some photographs taken at the recent artworks 11th annual exhibition at blackthorpe barn...first up is little ol' moi, jazz green, as my paintings are directly opposite the main entrance in the long barn - someone said it was really good to have some strong pieces at the start - strong, that is, if they have a penchant for the strangely mouldy and lichenesque...
lichenscape i & ii, and mouldscapes i - ix, mixed media on canvas and wood panel...entering the main medieval barn, one is immediately confronted by lynn hutton's explosive piece of sculpture, 'in the natural order'. it stands about three metres high and is made of mirrored steel with text etched onto it. hutton's work explores identity and memory, often referencing aspects of the landscape...
turning to the left, one meets liz waugh-mcmanus's gleaming red glass sculpture 'pierced', placed on a white plinth - seeming to reference either the biological body or a botanical structure...
nearby are eileen revett's minimalistic & monochromatic intaglio prints - the nature of time is explored through subtle gradations of tone, blind embossing and repetition of line...
one can't fail to miss jenny goater's wire sculptures in the centre of the barn - here, a large and small elephant, perhaps a mother and child - these are life size and very heavy. i love the concept that when they are situated outside, within the dense and intricate mass of wire a little bit of nature takes hold after a while...
mac mccaughan is a sculptor turned furniture maker - this high-backed english oak chair is both a contemporary design statement and a rather stately, functional item - it suited the rustic environment of the barn perfectly...
at the far end of the barn is one of eleonora knowland's sculptural, curved canvases. this small, captivating work on canvas, '11.59 summer', aims to capture the mystical magic of twilight as seen through trees...
as these few selected works from the artworks exhibition demonstrate, the landscape, the environment and nature in all its forms continue to be a strong source of artistic inspiration....the 11th annual artworks exhibition is at blackthorpe barns, open daily 10 am - 5pm, 11 September to 3 October 2010artworks is a professional group of thirty east anglian artists, who join together each autumn in a major group exhibition at blackthorpe....