By Laura Southren Dale
Between 18th March and 6th May, the Blue Tree Gallery in Bootham are holding an exhibition aptly named Land Meets Sea. Bringing together the talent of four painters, the exhibition aims to connect the artists with the coastline and local towns, with the outcome viewed in each artists own unique visual style.
Rosemary Abrahams is based in East Yorkshire. Her seascape paintings show passion through the turbulent sea in high winds and a stormy atmosphere, with a second expression of freshness and the ideal of nature being untouched. Her pictures are highly textured with beautiful fresh clean colours.
Richard Barrett is now based in South Yorkshire, but having grown up by the sea, has an experience of the coastline. He states “My work is driven by the elements, the changing dynamics of weather and light, and how this breathes life into the landscape.” This certainly comes through in his work, and his pictures are abstract, but with the beautiful possibility of interpretation.
Colin Carruthers, a Midlands based painter, adds further talent to the group. Colin paints with oils and acrylics, his main tool of choice being a palette knife – creating textured surfaces by applying paint to the canvas as thickly as possible. The oil paint dries slowly, allowing him to build layers in which the marks of the palette knife are often still visible – creating interesting and dramatic effects.
Giuliana Lazzerini (who is a York based painter) works mainly in acrylics and watercolours. Giuliana notes; “I want to celebrate the beauty of the world that surrounds us here in Yorkshire in a semi-abstract way. My love for colour combines with a carefully constructed composition, in which I hopefully achieve a pleasing balance. Appreciating what we have, the landscape, nature, coastline and the sea, and all that invites beautiful memories into the imagination. For me, the need to allow memory and imagination to interact is vital.”
Along with the painters, the gallery has the added talent of York based ceramic artist Brenda Wright, where the inspiration for forms and themes is ocean life. Brenda states; “I love the soft qualities of clay thrown on the wheel; work is thrown in white stoneware clay which has strength and durability.” Her work includes a range of bowls, platters, and jugs, which are both decorative and functional ceramics, inspired by the beauty of the sea and the life which lives within.