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EXETER ART AND CRAFT FESTIVAL 2011

Exeter Art and Craft Fair

See our resident chinese brush artist Lisa Class at the Exeter Art and Craft Festival 2011.

Lisa will be exhibiting some of her paintings/prints and greetings cards at this wonderful event. Make a date in your diary and go and find her....you won't be disappointed! Opening times: 10am-5pm.

For more information: 

Exeter Craft Festival
Cathedral Green
Exeter
Devon
EX1 1HS
Tel: 01392 275338

The Gallery - Birdwood House, Totnes.

Lisa will also be exhibiting her work at Birdwood House, Totnes, Devon Exhibition from Sunday 14th - Saturday 20th August 2011. The gallery is open daily from 10am to 5pm.


Lisa says "I am sharing this wonderful space once again with Jude Freeman, Contemporary Mosiac Artist".

"Abyss" work by Jude Freeman

The above featured artwork entitled "Abyss" is a beautiful contemporary piece by renowned artist Jude Freeman. It is composed of handmade tiles, raku pottery, vitreous glass and venetian glass smalti.



The Gallery at Birdwood House is an established exhibition space for artists to show their work within the community of Totnes and as a centre allowing the public free access to a selected range of artwork plus the chance to meet the artist.


Birdwood House, which is adjacent to the Market Square of Totnes High Street, is a Listed Building dating back to the late 16th century. Over the years it has been the scene of many changes from being a house built by one of the Totnes merchants to being The Commercial Hotel. At some point the upper floors were extended forward over the pavement to form the town's poultry market and this space is still used as part of the Totnes market scene.

Birdwood House

44 High St, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5SQ

Site 11 Stroud Valley Open Studios

Stroud Subscription Rooms - Stroud, Gloucestershire

West Country Galleries attended an exhibition in the Stroud Subscription Rooms, Glos which featured our renowned resident artist Ray Hill.

As part of the Site 11 Stroud Valleys Open Studios, this is a group exhibition organised by Ray Hill of selected local artists.

Many gathered to soak in the the talent that lined the gallery walls. There was a wide variety of styles and subject matter ranging from landscapes, seascapes, figurative, abstract and semi abstract. The artists featured in this exhibition exhibit widely and are fervent about their art and succeed tenfold in tapping in to our emotions and becoming acquainted in what they are trying to convey to us. There was something at this exhibition that beckoned to all tastes.

At the exhibition, I had the pleasure of meeting Ahrabella Heabe Lewis. Her work has gained high ranking both at home and abroad. Her creations have also permeated the interests of art enthusiasts and collectors from the USA!

Her injection of colour which is incorporated in Ahrabella's work is evoked by the memories of her childhood in Africa making her aware and open to explorations in colour. You can witness this effect in her use of vivid yellow to emulate the sun and the reds which are a signature of the rich red earth.   

Ahrabella Heabe Lewis

Other featured artists we got to speak to were Penny Prince and Teresa Poole. Penny describes her work as a distillation of memory, place and time executed in transparent water-based media that combine rich colour with cartographic/calligraphic elements. Her prints are limited to an edition of twenty. When her work is sold, it is withdrawn and replaced with a new one. 

Penny is quoted as saying " My current work explores the marks visible on the landscape that are revealed by changing light and season; the geological strata, tracks and pathways that evidence mans' historical and continuing presence"

Penny Prince

Teresa Poole says that she is inspired by Japanese screens and artwork of the 17th and 18th century. "I want to explore the relationship between art and the beholder, and how a painting affects its surroundings and the emotions of an onlooker. I’m trying to perceive nature through the eyes of the Japanese artist, and not simply to copy it. The balance of a line is there for a reason, it has a beginning and an end, bringing balance and harmony to an image". 

Teresa Poole

For more information on this exhibition, please contact: Tourist Information, Subscription Rooms, George Street, Stroud, Glos, GL5 1AE , Telephone: 01453-760960

David Robinson Art: Imagination Over Drive!

Our resident artist David Robinson has recently been sketching loads and loads of ideas! He recently stated to us  "some are so technical that I wouldn’t know how to paint them, so over the next few weeks I am going to try and achieve these new techniques". One in mind was painting silver. David  prefers the old way of doing it which involves deep blues and gray’s, he doesn't think it would look real enough if he just used silver paint. David is keen to employ reflection which is another experiment.

Whilst doing theses experiments he started three new surrealism pieces - two 30"x20” on canvas board, which will include his lampposts and one 20"x20” piece which is more serious. David says " you will understand when you see it in a few weeks/months time, as I am spending a lot on that one and there’s a lot more in the sketchbook to follow!"

Below as two new chaps that David has been working on.....we love them....and we are sure you do too! 

`Don`t Let Love Float Away` by David Robinson

`This Isn't Right` by David Robinson

Sarah Bayliss at the Sherborne County Fair and Bath & West Show 2011

Our resident artist Sarah Bayliss was experience a busy and exciting time at the Sherborne Country Fair. The weather was incredibly wet and the rain came down in torrents all day but the brave people of Sherborne still turned out! Despite the weather, Sarah did very well indeed!

The Bath & West Show was fantastic, excellent weather and huge crowds. Sarah enjoyed every minute of it and received a fantastic reaction to her work. Sarahs said "I really seem to be appealing to such a wide range of customers. The farmers themselves can really relate to the characters of my animals, particularly the cows. The collection made so many people smile it was fabulous!"

Sarah is now embarking on her next venture which is The South of England Show which runs from 9th until 11th June 2011. It's a busy time for her having to pack up reload her van and unpack again!  http://www.seas.org.uk/shows.asp?ID=2  Sarah is also doing RNAS Yeovilton's Air Day www.yeoviltonairday.co.uk  on 9th July 2011. Sarah says "It's so hectic I really don't know whether I'm coming or going....all I do know is that I seem to be going to a lot of shows and having a fabulous time exhibiting my work!"

LEARN ABOUT ART AND DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY - NORTH NIBLEY VILLAGE HALL.

Budding artists are being invited to sign up for the one-day art workshop taking place at North Nibley Village Hall on Saturday 18th June 2011, from 10am to 4pm.  It is a workshop day to learn to draw what you see. There are fun elements incorporated in this workshop using various drawing techniques and materials.

If you feel you want to broaden your horizons why not `dip your toe in the water` and try this new venture. For more information, e-mail: claire@drawingonreality.co.uk or contact Claire by ringing 01453-519181.

North Nibley Village Hall, Innocks Estate, North Nibley, GL11 6DP

North Nibley Village Hall, Innocks Estate, North Nibley, GL11 6DP

Moving on to Saturday 25th June 2011, at the above pictured Village Hall is another course on offer which is run by Brian Swinyard. The course covers digital photography for beginners. There are however, a limited number of places available on this course. To find out more e-mail hall4all@hotmail.co.uk or telephone Marjory Wright on 01453-542511

Rob Collins - Gloucester Artist Exhibition in London 2011

Rob Collins was born in Gloucestershire in 1952 and educated at Gloucestershire College of Art and the Royal College of Art in Kensington.


A popular local artist Robert recently gave a talk about his work at the Chipping Hall, Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucs. The talk was given ahead of a coach trip to London to see his work being exhibited at the Francis Kyle Gallery. 


An exhibition of new work will be at the Francis Kyle Gallery in Maddox Street London from 11th May 2011 to 9th June. Open Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm  Saturday 11am - 5pm. You can get more information by clicking this link:  www.franciskylegallery.com

The exhibition celebrates our English heritage with large scale paintings of old rites and folk rituals and ancient trees and woodland. Most of the paintings are about 200cm.

The picture here is of the famous Flora Dance in Helston in Cornwall where hundreds of the town's inhabitants dance through the town in early May to welcome the Spring. This is the children's dance and Rob Collins shows them dancing through childhood and adolescence to adulthood as they progres from left to right across the image.The painting is 130 x 200cm. 

Helston Flora Dance by Rob Collins

Cheese Rolling by Rob Collins

In 1981 he was a founder member of Red Herring Studios in Brighton, a group studio set up and run by 27 artists and craftspeople.

Since 1984 Rob has been represented by Francis Kyle Gallery where he has had three one man shows and contributed to seventeen group shows.

In 1989 Rob moved back to Gloucestershire where he now lives and works. In 2003 he helped set up Under the Edge Arts, a thriving community arts project where for a time he was Chair of the group that runs the project and teaches painting and art history classes.