It was the private view of the second Spring exhibition of Artworks yesterday evening. It was very well attended with well over 150 guests arriving over the two or so hours - all helped no doubt by a lovely, balmy spring evening.
Farmscape II, 2010, mixed media on canvasThere was a policy not to take photographs of the artworks, but I sneaked this little photograph with my mobile phone just as we left. You can read more about this abstract painting here. I also have three smaller paintings on show, together with some mounted artworks in one of the browsers and some little cards in the gallery shop.It was good to meet and talk with lots of people. I bumped into someone that I see at most private views and she remarked as such (I don't think she realised I was actually an exhibitor, even though I wore a badge) - so I replied that it was my professional occupation to attend such events, but she was free to enjoy the art and the generous hospitality at her leisure. I even met somebody who had bought some of my work many years ago from a little solo exhibition that I had at Gallery44 in Aldeburgh.I think that my main work, Farmscape II, looked a little sombre compared to the other more colourful works on show, but I was a reassured by another artist who said that it looked quite minimal and stylish - and that the point of the exhibition is to showcase the variety of work by Artworks members. Given that some of the inspiration for this abstract painting is the mud, grit and grime of the farm, then perhaps when seen out of that context it succeeds in my attempt to isolate surfaces from their mundane locations - where there's muck...
The rural setting of the barns is quite beautiful in its welcoming and calm atmosphere, full of history but not at all quaint. As we were all leaving I took this photograph of the courtyard... I have actually exhibited here before, back in late 2004, in an environmental art exhibition entitled Land and Light...The Artworks' Spring exhibition is currently on at the Wingfield Barns Arts Centre from 10th to 25th April 2010, open daily 10am – 5pm.