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Atelier East Summer Exhibition

(Best in Show: Simon Edwards - Dawn Flood)

Review: Atelier East Summer Exhibition 2008

It seemed a long drive through the flat Fen countryside from Peterborough to Wisbech as my new Satnav lead me past the elegant Georgian buildings that flank the river and down a tiny backstreet to Angles Theatre.

The journey was worth every minute; I wandered into the bar area packed with joyously animated people of description discussing, debating and voting for “best in show”.  No sniff of stuffy pretentiousness here.  It was only after I had asked where the exhibition was that I noticed rather embarrassingly that I was already in it; paintings, prints and photos were also packed on every wall and they too reflected a wide diversity of taste, experience and age. Much of the work is of a much higher standard than many mediocre offerings on view in your average amateur painting exhibition – not surprisingly since a number of the artists are trained and practising professionals. Alongside, and refreshingly in no particular pecking order, the exhibition features work by very young and much less experienced artists each to be judged on its merits.

Near the delicious buffet supper, which thoughtfully catered for everyone vegans, lactose and wheat intolerant alike, one of the youth artists’ works caught my eye. 14-year Tessa Perres’ acrylic of Pine Tree at Holkham on the Norfolk coast gives us a fresh perspective as we look up high into the near monochromic grey and brown meagre branches. To paint you must of course learn to see first.

 

The acrylic next to it could not fail to grab; Yvette Cobley’s Hoodie had only darkness under his hood; no eyes, no conscience, no soul. As so often, artists pick up the Zeitgeist – the spirit of the time – and this too was seen in Mike Stallard’s Streets of London; the crude jollity of passer-bys overshadowed by the grey shadow of multi-ethnic tension.

Juliet Holton’s Untitled Mixed Media with its tactile abstract swirls reminded me of the centrifugal fairground paintings we once made in happier times, and just round the corner in wonderfully positive and accessible imagery, Marriage was shown by Katherine Skelden as a man and a woman each holding a giant jigsaw piece ready to interlock! Nearly every piece is for sale making the buying of art itself accessible. I could not resist two semi-abstract floral photographic prints by Italian artist, Paola de Giovanni at £18 and £25 each and her Wearable Art badges are just a snippet.

The exhibition is not only an international but a family affair, Tessa’s grandmother, Penny Carkeek exhibits a painted and stitched canvas piece depicting a delightful cottage in the village of Elm. Textiles are further represented by professional artist Jenny Fulong with a piece of a wall covered in voluptuous fabric red ivy and embroidered roses with a gate that opens irresistibly to reveal a secret garden…

The sense of place and of the local is strong nevertheless; I loved Louise Stebbing’s linocut of the North Brink; she brings light and movement to the stereotypical big Fen skies and their refection in her stark, vibrant lines. Bob Ledger’s traditional tense detail depicted in his Wisbech Port/Tallship in oils is relieved by the fluidity of the dark, grey clouds in the background and Simon Edwards evokes strong memories of the loneliness of last year in his Dawn Floods photographed at Welney.

More unusual media was in evidence too. Syrah Jane Arnold works using bleach over inks to spontaneously create surreal and spooky faces in front of Wrexham Old Hospital reminding us that much of her community work is with MIND, where creativity not prescriptivism flourishes.

I cannot go without mentioning Karen Harvey’s pink, frolicsome Magical Teacup; now wouldn’t this bring rosy happiness into your kitchen? And this is what Karen, who is the inspiration behind the show and Atelier East has brought to the region.

Finally, my best of show? It just has to be Veronica Haldane’s Flower Explosion – like an exquisite walk through a semi-abstract, semi-wild garden bursting with texture and line and complex muted colour. Indeed I was so enthralled that unusually I was about to put my money where my mouth was… and was beaten to it by seconds. Will the rest of the viewers agree?  We will have to see!

Yasmin Bradley. 6 July 2008.

 

4th July to 1st August 2008 at the Angles Theatre, Wisbech.
Opening reception: 6-8pm on  Sunday 6th July.

Posted on Tuesday, November 11th, 2008. RSS 2.0

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