Pics of our Private View!

It was a brilliant evening with lots of great feedback from all the lovely people who turned out for us :) A big thankyou to everyone who came to our private view and to Alice and Emma who did a marvellous job on the wine table.

Here are some pics: 

                             Sylvia and me...you can see we're two happy artists!

All framed up and ready to go!

I've been busy putting work in frames and painting and waxing frames. You can see in this photo some of the smaller pieces going off to the show. The work in painted frames is already wrapped and ready to go. All I have to do now is print out the labels and...yay...all done! 

I'm now looking forward to seeing all my hard work in situ in the gallery space and looking forward even more to the private view on Tuesday. It's going to be a good do and I hope everyone who can will come along and partake in a glass or two of wine with us :) I'm also just about to send off my pieces to the States for the show in October...It would be nice to accompany it but hey perhaps another time :) 

'The Birth of Ophelia'

'The Birth of Ophelia'

60cm x 1200cm (24" x 48")

gesso, charcoal and pastel on board 

This last piece, which I am pleased to tell you is now complete... :) has been influenced by Sir John Everett Millais' 'Ophelia'. The painting by Millais depicts a scene from Shakespeare's Hamlet in which Ophelia's father is murdered by her lover Hamlet and as a result Ophelia drowns herself in a stream. My Ophelia on the other hand, is in the process of rebirth! She represents the feminine and creative aspects of water in the way that for aeons water has been equated with the feminine aspects of creation and nature. There is a common and recurring image in many cultures, that of the Goddess emerging from the water. So here, my Ophelia is emerging from the water only to be reborn as a Goddess..don't you just prefer happy endings!...:)

'Joan'

'Joan'

120cm x 60cm

charcoal, pastel and paint on board

Meet Jeanne d'Arc or as we know her Joan of Arc! She is also known as the Maid of Orleans and represents here the archetype of 'heroine' or 'woman devoted to a noble cause'. History states that Joan denied her femininity in order to fit in with the 'boys' on the battle field There are other 'heroines' in history whose story is similar, (Camilla for one, who fought in Italy against the Trojan hero Aeneus ) which might lead you to the conclusion that heroism is a male prerogative. Now we can't have that can we!  In my version she is portrayed as a strong, determined but nonetheless very feminine woman. She wears part of her coat of arms (a lily) on a pendant around her neck symbolising her devotion to duty and her willing sacrifice to the belief that she was to be emancipator of France. 

This piece will be part of the show in September. I have just one more piece still to make to complete the body of work for the show...nearly there!

'Helen of Troy' Archetype of beauty or scapegoat?

40cm x 50cm 

charcoal, pastel and paint on board

Here is my version of a modern day Helen of Troy. Helen is a character that I find fascinating and who I tend to think has had a raw deal! Over the centuries she alone has had to shoulder the blame for the Trojan war having been arguably accused of being the sole reason for the battle. We know Helen was not squeaky clean but the accusation is just a little unfair as the Greeks and Trojans jumped at the chance to go in there and do battle with each other! They had their own political agendas, but they've been allowed to escape scot-free and haven't had to accept any responsibility!! So here is my homage to Helen as archetype of beauty yes, but also as long-suffering scapegoat who now deserves to be liberated :)

'Take 5' Private View - Sam Scorer Gallery, Lincoln

Here are a couple of pics from the 'Take 5' Private View last Friday. I took these at the beginning of the 'do' just as the evening was getting going. It went very well indeed and proved to be a great night all round :) We had a brilliant turnout and I'd like to thank all those who managed to get there. If you haven't made it to the exhibition yet, then there's still a chance to see the show as it continues all week finishing 4.00pm on Sunday 3rd August.

 Bird's eye view 1

Bird's eye view 2

Lots of engaging and diverse work to view

...and a great spread too!

'Take 5' Starts tomorrow!

I've been at the Gallery today hanging my pieces for 'Take 5', the second exhibition of artists Carol Butler, Jenny Hammerton, Janis Mitchell, Jo Slone and myself. Below is a taster of what's in the exhibition. Our work is very diverse as you can see from the images below, but hangs together beautifully. When I left the gallery, the hang was almost complete and I have to say it was looking amazing!  The show starts tomorrow and runs through until Sunday August 3rd at Sam Scorer Gallery, Drury Lane, Lincoln, LN1 3BN
Don't forget, if you're in the area and free this Friday 25th July 6.00pm - 9.00pm do come along to the gallery for a glass of wine at the private view. Hope to see you there. 

Ann Stoker

Carol Butler

Janis Mitchell

Jenny Hammerton

Jo Slone