Reading artist Leslee Barron is looking forward to 2025 after creating a new calendar showcasing some of the best photographs she has taken of the town over the past 12 months.
Every page not only has all the dates for the forthcoming year ahead, but also a familiar Reading street scene.
Each image was taken during darkness, letting the town glow.
It is a follow-up to a similar calendar released for this year.
She has been selling the calendars from her website and at craft and arts fairs over the past few months. It has been so successful that only a limited number are available to buy, and once they are gone, they are gone.
Word cloud-style image celebrating town’s past and present
It is a similar story with a poster she has created celebrating Reading town.
This word cloud-style image features names, places, businesses and shops from across the years.
The nostalgic and affectionate look back is bound to provoke conversations as memories flood in.
This piece is a follow-up to a similar print she did for people who live in east Reading, and that was so popular all prints sold out.
Leslee said of the print: “You’ll find yourself reminiscing over this framed Reading Town poster.
“It’s bound to stimulate conversations of nostalgic places we’ll never forget and current places we love where memories are still to be made, transporting us back to cherished moments spent in this remarkable town.
“Each detail of the poster serves as a reminder of the experiences that shape our lives, whether it’s your favourite café or pub where you shared laughter with friends or the places we miss, like the iconic Jacksons Stores, which remains fondly in our hearts or the colourful WOMAD festival, that brought us vibrant music from all over the world.”
An A4 print is £18 and the A3 print is £22.
What is in Leslee Barron’s Reading At Night calendar?
Leslee is very proud of the Reading At Night calendar.
The cover features the new Paddington Bear statue that has been installed on the bench in Broad Street. Appropriately, for a character originally from a book, a branch of Waterstones can be seen behind him.
Other images include the new Rising Sun pub on Castle Street, the artwork created on Hosier Street on the site of the former market, and several images of the Kennet and Avon canal and the River Thames.
Some of the images will make people look again at Reading and appreciate its beauty in a new light.
They include an image of London Road where trees are lit up by the lights from queueing vehicles, and the railway bridge on Caversham Road.
And to round the year off, there are pictures of the lantern parade and a house decorated with Christmas lights.
Leslee explains: “All images were captured from the lively streets of Reading after dark.
“Each image tells its own story, making this calendar a delightful homage to our wonderful town.
“There’s something about the radiating glow from streetlights at night that can transform an industrial feature, like the railway bridge over Vastern Road, into a thing of beauty.
“There is a different image for every month.”
Read more: The Beach Boys to come to Englefield in 2025
She continues: “This calendar invites us to appreciate the beauty of Reading in all its forms.
“I only have a few left.”
The A4-sized calendar costs £15, and once stocks have run out, there will be no more printed.
How to get hold of Leslee’s art
The artist’s website also features other works she has created include a collection of acrylic paint dips, some made into clocks.
There is also a copy of Alina Saves The Moon, a children’s story book aimed at ages three upwards. It tells the story of two brave children who go on a rescue mission to … well, save the moon, and uses Newtown, with the former gas tower featuring prominently in the artwork.
And, inspired by the Reading Blue-tit Swimmers, she has a range of greeting cards based on a social swimming community.
For more details, or to order copies, log on to: www.lesleebarron.com/news
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