The Rombald’s Rocks project employed 5 local artists to decorate a sculpture as part of the Keighley Sculpture Trail. A key aspect of the project was to provide paid opportunities for local people to be creative and help them pursue sustainable careers as artists.
To do this we asked artists to apply for the opportunity; they had to tell us about themselves and their ideas for decorating a Rombald’s Rock sculpture. The applications were then considered by a volunteer panel of community representatives to ensure a fair process for all and the panel chose 5 successful applicants.
Jon Britten
Jon is a self taught creative artist currently residing in Bronte Country, West Yorkshire.
With no formal education or training in the arts he took it upon himself explore creation and experiment with various mediums to express the creative energy from within, including music creation/production, wood carving, crafting and more recently, since 2020, revisiting acrylic painting.
Jon’s sculpture is called Interstellar Bella and can be viewed at Melia Powell Funeral Services on the corner of Cavendish Street and Cooke Street in Keighley.
To find out more about Jon and his work, follow @wilfy_jon_studio or visit him at his art studio at Keighley Creative.
Sven Shaw
Sven is an illustrator and painter based in Baildon, West Yorkshire. He always knew he wanted to get into the creative industries sohas been doing design and illustration jobs since he left university in 2005.
As Sven explained: “I have enjoyed drawing since I was child and just never stopped, really.”
Growing up in Yorkshire, a lot of Sven’s work has a local flavour. It celebrates our landmarks and architectural heritage, as well as the communities across the region. He has designed and painted many murals, including Bradford city centre, Bingley 3 Rise Locks, Myrtle Park and Seacroft.
Sven’s sculpture for the Rombald’s Rocks project is called Stan and can be viewed in a window between Next and Boots in the Airedale Shopping Centre. It is inspired by a local architectural landmark; go and see it and see if you can guess!
To find our more about Sven, follow @svenshaw on Instagram or Sven Shaw Illustration on Facebook.
Nicola Storr
I’m Nicky (Nicolour Illustration) is an illustrator, art teacher, and workshop facilitator who believes everyone can draw. She is passionate about inspiring creativity and love encouraging others to explore their artistic side, always with a smile. When I’m not working, you can find her outdoors, soaking up inspiration from nature.
Nicolas is excited to be a part of the Rombald’s Rocks project as she said: “I am thrilled to bring more art to the community. My mission is to make art fun, accessible, and full of joy!”
Nicola’s sculpture is titled Stories of Keighley and is displayed in Keighley Bus Station. Pop down to see her Rombald’s Rock in the flesh and find out what inspired it.
To find out more about Nicola, follow her on Instagram @nicolourok.
Catherine Fortey
Catherine Fortey is a Shipley-based author, illustrator, printmaker and potter. Her creative practice has a firm foundation in storytelling and amplifying voices. She works across multiple disciplines, and experiments with a playful, exploratory process.
Catherine has achieved lots of notable successes: she was a Picturehooks Buddy artist, mentored by Chris Mould (2022/2023), a DYCP recipient (2023/2024), and a BPH Explore artist (2024). Her first children’s book cover was published in 2024.
Recently, Catherine has been co-creating art with a women’s cycling group (Hatch/Capital of Cycling), and was a guest artist, delivering workshops and exhibiting at a creative activism event for survivors of CSA (Viv Gordon Company).
Catherine’s sculpture is titled Popcorn and can be viewed at Keighley Creative on Cooke Lane near Subway in Keighley. Can you recognise which iconic Keighley building inspired the design?
To find our more about Catherine, visit her website www.catherinefortey.com or follow her on Instagram @thequietblackbird
Dripsy
Dripsy is an anonymous Street Artist who is proud to be born in the hills of The Brontë Country but raised by the streets of Keighley.
Their usual work includes big scale street art murals using a combination of spray paint and intricately hand cut stencils. An example of this would be the “Urban Garden” Project that they did for the Airedale Shopping Centre’s 100ft x 50ft wall, where they turned the dilapidated space into a nice welcoming space full of sunflowers, butterflies and bees.
Dripsy also creates smaller scale artwork and a limited edition clothing line from their studio space inside Keighley Creative.
Dripsy’s Rombald’s Rock sculpture is titled Moor-Born Gem: Echoes of Rombald and can be viewed at Hairavanti on North Street in Keighley.
For more information on Dripsy, please follow @iamdripsy on Instagram.
To find out more about the Rombald’s Rocks projects, pick up or download a map and complete the Keighley Sculpture Trail or explore the exhibition “The Making of Rombald’s Rocks” which is running until 29th June 2025.
