Doing good things in the North East, our charity round-up

Luxe checks in with James Dixon of Lines Behind, the local illustrator who went from Tynemouth Market stall to commissioning for one of the largest charity sporting spectacles in the country

James Dixon is a big lover of his hometown. His designs showcase everything he knows and loves about his beloved Newcastle. Starting as a hobby, James saw his designs rise in popularity at his local makers market. A whirlwind journey quickly followed, commissioning pieces for local celebrities and big business - but his ‘pinch me’ moment came this year when he was approached by event organisers to illustrate the official finisher’s t-shirt, medal and memorabilia for the Great North Run.

The business is blowing up and constantly growing. What started as a little hobby at Tyneside Market has grown into something incredible - working with global brands and enterprises. We’ve now got clients from Brighton right up to Edinburgh, as well as all of the amazing work we do with local people and businesses. We’re designing everything from interior office spaces, to merchandise for events and our popular ‘Geordie’ product range which sits in Fenwick Newcastle.

This partnership has been a pinnacle moment for me. To be asked to work with an event as huge as the Great North Run hit home a little bit and made me realise that this is why I work so hard, for wonderful opportunities like this. It has been really well received and I can’t wait to see it all come together on the day. There’s no bigger North East event than the Great North Run - 60,000 runners from all over wearing my design on their finisher’s t-shirt and medal, it’s incredibly overwhelming.

We’ve illustrated the finisher’s t-shirt and medal, as well as signage and the official memorabilia of the race day - so we’ve done everything from greetings cards, to mugs, prints and tea towels, all of which you can order online now.

The illustration tells a story. Like the race itself, it incorporates iconic moments, community spirit and why the Great North Run will continue to go down in history as one of the most spectacular charity sporting events in the country. I was given a lot of freedom to make it my own, so that’s exactly what I did. The team had full confidence in me and that was really encouraging. There are certain things that stick out for me when it comes to the Great North Run; like the rattles of the charity buckets, the sweets, the fancy dress - it’s endless, so I wanted to pack in as much of that as I could. There’s so much happening. There’s a lot of diversity in there when it comes to race and disabilities, which is so important. It just confirms that the Great North Run is an event for everyone - and something we’re incredibly proud of here in the North East.

Of course, I had to include the Red Arrows flying over the Tyne Bridge - no matter where you are in the race, it’s a real goosebumps moment, so that had to be incorporated into the design as a statement piece. The t-shirt has a lot of personality - it perfectly sums up this treasured race day and will (hopefully) be something people can pull out of their gym box in five or 10 years time and promote happy memories. The medal will probably go down as the best thing I’ve ever worked on. I’ve got it in my hand as we speak, and it’s phenomenal to think I designed it. I’ve taken part in the Great North Run 10 times now, and every time I cherish my medal and finisher’s t-shirt, so I hope this year’s runners will do the same.

I am! It’s my 11th year, and it’s going to be so surreal. This is the first year the race is returning to its usual route, finishing on the seafront in South Shields, so it feels like an extra big celebration in that sense. I can’t wait!

Five fantastic charity events you can support this season

Say ‘I Do, I Do, I Do’ to The Sunshine Fund’s glitzy annual ball at The Grand Hotel Gosforth Park this September. A sparkling Abba-themed event is enough to tempt anyone looking to let their hair down and have a good time. As well as an evening of feel-good entertainment and fundraising, you’ll get to enjoy delicious food and drink, plus plenty of other surprises on the night. Hosted by the BBC’s Anna Foster, you’re guaranteed good times at this brilliant ball.

The charity’s first charity golf day is set to tee off at Close House this September, inviting businesses to get involved for a day of networking, team bonding and doing your bit for good causes. All of that, plus a glorious day on the greens of the Lee Westwood Filly Course, as well as breakfast, a post-golf meal, competitions, raffles and presentation.

Walk, jog, skip or dance your way around a colourful 5k route within the scenic Stewart Park, to help raise vital funds for our friends at Teesside Hospice. You’ll be encouraged along the way with live music and plenty of powdered paint. Don’t forget to celebrate with family and friends in the charity’s Champion’s Village, where you’ll be able to pick up your goodie bag.

To mark World Alzheimer’s Month, Pepperells Solicitors are hosting a very special Ladies Day event in aid of Alzheimer’s Research UK. The event will include fizz, fashion, music and lots of networking. The day will also include an expo from local Newcastle businesses, as well as a raffle and silent auction with some fantastic prizes on offer.

Barrie Watson’s universe is a colourful space where his creative worlds come together as one. From hairdressing and catering, to TV success and abstract art, he’s a man of many talents. Elysia Fryer chats to Barrie over a cup of tea at his home in Sunderland

It’s never too late to tap into new talents, is my main takeaway from a chat with Barrie Watson.

A true inspiration when it comes to all things creative, he’s the perfect example of someone who can take whatever comes their way, and just go with it - in style! Our chat leads me to wonder if there have been any opportunities I have sidelined because I already have my head in something else. Barrie’s advice would be - to ‘just go with it and see where it takes you’. It may just be your calling in life. Or certainly, it will lead to happiness or a new venture.

As we sit down for a cup of tea made by his lovely wife Gill (with help from their perfect pooch Dougal!), we agree that it makes sense to start from the very beginning. Barrie grew up in Murton and it didn’t take long for him to learn that he was set out to work in some sort of creative capacity. After leaving school in the 80s, Barrie went on to practice hairdressing at college and admits that he was probably the ‘Billy Elliot of Murton’ at that time.

“It was an unusual thing for a young lad to go and do,” he explains.

“But I knew I wanted to work with my hands, and it was just something I always wanted to have a go at,” he adds.

Barrie worked his way into the hairdressing world in the conventional way. From college, he went on to work in a salon and eventually started working as an educator for a manufacturer.

“At that time, my wife Gill and I were getting married, so it was a more secure business path for me, not having to contend with the sometimes unsociable hours that come with working in a salon. My job was to go round salons, educating stylists and trainees on the products they were using.”

From there, Barrie moved into sales - the day job he came back to later in life, and still enjoys today.

The time between is when Barrie’s career really started to take a turn - for all the right reasons. A chance application meant he was very quickly juggling hair products with kitchen kit.

“While I was quietly working away in my day job, I decided to apply for BBC’s MasterChef,” Barrie smiles.

“We were watching it one day and Gill said to me, ‘you could do that!’. It was a cult programme back in the 90s, presented by Loyd Grossman - so it was a very exciting thought.

“I had no experience as a chef at the time. I was purely self-taught, just messing around in the kitchen and really enjoying eating out at nice restaurants.”

Barrie applied and was surprised to hear he was successful. He was even more surprised when what he thought was just going to be ‘a bit of fun’, turned into a place in the finals.

“Before I went to the regional heat, I met with Terry Laybourne for guidance as he had been a professional chef judge on the show before. He was a huge help, and I’ll be forever grateful for the support,” he says. “It was all very chaotic, juggling work and trying to master a menu.

“I was driving back from a colour conference event where I had just won Colour Salesperson of the Year, and I was having to order my produce for the finals. At the time I was getting my fish from a place on Acorn Road in Jesmond. I was on the phone to them saying, ‘I need mussels. I need seaweed. And I’m going to need it quick!’.” He may not have come away with the crown, but this opened up a new avenue of opportunities for Barrie, bringing his love of food to the forefront of his mind.

I loved how I just lost myself in it for a couple of hours. It was my escape - and it came at a time when we all needed a bit of that in our lives

“MasterChef was a lot different back then,” Barrie explains.

“You went down, delivered a three-course meal of a certain standard - with a pretty small budget - and then a professional juge, celebrity chef and Loyd Grossman, came in. There was nowhere near as much exposure as there is for contestants these days.” What it did do, though, was build Barrie’s confidence to go and do something professionally in the food world.

“One of the judges was Anton Edelmann,” Barrie starts.

“He was head chef at The Savoy in London and invited me to go and work with him for a week, which I did. He offered me a job, but I was 30 at the time and wasn’t fully comfortable moving my entire life down to London at that stage in life. It’s a huge change and it just didn’t feel like the right thing to do.

“But it gave me the confidence to think, ‘maybe I could do something in food’, and that’s when I opened the Prickly Pear as an upmarket catering company. I was working out of a unit and would cater for events all over the region. I did Alan Shearer’s New Year’s Eve cocktail party and things like that - it was all very high-end.”

As business boomed, Barrie’s team grew in size and it led to the opening of the cafe, which quickly evolved into the Prickly Pear bistro.

“During this time, we had two kids and I was just juggling far too much,” says Barrie. “I was opening up at 5am to get the catering out, then preparing for lunch service, followed by evening service. It was non-stop and started to feel a little unhealthy.

“It was a huge success and I really enjoyed it, but I decided it was time to sell up and get a bit of balance back in my life.” Life had come full circle and Barrie found himself back in his beloved job in hairdressing. Things had started to settle and life was moving at a much slower pace, until his creative itch popped back up again and Barrie found himself enrolling into a ceramic art class.

“It was just a hobby and an escape from the day job,” Barrie tells me. Shortly after, we found ourselves navigating a pandemic and people all over the world were turning to those quiet pastimes.

For Barrie, that has always been food, but there seemed to be a newfound love in artistic forms.

“My ceramic classes obviously came to a close during the pandemic, but I very quickly found other ways of getting creative (and making a mess! - my wife would say). “Gill and I were talking about giving the house a bit of a makeover. But as we were locked up at home, there was no way we were going to get out to shop for some new art. It was hard enough getting to the supermarket for bread, milk and toilet paper!

“So, me being me, I said to Gill, ‘I’ll tell you what… I’ll paint us something.

“I’d never done it before, but just happened to have some canvases and acrylics in the garage.

“I just thought to myself, ‘what could possibly go wrong?’.

“I did a little bit of research and remember reading an article that said, ‘with abstract art, you have to take your mind back to when you were a toddler’ - when you have no illusions of how things should look - you just go with it.”

Barrie picked up his painting tools and carved out his newest creative journey. “I loved how I just lost myself in it for a couple of hours. It was my escape - and it came at a time when we all needed a bit of that in our lives.”

After completing his first few pieces and proudly placing them on the walls at home, Barrie started to share his work on Instagram.

“People started showing interest and it was really flattering,” Barrie smiles.

“So that’s when I started to open up my commission book and got in touch with some local galleries.

“Fast forward a little while and my work is currently featured in the North East Art Collective. I also did The Late Shows in Newcastle back in May, and I’ve got two paintings on show at Kirkharle Courtyard. “New opportunities and connections are constantly forming, which is great. I’m part of Network Artists North East, a group of artists from the region who support each other and provide a programme of activities and events in the industry.

“I went into Kirkharle recently to drop some prints off and came across a couple in the gallery who were looking for prints. So I went over and introduced myself and said, ‘I just happen to be dropping some work off, so if you’d like to discuss anything, you know where I am’. They were looking for two pieces and couldn’t find anything suitable, so I showed them my ‘Green Envy’ and ‘Oceans’ work and they loved the work. I signed them for them and they went off happy with two prints.

“Chatting to people and having that personal touch really makes the difference, and it’s great we can get out and about and do that again now. People like to meet who they’re buying from - it comes back to the whole ‘support local’ thing we were all backing during COVID. It’s a great way to give back to the local community.”

Barrie’s style is unique in that it’s abstract and each piece goes on a journey of self-discovery of its own.

“I don’t always know which direction a piece is going in,” Barrie admits.

“But I generally have a theme or a concept. For example, I did a piece to mark the Platinum Jubilee this year, which has been sent out to a client in Texas, USA. I’ve just completed another commission for a client’s home in the Costa del Sol - that was based around the colours of the ocean.

“I start with a theme or an idea - whether it’s something of my own, or a piece I’m working on for a client - and then my imagination just runs wild and I start to create something totally unique.

“I use all kinds of different tools and materials, from cut-outs and fabric clippings, to gilding. I tend to use a spatula more than anything, to make etchings and marks on a painting.”

At the moment, Barrie’s artwork is a hobby-turned-business venture. It’s something he set out to do for ‘escapism’, but it is constantly leading to new and exciting things.

“It is something to keep me busy and hopefully bring in a bit of income, so that when I come to retire, I have a sense of direction and a focus. That’s the plan, but we’ll see how it goes.”

It’s incredibly refreshing to chat to someone navigating the ‘mid-life’ journey with a ‘never say never’ mindset. Just because you’re approaching retirement, it doesn’t mean you have to suck it up and slow it down. “I find it impossible to just sit back and let life pass by,” says Barrie.

“I’m always finding something new to do to keep me busy. I’m always on-the-go - to the point where I get in trouble,” he laughs and looks over at Gill.

“I still love cooking. I’ve started baking cakes for friends and family. And I’m still working on some ceramic pieces, too. I’ve found a number of ways in which my creativity can keep me busy, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop.”

As we sit back and reflect on a colourful, creative career - that is just getting started(!) -Barrie remembers a compliment he received from judge Anton Edelmann during his time on MasterChef…

“I made a chocolate fondant, which was very unique at the time - they’re everywhere now - but it was something really different back then. I couldn’t get hold of a mould, so I used an old baked beans tin. As I explained the process, Anton said, ‘you’re not just a chef, you’re a genius’.”

Anton hit the nail on the head. Barrie is a creative genius in all respects.