is outside the district, we have to charge travelling expenses.
They can be for up to 40 people. The talks usually last an hour and can be daytime or evening.
It is also possible to arrange online talks using platforms such as Zoom. Please ask for further details.
For more information or to book a talk please email Rebecca Barkus.
To see a full list of available talks, please click here.