I was commissioned by Gary Davidson of the Trumpington Boxing Club, now Albion Boxing Academy to capture the club’s gym in the Romsey Labour Club on the corner of Mill Road and Coleridge Road in Cambridge. The building was to be demolished, and Gary wanted to commemorate it in some way. He invited me along to draw at their training sessions, and I learned about how the club is helping young members of the community find a positive outlet and a way to keept them safe and off the streets. The club works with disadvantaged people, as well as with those on parole. I loved what a diversive and inclusive place it is. I enjoyed drawing so much that I did two paintings for them, for the price of one. For the exterior scene, I wanted to show what a beacon of light the club must feel to its members, despite the drabness of the delapidated building. And for the inside scene, I used all the rapid sketches I had done whilst watching to create an idea of what it looked like on a regular training session.
“Naomi presented us with a cracking piece of art of the inside of our old gym during a session. Choked me up as the gym is being demolished and this secured a little bit of history for us. Pleased as punch is an understatement” Gary Davidson, Albion Boxing Academy
