PAINTER Ann Kilvington has fond memories of her childhood in Thirsk, particularly of time spent at the Ritz Cinema, which celebrates its centenary next year.

Kilvington’s contribution is to have spent a year as artist-in-residence, capturing the spirit of her favourite cinema as a lasting record.

The exhibition, comprising some two dozen oils, is an affectionate portrait of a place which has a timelessness about it. Unlike modern cinemas, the Ritz has retained its character.

This is the “flicks”, with a feeling of music hall about the building and its decor and a cosy intimacy nurtured by the volunteers who run it.

The paintings reveal the artist’s love of her subject and invoke memories of similar picture houses of the past. They give a guided tour of the exterior and interior, show staff at work and leisure, and parts of the cinema not normally accessible.

Most of the works are small, which adds an intimacy and lets her concentrate on individual themes.

Some subjects are repeated: the ruched satin screen curtains, bathed in coloured spotlights, which were such a feature of this and other cinemas; the ticket kiosk and frontage seen in different weathers, most successfully on a rainy night; glimpses of the projection room; a meeting of volunteers in the auditorium; studies of reels and other equipment, given a semi-abstract treatment.

Kilvington is adept at isolating the most important part of an image and then building paint on paint to catch its exact shifting colour and texture, most notably in a view looking up the stairs to the circle, where this accuracy of colour and texture transforms an ordinary view into something much greater than its parts.

She has made prints of five of the original oils, with a percentage of the sales going towards the maintenance and improvement of the cinema.

The exhibition ends this weekend.

AN