ANB Spring Exhibition in Ampthill – Review

After months of preparation and hard work, the exhibition of the Artists Network of Bedfordshire (ANB) at Parkside Hall this weekend demonstrates that Ampthill is the new “arty” town for beauty lovers and art collectors. The quality of the works presented and the professionalism of the exhibitors and artists was exceptional! the event was beautifully organised and visitors were nicely impressed with the level and talent of the artists. This rightful perception may be explained by two main reasons: one, the Artists Network of Bedfordshire is a growing hub of talented artists and the level for being part of the group is certainly high. The second reason is the excellent management skills of Tom Frost and his team: Tom built the stands, organised the people and coordinated the actions of both the admin team and the artists during the two days of the exhibition.

The spirit of the ANB of friendly support and professionalism shows through the exhibition: it allowed new talent to show their work in the company of more experienced artists. There was a nice combination of painting, sculpture, craft and photography, which was appealing for the public. The publicity was very good, people knew of the event because of mail lists, leaflets, internet, social media, and word of mouth. This may be the opportunity also to make Ampthill, a gorgeous Georgian town, the new epicenter of art in central Bedfordshire. Although the place is the home of talented artists such as Jill Taylor and Jo Robinson, there is an influx of art thanks to the new Golden Hare Gallery and quirky places like Cakestand&Crumb exhibiting the work of local talented artists.  Further, the exhibition really brought together an amazing variety of visual languages, and in this blog I will try to highlight some of my impressions from the paintings and conversations with the artists:

Tiffany Logan exhibited her textured and ethereal “still life”, in her paintings, she aimed at simplifying the elements of a scene, getting to the essential shapes and luminosity. She “flattens” the scene to create different layers of light and colour, while letting the painting to become: this is a process in which the painting takes over, creating happy accidents or any other serendipity moments. These are exquisite paintings in beautiful vibrant colours.  Next to her, the work of Carol McDermott makes a nice complement. Carol’s paintings in this exhibition are related to flowers and shapes. But she is not really concerned about “flowers per se“, instead she concentrates on the shapes and contrasts of light and shade created by the juxtaposition of different volumes.  I was impressed by the almost transparent quality of her brushstroke, and she revealed to me that it is a matter of getting a thin oil based painting and patiently apply as many layers as required. Her work was one of my favorites in the exhibition, perhaps because my love for botanical paintings, and I felt I could learn so much from her masterly application of paint and original focus on shapes.

Tiffany Logan and her painting

Carol McDermott “Second Bouquet”

Jill Taylor “Fisherman Cottages”

Another fantastic colourist, Jill Goodyear presented three atmospheric paintings in this exhibition, marking a clear evolution from her previous work. Jill is influenced by the weather, she enjoys walking in the Bedfordshire countryside and her paintings are her own emotions and feelings of the place, rather than a realistic interpretation of the landscape. Her work with acrylics and oils is rather liquid, of different textures and layers… her paintings convey the humidity or a rainy day, bringing the wind and the foggy air into the painting, becoming a sort of “visual tactile” type of painting.  A different approach to the landscape is presented in the work of Joanne Stone.  She works mainly from observation in order to immerse in the landscape. Normally, Jo makes studies on the spot and sometimes even completing whole pictures in situ, hence capturing the light and atmosphere. In her own words:

“I am drawn to the wild places where nature is slowly reclaiming the land, yet there are stories to find. The clues are all around. Etched into rock and tree, river and mountain – our history is visible, woven into the landscape. There is much we can learn from this. Ultimately the environment is shaped by climate. This is where we come in…. “

Joanna Stone – Landscape

Ann Edwards “Sea and Sand 4”

Jan Drury “After the Storm”

 This attention to the British landscape is also explored by Ann Edwards paintings. Her paintings show the confidence of her trade and experience. For this exhibition she presented her latest take on the Cornish landscape: the primordial encounter between sea and coast, the golden rocks touched by the majestic sun next to the deep blue of the magnificent ocean. She uses broad brushstrokes that I am sure are not just a happy accident but the results of years of practice!  A different view of the sea is presented by Jan Drury in her painting “After the storm”. Using mixed media, this painting is “a departure from her darker work”. Here she is using her own made paints, from natural elements, rocks and essential pigments, that offer natural tonalities for her work. I would really like to see more on this type of development!

The experimentation with materials and textures has become the signature of Jill Taylor. Her paintings are complex works highlighting the materiality and physicality of painting. I had the privilege of working with Jill in her studio, which is a riot of colour, materials and physical effort. She inherits some of the ideas of the famous Minerva Academy in Holland, as she splashes paintings on the canvas! It is rather magical and primordial, like a sorcerer trying to make a 2D object into a mountain or a house!  In this exhibition she presented two types of paintings: In “Looking for Number 2”, she takes on “houses” and dreams, with the amazing quality of the mixed media. In addition, she offered a small “peek” on her new work to be exhibited in a couple of weeks at Bromham Mill and Gallery (PV June 6, 2015). This is a collection of small canvasses, beautifully presented in a white background. This is an interactive work, based on the Fibonacci numbers: I am not sure if I got this right, but what I understood is that for every time that somebody acquires one of these, it activates a sequence of dreams following on the Fibonacci numbers until completing what is called the “perfect” number. It’s complicated, so you have to ask her!!!

Sue Melville is  joining Jill in the 4Colourways Collective exhibition. Her work is truly beautiful and gives you a sense of spiritual peace.  For instance, the painting presented in this exhibition, titled “heather and gorse” goes beyond a description of the landscape: It is a type of spontaneous drawing in which the artist “reimagines” the landscape, evoking memories and translating them into a “chromatic impression”. Sue is another name to follow in the path of colour, and the exhibition at Bromham Mill and Gallery promises to be a great chromatic party!

Alongside these two artists, the work of talented print-maker and painter Jo Robinson is also a feast of colour and fable. Here this lovely oil painting is a complement to her amazing prints.

Jill Taylor: “Looking for No. 2”

Sue Melville “Heather and Gorse”

Jo Robinson

Apart of the paintings, there is also work in sculpture and 3D art. For instance,  Cecilia Gatehouse uses wire to draw people and intimate scenes. It is absolutely beautiful, and so delicate, considering that wire can be so harsh material, but in Celia’s hands, this is a line that take a walk or rather a dance… as ever, people is most impressed by Celia’s work, and everybody wants to know more about it.  What is really impressive is to learn about the creative ways in which materials are used to make art. Helen Jones, for example, works with reclaimed textiles adding a layer of “folk tales” and therapy. In her new work with dolls, Helen invites people to “describe themselves” so she can work with those words for the doll making. This is a powerful type of magic, the connection between the inner self, that sometimes is obstructed by “rationality” and lack of imagination.  Helen also works with textiles for art-therapy purposes. Here the two pictured hares emerged from Helen’s own childhood, a recreation of one of her favorite characters with a global appeal (i.e. the beautiful African batik).  This approach to “upcycling” is also taken by the artist Anne-Marie Stijelja. Her work, which I had already admired when I saw it in the Art Nest in Hitchin- is so original and quirky. She uses reclaimed stamps to create new paintings: a holy heart, a vintage VW rollling on the flower power; a football player, etc. It is just so nice!!!!

Cecilia Gatehouse, drawing with wire

Helen Jones’ Little Friends

Stephanie Philips, Sea forms

Another revelation is the work of Stephanie Phillips (@hookandscumble) in her recreation of crochet. She is inspired by nature, textures, by the sea, fossils and fungi. She explained to me (while knitting) that the hyperbolic curvature crochet is found shapes of biological forms. We talked about the resurgence of crochet as a form of art as a sort of subversive type of activity contesting the “fast fashion” or the immediateness of contemporary life.  Steph finds that knitting is a sort of “mindful” activity: in which you are just focused on the here and now.  I was marveled at the possibilities of this medium, as Steph explained to me: the same stitches that you use for a granny square you can use them for something completely new!

Lynn Horsnell’s “David”

Louise Woolridge and her nude in techniclolour

Steph Philips @hookandscumble

On the more traditional spectrum of visual art, the portraits of Lynn Horsnell reveal the sculptoric qualities of her brushstroke.  A professional artist, Lynn brings a new luminosity to portraits while keeping a personal connection with the sitter. Alongside Lynn, the work of Louise Wooldridge shows a polychromatic dimension of the  human form. In this painting, presented in the exhibition, she works directly with a model, trying to go beyond the traditional “life drawing” into the territory of the abstract and emotional. Louise explains that in this painting she “bleeds the paint” making it more loose and using the paint to navigate the different skin colours and shadows. In this group also Joanna Stone (previously mentioned) also presented some of her enigmatic and symbolic portraits. Joanne also runs a “life drawing” class every wednesday, so it is worth a visit!

Jeniffer Steele “Hare and Moone”

Sue Wookey and her Mystical Owl

Looking4Love(1) – Beatriz Acevedo

In addition to traditional painting, the exhibition included examples of the trend for the magical and folk in images and stories. The work of Jennifer Steele is colourful, quirky and cheerful, highlighting the stories and tales of our childhood. In this line, the beautiful detailed illustrations of Sue Wookey merge poetry and image. This is a powerful combination that has so much to do with the “making” of words as with the creation of images. Sue told me that her use of words in her paintings does not aim at “explaining” or “complementing” the painting…. As a poet, she waits for the precise symphony of words that can add to the image, and this process can take months! Beautiful illustrations and poetry in one… I can easily see how her paintings can become cards so everybody is able to have a “Sue Wookey” in their homes!  I am sure that soon those hares and owls will travel from their retreat of Galley Hill into the cosmos!

In this exploration of magic and dreams, my own series of paintings “Zoom: Love is in the air” explore fairy tales and imagination. Many of my followers (thank you guys!) remarked on the “departure” of my previous work about botanical paintings and flowers into a more imaginarium realm. By using an unusual format: the circular canvas, the paintings presented in this exhibition were intended as “keyholes” into imagination, hope and colour. I saw a lot of kids having a good look on the paintings, which pleases me enormously, as they have the “eyes” to see dreams!

Finally, I would like to mention the work of new artist Claudia Iuliana Ciofu, a Romanian artist living in the UK. Her way of “understanding” British culture is nicely presented in six portraits of Notable Britons including Winston Churchill, Princess Diana, and pioneer female pilot Amy Johnson. I liked this portrait particularly: the combination of colours and textures challenging the masculinity of the aviator profession with delicate touches and highlights

Iuliana Coufu – Amy Johnson

Claudia Iuliana nicely summarised the spirit of the exhibition:

” I am very proud I was present in this show. I had many many things to learn and admire. The biggest joy was  to feel the friendship of the other Bedfordshire artists. They seemed to be so happy for me that I succeeded to sell some work at my first exhibition here, congratulating me and being sincerely content. That encouraged me and I am so grateful for all the Network help and guidance. It meant and it means a lot to me. Thank you!”