Paige Sutton: A New Chapter

13 January – 27 February 2026

Chapters Café, Union Square, Keele University

This exhibition presents a deeply personal and quietly powerful series of paintings by Stoke‑on‑Trent–based artist Paige Sutton, created during a pivotal period of transition in her life and practice. Made in the months following graduation, as she stepped directly into the uncertainties of freelance work, these paintings trace the emotional terrain of change—its hesitations, its fears, and its unexpected moments of clarity.

At the heart of the exhibition is an exploration of mental health, vulnerability, and resilience. Each work captures a moment of stillness: a pause in which emotions surface, settle, and shift. Through subtle gestures, muted atmospheres, and contemplative compositions, Sutton reflects on what it means to move forward when the path ahead feels unclear. Her paintings hold space for the quiet negotiations that accompany growth—the letting go of what is familiar, the acknowledgement of fear, and the courage required to step into the unknown.

Although rooted in the artist’s own experiences, the works speak to universal feelings of transition and self‑reflection. Visitors are invited to recognise their own moments of uncertainty and renewal within the paintings, finding connection through shared experiences of struggle, hope, and personal evolution. In this way, the exhibition becomes not only a record of one artist’s journey, but a gentle reminder of the resilience that emerges when we allow ourselves to pause, feel, and begin again.

Set within the welcoming environment of Chapters Café, A New Chapter offers a space for contemplation—an opportunity to sit, reflect, and engage with art that honours the complexity of emotional life. Sutton’s work encourages viewers to slow down, breathe, and acknowledge the quiet strength found in moments of transition.

• Open hours: 
  New opening times are 0800-1730 Mon-Fri
  Sat 0900-1400
  Sun 1000-1400
• Admission: Free and open to all

PARKING & HOW TO FIND US: Parking is free on campus after 5pm on a weekday and during the weekend. During a weekday, parking is limited on campus and restricted to P&D parking outside the Student Union building during the daytime (until 5pm). 

Campus map here: https://www.keele.ac.uk/about/howtofindus/maps/keele-campus-map.pdf 

Chapters Cafe is located in Building 8A on this map adjacent to the Student Union, the car park is next to this building and is free to park on during the evening from 5pm and at weekends. At other times this car park is P&D. The cafe serves Costa coffee, hot and cold drinks, paninis, sandwiches, scrumptious cakes, and a great selection of snacks.

Chapters cafe is fully accessible.

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