THE Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival launched at the weekend with a first glimpse of entries to the art and photography competitions.

At the annual ‘cultural crawl’ visitors also got to see new installations for the first time like Echo by Holly Rowan Hesson at the Pyramid and Worn by Ellen Sampson at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery.

Holly’s work explores the gap between sensory and thought-based experiences and Ellen’s exhibit looks at how shoes become part of who we are.

The launch event was also where the festival’s open competition winners were revealed. Tracy Hill won the contemporary art prize with her charcoal drawings and hand-drawn lithographs on Japanese kozo paper.

Robert Watson, from Latchford, won the photography open with his landscape of Bamburgh. The former podiatrist decided to completely change direction with his career when he started to get positive feedback for his images on Facebook. Robert, a former Appleton Hall student, had been a keen amateur photographer since he got a Kodak Instamatic when he was about six.

The 48-year-old went professional two years ago and was convinced to enter the contest by Emma Kelly from The Gallery at Bank Quay House.

He said: “The strange thing about photography is you work hard like any artist would but most photographers are very critical of their own work.

“So for someone to say they think your work is really good makes you feel like you’ve got a foot on the ladder.”