Today I want to mention an annual exhibition that I am usually involved in for the Westward Ho! & Bideford Art Society. The exhibition would normally take place at the Burton Art Gallery in Bideford, Devon, about nine miles away from my home. This year is not ‘normal’ though, and for the very first time we are producing an online gallery that can be viewed until the end of December of this year. Details in the online invitation above. Please do have a look. I have two paintings exhibited, as seen above, from my Oh Australia series. If anyone wishes to buy one or both, I can arrange shipping as an extra cost. I hope to be able to donate 10% of any sales to help with the Australian restoration fund following their devastating fires.
I guess I must say something about the strange times now; I am resisting as there are so many messages out there, but if you have been effected by this horrid virus, then I send my sympathy and good wishes.
For us, so far, in North Devon, we have been fortunate to avoid any major repercussions of the virus, and for our family unit it has been a time of enjoying the other’s company. The internet is a boon, it means that we can contact our wider family and FaceTime or whatsap etc to keep in touch. Oddly though, with all this time on my hands, I haven’t spent as much time in my studio as you might think. My artwork it very much influenced by my emotions, and they are in flux at the moment. However, I have created some landscapes recently and I am sharing these with you today. As you might imagine, since we are in lockdown, I am missing the sea!
All of the paintings are unframed as yet, but I will add them to my store with all the details as they are. Framing and shipping will be extra.
In 2008, my hubby and I travelled half-way around the world to South Australia, to stay with a friend living on Kangaroo Island. It was a magical time on an idillic island, just off the coast of Adelaide. We were there for two months and travelled around the island, making new friends and visiting areas of South Australia and Tasmania. We are so grateful to our friend, Penny Furseman, for allowing us to stay with her and for putting up with us!
Therefore, the devastating fires that have affected Australia and places we visited, have had an effect on us. The images shown here are my creative responses to that devastation. I have mentioned in previous notes, that my work is created from emotional, intuitive influences, rather than the observed. When I start to paint, I rarely know what will happen, until the piece starts to ‘speak’ to me and that can often take a while, as my mind processes a situation and relays it to the hand.
In the works shown above, I have used a limited palette to describe the first four pieces, but have added additional colours of green, blue and yellow to the last one, ‘Oh Australia! V’, naming it ‘Rebirth and Renewal’, to reflect the amazing way nature is healing the land.
I plan to donate 10% of the net sales from these works to a fund to assist in the restoration of Kangaroo Island.
