Bringing Back The Light
23 April – 14 May 2022
Courtney Gallery, 50 St John Street, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, DE6 1GH.
Tel: +44 1335 347425
Web: http://courtneygallery.co.uk/
Email: info@courtneygallery.co.uk
The paintings in this exhibition document the transition of my work from the strange and otherworldly existence of lockdown to a more recent time. They represent a period of questioning and reflection which manifests upon the canvas. Never before have I held moments of peace and simplicity more dear and never before have I sensed their fragility more acutely. The beauty of the natural world and the seemingly insignificant scenes of my surroundings sustained me and succeeded in bringing back the light.
Foreword
I have followed the development of Anna’s career since she was amongst a small group of highly gifted students at Roehampton, for which I was privileged to be tutor. At that time Anna was concentrating on creating intriguingly original and beautiful ceramics for which she was on graduation awarded a first class BA honours degree. I believe that her experience in ceramics and later stained glass led by stages to her masterly handling of colour evidenced by the impressive paintings in this exhibition. These works are not mimicry of nature by any means, but the result is a personal and intuitive awareness of the objective and imaginative potential of her landscape subjects. It is clear from these paintings and her writing that Anna feels nature viscerally; as a personal and inventive recreation of intense visual experience to which at times she brings a poetic fantasy of both literary and painterly power. All essential art might be described as a spiritual allegiance with reality which transforms it beyond objectivity towards the truth of inspired, imaginative expression. In Anna’s work a profound painterly inspiration from landscapes is leading her ever closer to a personal revelation of the mystery of nature herself.
Keith Grant
Gvarv, Norway
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Mixed on canvas, 86 x 86 cm, SOLD.
This painting is loosely based on my home town of Keswick. At first glance the scene is unremarkable, but all is not as it should be. The streets are empty and bereft of human life, but demons and grotesque creatures inhabit the foreground of the painting. Plague doctors roam and ominous beasts slither and perch within the fells. With a suggestion of the medieval, we are reminded that we have faced an invisible predator before.
Behind Glass
Mixed on canvas, 54 x 54 cm, £575.
This painting considers the fragility of our mental wellbeing and how a prolonged disruption to our normal everyday lives can lead us to an uncomfortable and unhealthy state of mind.
To See A World In A Grain Of Sand
Acrylic on canvas, 56 x 56 cm, SOLD.
These two paintings were intended for an exhibition dedicated to the work of William Blake, which unfortunately never came to fruition as a result of the pandemic.
As I became absorbed into Blake‘s world, ever more doors opened before me into vast cathedrals of possibility and questioning. How could I paint when bound and frustrated by my own limitations?
The Circle Of The Betrayed
Acrylic on canvas, 56 x 56 cm, £575.
What most resonated with me was the notion of imagination, for it is this that speaks to us all and which keeps Blake alive and more relevant to us than ever before. As we teeter on the edge of our 21st Century abyss, it will be imagination in its fullest sense that saves our souls and builds new models of enlightenment. We will need a new vision if we are to survive.
Keeper Of The Gate
Acrylic on canvas, 81 x 81 cm, SOLD.
A figure appears in the sky, keeping guard at a gate that suggests a division between our existence and that of the supernatural. An omen that we should take heed, and that we are dangerously close to overstepping the boundaries and disrupting the laws of nature to our peril.
Standing in Line
Mixed on canvas, 66 x 66 cm, £775.
We did as we were told, standing in line. At times it felt as if anything, however fantastical, could happen, and we would take it in our stride with unquestioning adaption.
Irrepressible Spring
Mixed on canvas, 107 x 107 cm, SOLD.
‘Irrepressible Spring’ is a painting about hope and resilience and an irresistible life force. Out of the dark winter months, new life surges. The lovers are a metaphor for our own emergence from bleak times. From their embrace, flowers cascade and pave a way to happier days.
Good Moon Rising
Mixed on canvas, 81 x 107 cm, SOLD.
When restrictions eased, I was able to return to one of my favourite haunts and walked through a woodland near Glassonby. It is a magical place brimming with the diversity of life, and it inspired this painting about the joy of freedom and the reconnection with nature.
Aside: As I painted in my studio, I played ‘The Red Shoes’ by Kate Bush. Although its sentiment is very different, it stirred the same feelings in me... an intoxicating energy to run and dance and relish my freedom.
In Search Of The Belted Galloways
Mixed on canvas, 55 x 55 cm, SOLD.
The road from Uldale to Caldbeck is long and narrow, like a grey line cut through the wildness of the land. Somewhere out there, the Belted Galloways were set to roam and graze, and I had made it my objective to find these beautiful beasts. The winter sun was low and made shimmering ripples of gold through the long grass, and to my delight I caught sight of a herd and made my way towards them. The ground was uneven and saturated in places, like marshland beneath my boots. I was glad to find that a fence lay between us, as they were formidable in heft and stature. I sketched their big woolly heads and barrelled bellies in the lowering light.
Sweep of Spring
Mixed on canvas, 127 x 127 cm, £2,750.
This painting was born from a shift in state of mind. The cold winter days are left behind, with a sweep of colour and new green shoots. Striding out from an inward- and downward-looking monotony and into the path of Spring. Nature stands tall and strong and unperturbed.
Ripples On The Pond
Acrylic on canvas, 66 x 66 cm, SOLD.
My studio looks out towards a pond, and this has featured in a number of my paintings. In the warmer months, it is a beautiful place to loll and enjoy the insects and birds that also visit. The goldfish are inseparable and seem to play beneath the water lilies. Tadpoles kiss at your fingers and toes, and bask in the inlets of your hands.
Winter Solstice
Mixed on canvas, 55 x 55 cm, SOLD.
We look to the skies with hope and reassurance, as from this day the light returns and with it a resolution for better ways.
Awakening Spring
Mixed on canvas, 109 x 109 cm, SOLD.
To sit within the landscape, and to feel part of the life force of this remarkable planet is ultimately the greatest source of inspiration and the greatest source of comfort.
Through Late Summer Field
Mixed on canvas, 58 x 58 cm, £600.
I sat at the edge of this old field and blissfully sketched the wild marigold and barley. It is one of the most enriching things to do, to sit or lie down in such a field and to be receptive to all that surrounds you.
Notes scribbled on site:
...the smallest of life that erratically flits over cracking earth between the redwoods of barley and dusty grass...
...the rattle and swish, the hum, the buzz, the swoop and distant bleat and bark...
...the scrape and scratch of favourite pencils, the bobbing and bowing of marigold heads .. a little more weary and brittle now...
...tucked away in this field and nobody knows where I am.
Solitude
Mixed on canvas, 106 x 106 cm, £2,250.
A time to walk and think, and to be grateful.
The Higher The Climb, The Lighter The Spirit
Mixed on paper, glazed, 102 x 82 cm, SOLD.
Inspired by my walks to the summit of Latrigg where, without fail, my spirits lift.
Where Fields Meet
Mixed on canvas, 55 x 55 cm, SOLD.
The rise and fall of birds on the thermals, where fields meet below.
Autumn Garden
Mixed on canvas, 55 x 55 cm, SOLD.
Mist and bonfire smoke drift over the seeded vegetable plots. Trees give their final glorious display of colour with their turning leaves and the tidying of the Autumn garden begins.
September Orchard
Mixed on canvas, 84 x 84 cm, £1,450.
What a joy to walk among fruit trees, and pick ripe apple and damson from tree to mouth.
Bathed In Moonlight
Mixed on canvas, 55 x 55 cm, SOLD.
When all is still and quiet, behind kitchen doors and tightly drawn curtains, another world wakes beneath an ethereal light.
Geese At The Beginning Of The Walk
Acrylic on panel, 55 x 55 cm, £575.
At the beginning of the walk, I passed an old farm. It had a sprawling, slightly dishevelled, but well-loved charm. Fat hens and farm cats perched on wood piles and discarded pallets, and two geese stood at the stile as I passed. What a good start to my walk.
The Horse Path
Acrylic on canvas, 55 x 55 cm, SOLD.
Horses roam in the fields opposite the row of houses. The horse path passes through these fields to the fells.
Lost In Garden Thoughts
Acrylic on canvas, 46 x 46 cm, SOLD.
Glimpse of cat and hopping bird momentarily distract from garden thoughts.
Summer‘s Song
Mixed on canvas, 81 x 81 cm, SOLD.
We walked in the warmth of the sun amidst the rustling shimmer of tender leaves and sweet birdsong; so very thankful for this day.
Beneath The Stars
Acrylic on canvas, 46 x 46 cm, £475.
Beneath the stars, creatures rest. Their rounded forms caught in the cool blue light of night.
Cold Wax Studies
This body of work was inspired by details within my larger pieces.
Quite often there are paintings within my paintings, representing the rich and varied coexistence of life; each with its own narrative and agenda.
The qualities of cold wax lend themselves well to representing the details and in turn this leans towards abstraction.
Seed
Cold wax and oil on wood panel, 59 x 59 cm, £650.
Nest
Cold wax and oil on wood panel, 59 x 59 cm, £650.
Flowerbed
Cold wax and oil on wood panel, 59 x 59 cm, £650.
Path
Cold wax and oil on wood panel, 59 x 59 cm, £650.
Pots And Petals
Cold wax and oil on wood panel, 59 x 59 cm, £650.
Bridge
Cold wax and oil on wood panel, 59 x 59 cm, £650.
Autumn
Cold wax and oil on wood panel, 59 x 59 cm, SOLD.
Crows
Cold wax and oil on wood panel, 59 x 59 cm, SOLD.
Sheep
Cold wax and oil on wood panel, 59 x 59 cm, £650.
Gaze
Cold wax and oil on wood panel, 59 x 59 cm, SOLD.