High Peak artist brings bird’s eye view of the Fringe

Artist and illustrator Andrea Joseph, a member of High Peak Artists, has been announced as the cover artist for this year’s Buxton Fringe programme.

A competition run by the Fringe in 2024-5 open to members of Peak District Artisans, High Peak Artists and The Green Man Gallery, resulted in some spectacular submissions including Andrea’s design which will now be used as the programme cover artwork for this summer’s event. Created in pen and entitled ‘Show! Here! Today!’, it features a multi-talented bird bringing all kinds of artistic performance to Buxton in July.

Fringe Marketing Officer Stephanie Billen says: “It is such fun and so unusual, we couldn’t get it out of our minds. As well as being beautifully executed as one might expect from this professional artist, it captures all the many types of entertainment one might have at the Fringe and the sheer ingenuity of our entrants as they put their shows together, often on a shoestring. The fact that it is different from what we have had before also appeals given that we celebrate innovation from our participants.”

Originally from South Wales, Andrea now lives in New Mills. Her playful work combines text with images and is created using pens, coloured pencil, gouache and collage. A prolific artist and book illustrator, she also works with charities as well as running drawing events, Drink & Draw, in the High Peak.

She says of her design: “When I decided to enter the Fringe competition I knew immediately that I wanted to do some sort of One Man Band image. I love working in the details so someone who carries all of the equipment to create a show, on their back, really appealed to me. Where the bird idea came from I have no idea!”

Currently open for entries, this year’s Fringe runs from July 8th-26th with the programme due out at the beginning of June. Acts are listed as they come in on https://www.buxtonfringe.org.uk/descriptions2026.html and on the free-to-download Fringe App.

More of Andrea’s work can be found on Instagram @aheavysoul.