WNAA Summer Exhibition

It has been very remiss of me not to do a post about the recent West Norfolk Artists Association Summer Exhibition.  This event is the main showcase for the membership and once again took place in St. Nicholas Chapel, King's Lynn.  Artworks entered undergo selection and this year there was some exciting work on show.  Unfortunately, having helped set up the exhibition, I was unable to attend the Preview evening which I hear was a resounding success and even had one member and his jazz band playing!  I did two invigilating stints and always enjoy engaging with visitors.  An added bonus in the second week were lunchtime concerts featuring young musicians and singers, an inspiring sound in such a stunning venue.

I had entered 3 works, and was delighted that they were all selected.  Some people were quite surprised by my acrylic canvas featuring beach huts and the watercolour of honeysuckle.  It made me realise that there is definitely a shift happening in the work.  It does all seem to be in a state of flux.  My more traditional animal portraits are on the backburner and all sorts of experiments and creative avenues are being explored!  It's a bit like throwing balls in the air and seeing where they land.  I may be investigating blind avenues or find that my creative voice evolves into something else.  I do know that I have long felt a desire to find a way to bring together more abstract passages with the representational aspect resolved in selected areas only... only time will tell and I shall follow my instincts for now and see where it leads.  I'm having fun anyway!  Here are the paintings I had in the exhibition and whilst a sale would have been welcome just taking part, and getting work before an audience, is valuable experience.

Curious, mixed media, 36 x 30cms

The mixed media involved in this one was a watercolour underpainting created with a roller, dip pen and ink drawing, then soft pastel scumbled over the surface.  The inspiration was from a photo I took in Wales on a bright sunny day.

Heaven Scent, watercolour, 36 x 30cms

This was painted from life - a sprig of honeysuckle from my garden - and created without any preliminary pencil drawing.  I just had fun with colour fusions and shapes and encouraging soft edges by touching clean water into select areas to encourage a 'bleed'. 




Evening Light, Hunstanton Beach Huts, acrylic on canvas, 41 x 41cms

This was a very free interpretation of a photo I took at the sketching evening back in June.  As we were leaving the beach a lovely low evening light bathed the beach huts and some long blond grasses lifting the ordinary into another realm.  There is a plenty of visual texture as I tried to let the history of its making show through the layers.