I’m delighted that ‘The Dunes’ has been selected for the Spring Open exhibition in Falmouth. Opening on 21 April 2026 at 10am until 25 April 2026. Open each day 10am - 4.30pm except Saturday 25/4 when it closes at 3pm
The Poly, Falmouth
Newlyn Art School Alumni
Ten members of the ‘Wild Earth’ group of Newlyn Art School alumni had their biannual reunion in St Ives last weekend. Three full days of fun - chatting, walking, sketching, painting and catching up with our ‘tribe’. We used the wonderful Porthmeor Studio as a base with its magnificent views of the Island and the beach.
Looking forward to the next meeting in Wiltshire, Spring 2025.
Porthmeor Studios
Wild Earth Exhibition, Tremenheere
Wild Earth Exhibition
June 2023
For the past year I have been attending a Professional Abstract Landscape Mentoring Programme at Newlyn Art School. The lead mentor was Jesse Leroy Smith, supported by an amazing group of visiting tutors including Anita Reynolds, Gareth Edwards, Anthony Garratt, Rachael Reeve, Jessica Cooper to name but a few.
Sixteen artists from all over the country were on the course, meeting for an intensive weekend of tutorials and crits every 2 months and culminating in this exhibition at Tremenheere.
An example of my work submitted for this exhibition is below and some will be available for sale in my online shop coming soon.
It has been a fantastic group to work with and we are planning to move forward, visiting galleries, meeting together and exhibiting as a group.
So it’s see you soon, not goodbye to this hugely talented group of artists and I hope our paths will often cross.
Mary Scott Bev Campbell Jane Hirst Jacqueline Mitton Hugh Dunford Wood Karina Nixon Sophy Wollaston Roz Howling Rebecca Spicer Kathy Nettles. Lyn O’Neill Louise Kidd Cetta di Lieto Sarah Ruthven Kirsten Ellswood
Timeout for Textiles
Textiles have always been a major part of my life and I was therefore very surprised to find myself gradually turning my back on needle-punching textiles during lockdown.
The first lockdown in March 2020 started for me with a great textile project, ‘Foraged Colour’, collaborating with Linda Row, Penny Wheeler, Eve Kumari and Frances Westerduin. As this project came to an end, I realised that this new life could get rather quiet and decided the best way to keep in touch with the wider world would be to get involved with the variety of interesting courses that were becoming available online: fitness, portrait painting, flower sculptures, embroidery, dyeing, drawing movement, bookbinding and oil painting.
Oil on board
It was oil painting that really engaged me. I enrolled on the oil painting course with Cat Knight.
Oil painting was initially quite daunting. I had never used oils before, but Cat was very encouraging and I soon found myself so totally engrossed that I had to paint with oils every day – it was the first thing I did when I woke up each day.
Oil on canvas
My style developed over 2020 and with a move to Cornwall in the pipeline I wanted to connect more with the Cornish landscape. In February 2021, I enrolled on a wonderful pre-recorded online course ‘Abstracting the Landscape’ with Anita Reynolds at Newlyn School of Art.
Concertina sketchbook
With Anita I developed concertina sketchbooks using a wide variety of mediums, I really enjoyed working with ink and oil sticks. Then my love of textiles kicked in again and I mixed-in some needle punching, giving a strong contrast of textures. I am excited about the possibilities ahead.
Porthledden 2 - Mix of painting and needle punching
Lockdown was undoubtedly a difficult time, I missed my family and friends so much. However it also gave me the time and opportunity to try new techniques and find a new direction for my work. I have now moved to Cornwall and (once all the boxes are unpacked) I am looking forward to getting out and about in the landscape developing my work further over the coming months.
Landscape sketch on canvas before needle punching
Landscape after needle punching
Visual Art Open 20
Venice 1 has been selected to go through to the 2nd round of judging for the VAO20 and Gill Hewitt has been selected as a highly skilled artist. The 2nd stage judging will be announced on 30 September.
Foraged Colour Coat
The coat for the Foraged Colour project is now completed and will be exhibited in a touring exhibition, starting at SIT Select from 2/9/20 - 7/9/20. Details can be found at foragedcolour.org. Foraged Colour is funded by Arts Council England.
Foraged Colour - memory textiles from natural dyes
When Linda Row asked if I would be interested in collaborating with her and three other artists on her ‘Foraged Colour’ project I was delighted to accept. I want my practice to be as sustainable as possible and this project certainly met with these objectives, using natural dyes and local materials (For further details please see www.foragedcolour.org). This project is funded by Arts Council England.
I met with Linda on several very cold mornings to help with and learn the dyeing process. There is something deeply satisfying about taking undyed British wool and transforming it using natural dyes made from locally foraged plants. The fleece that I have chosen comes from Blue Faced Leicester sheep.
What did I find out?
It is much harder to dye fleece than yarn and you need a very concentrated dye to achieve a decent colour.
You have to mordant the fleece to prepare it for dyeing - we used alum and cream of tartare.
The addition of iron, copper, rust or acid such as lemon to the dye bath will totally change the colour.
That with patience an amazing range of colour can be achieved from the most unexpected of sources - who would have thought that those annoying overhanging Eucalyptus leaves, that fill our gutters and drainpipes, would make a beautiful orange dye? (The Eucalyptus may not be a native tree but it still grows here so it counts as local). Suddenly I’m delighted to have them in my garden!
The unexpected also occurred in a negative way when I tried using Laver and Kelp seaweed with disappointing outcomes. After a very enjoyable morning collecting seaweed, I soaked it, simmered it for an hour (by which time the whole studio and I smelt decidedly of the seaside) and rinsed only to find that it had hardly changed colour at all. More research required - I will try again!
I have become much more aware of the seasons and the variety of dyestuff available at different times of the year in the form of fruits, berries, leaves, flowers, stalks, roots and bark. Even in my own small garden in the middle of Winter, I have found Dogwood, Bay leaves, Ivy berries and two types of Eucalyptus leaves and bark to make dye out of.
The challenge of different shades and colours has not been easy. It becomes all consuming and I have spent many an afternoon collecting, preparing and experimenting with dyeing the wool, only to find I achieve a disappointing similar tone of yellow! We call it ‘failing towards success’. It made achieving a distinctive new colour so much more exciting.
At this stage in the process I think I’m not too far off having identified a workable palette of natural dye to move forward with and have made a variety of samples.
The textiles produced using natural dyes become much more meaningful, with the provenance of each colour used holding a memory of days out foraging.
Foraged Colour: Exhibitions & Workshops
Foraged Colour, conceived by Linda Row, is a touring exhibition funded by the Arts Council, being launched in May 2020 at SIT Select Festival in Stroud.
Five artists, Linda Row, Eve Kumari, Penny Wheeler, Frances Westerduin and Gill Hewitt are collaborating in this exhibition of textiles and clothing, challenging current practice within the textile industry. Foraged Colour will exemplify closed-loop and zero air miles production through the use of British wool and hand dyeing with natural dye colours foraged locally.
Workshops will accompany the exhibitions, further details of which can be found on the exhibition website, www.foragedcolour.org.
60 Second Tour of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2019
Varnishing Day – RA Summer Exhibition 2019
This year is the 251st Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition. There were over 16,000 entries – a record number of applicants.
It was Varnishing Day on Friday, 31 May. This is the day, traditionally, that artists put the finishing touches to their work before the exhibition opened to the public.
Now it’s a joyous celebration starting with the gathering of exhibitors in the courtyard, accompanied by a fabulous and very enthusiastic steel band. The courtyard was filled with towering and imposing Thomas Houseago sculptures as a welcome party.
The procession to St James’s church with a special service followed, then back to the RA to see the artwork hung for the first time.
There was a buzz of excitement as artists scanned the walls to find their work.
Dots Selected for RA Summer Exhibition!
So excited to have dots selected, can’t wait to visit the exhibition.
Shortlisted for RA Summer Exhibition 2019
I’m absolutely delighted to have 2 pieces of work shortlisted for the RA Summer Exhibition – ‘Self Portrait’ and ‘Dots’.
They are now on their way to London for the next stage of the selection process, being presented to the panel of judges.
Black Swan Guild Exhibition
As a founding member of the newly formed Black Swan Guild, I will be exhibiting alongside the other founding members at the Round Tower from 4-25 May – further details are listed in the poster.
‘Fearless Colour’ - Salthouse Gallery, St Ives
Here is our latest poster with more information about the exhibition - click the image to enlarge it.
Fearless Colour
The next exhibition will be at the Salthouse Gallery, St Ives, Cornwall where I will be exhibiting alongside the very talented weaver, Angie Parker.
It will be a celebration of colour and textiles entitled ‘Fearless Colour’ contemporary textile art.
Hope to see you there!
‘Extremely Textiles’ Exhibition - Black Swan Arts, Frome
Seven members of seam (Kate Bond, Julie Heaton, Desiree Goodall, Angie Parker, Linda Row, Joy Merron and Gill Hewitt) are exhibiting at ‘Extremely Textiles’, Black Swan Arts in Frome, along with two other local artists, Julia Penrose and Sarah Truscott.
seam members at the opening night of ‘Extremely Textiles’
Friday night was the Private View of this exciting new textile exhibition, celebrating the diversity of skills and techniques used and exploring the boundaries of textiles and Fine Art. The photos below were taken just before the doors opened for the evening.
Black Swan Arts Gallery
Screen by Gill Hewitt, Chair and Wall Panel by Angie Parker
Linda Row, Desiree Goodall and Joy Merron
Kate Bond
The room soon filled and there was an excellent turnout. It was a friendly, happy, seasonal atmosphere on the night of the Frome Christmas lantern parade.
Private View 30 November 2018
Many thanks to the Curator, Sandra Porter and all staff at the Black Swan for a wonderful evening.
The exhibition continues until 22 December. Please come along to see the exhibition and tell us what you think!
'Types of Abstract'
I am delighted that ‘Kingfisher 2’ has been selected by Art Number 23 for their London Exhibition ‘Types of Abstract’.
The private view and party on Friday 20 July was well attended and great fun.
‘Kingfisher 2’ is a study capturing the moment when the swift movements of the Kingfisher emerge from the shadows of the tree canopy. An unexpected explosion of colour, movement and line – a memory of flashes of delightful, intense colour. An encaptured moment.
The exhibition continues until 14 August 2018.
The Bath Magazine, May 2018
I am so pleased to have my work featured in The Bath Magazine this month. Many thanks to Editor, Emma Clegg and Assistant Editor, Jessica Hope who visited my studio in Bath.
You can see the article here. Bath Magazine feature
Curves
Inspired by many visits to Barbara Hepworth’s Sculpture Garden in St Ives; Henry Moore, Picasso and Anthony Gormley
I am using the needlepunch to create a series of wall panels based on ‘Curves’, building layers of texture and colour and working from both sides of the textile.
Heading for Chelsea
A photo shoot of this latest framed Stripes panel took place in the beautiful late afternoon light at Sydney Gardens, Bath on Friday.
It is now on its way, with the other Stripes panel shown above, to be displayed at Interior Designers Rubelli’s Showroom at Chelsea Harbour.
Rubelli, The Chambers, Chelsea Harbour Dr, Fulham, London SW10 0XL