Sleaford Discovered – the magic we miss as we walk by – Paintings by Garry Ravenhall

Garry Ravenhall

Garry has been painting professionally for over 40 years. His work is treasured in homes across the world from the UK to Australia and New Zealand. His subjects range from landscapes and portraits to still-life and figure compositions.

Garry graduated from the University of Reading with a BA honours degree in Fine Art in 1985. He then moved to East Anglia where he lived until a short time ago; he has recently moved to Sleaford in Lincolnshire. He has recently retired from teaching Art and Art History to concentrate on his painting. He has also spent time in the past examining and moderating Art and Art History for two examination boards. He spent three years as Principal Moderator for A level Art and Design for Edexcel.

Most of Garry’s work is painted on canvas or canvas board in oils or acrylics, although some of his smaller work, for example his landscape work from the Yorkshire Dales or the Lake District, is carried out in watercolour on watercolour paper. Occasionally pen and wash is used. His work is largely figurative although he does lean towards semi-abstraction at times. His passion is for the depiction of light and shade in an image and the sensitive and expressive use of paint.

Much of his work is painted to commission. The size of the work varies from notebook size for his watercolour studies up to the largest commission he painted for Ipswich Town Hall which was over 15 feet across.

Garry is available for commissions and is happy to discuss your requirements. He specialises in landscape and portrait work, including animal studies, but he will consider any reasonable subject. You’ll find more information on Garry’s website – click here (opens in new window/tab).

Sleaford Discovered

This exhibition focuses on the magical imagery around us in Sleaford. Garry has explored the everyday sights that we might normally overlook in our busy day to day lives. ‘Sainsbury’s at Night’ evokes the work of Edward Hopper in its moody depiction of the Sleaford store of a dark winter’s evening with light streaming through the welcoming windows of the sanctuary. ‘Southgate Sleaford’ captures the busy bustling shopping heart of our lovely town in all its frenetic vibrance. ‘Sleaford Railway Station Viewed from the Level Crossing’ has an air of the overlooked, the faded and slightly mundane but conversely sparkles with life and energy. ‘A View of the River Slea near Cogglesford Watermill – May 2019’ shimmers with the promise of the late Spring, capturing the dancing of light on the surface of the water.

An exhibition not to be missed!

Exhibition open 10 am – 4 pm every day (except Sunday) from 12 August to 27 August.

Images supplied by the Artist.  From the top: Sainsbuy’s at Night, Garry Ravenhall, Courtyard outside Millers Restaurant, Sleaford Southgate. Click on any image to see a larger version (opens in new window/tab).

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Pic & Mix

An exhibition by Robin Hall and Laura-Jane Luff

Robin Hall

“I was born in Sleaford and my favourite subjects to paint are Lincolnshire landscapes, especially skies, trees, fields, and distant church spires. I paint not only because I enjoy the act of painting, but because I am passionate about the countryside.

Art for me is also a way of coping with the stress of modern life. I prefer to work at home rather than ‘en-plein air’. I don’t have a studio, instead I am very much a ‘kitchen table artist’, which suits my circumstances. I take a lot of photographs while I am out and about in the countryside and these form the inspiration for my paintings, though I do like to use my imagination and artistic licence rather than slavishly copy a photograph. I find that working wet on wet with watercolour helps to create a loose feel to my work. I tend to go-with-the-flow of the paint as opposed to trying to paint every bit of detail. This is for me the magic of watercolour.

I also like to use mixed media to create expressive paintings. For these I may mix acrylic inks, brusho, and watercolour. Once again the landscape is the inspiration for my work.

As well as watercolour and mixed media I use coloured pencils. Most of my animal and pet portraits are created with pencils as I find I can get a better likeness with them, especially of a pet, as opposed to using watercolour.

I attend the Riverside Art Group on Wednesday afternoons. Several of the smaller pieces in this exhibition were created at art group. I do not mind admitting that in the past I was very anxious about creating art ‘in public’ but the group has helped me to overcome some of these anxieties.

I have taken part in a number of exhibitions at Carre Gallery including Nature and Structure with Photographer Martin Cameron, and Scene and Unseen with Anne Barnham. In 2013 I won the Carre Gallery award at the summer show that year. (Editors note: these can be seen on the previous exhibitions page of the blog.)

As well as art my other interests are playing guitar, walking in the countryside, doing crosswords, listening to music, and watching sport.”

http://www.robinswatercolours.co.uk/ and http://www.facebook.com/theartofrobinahall

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Laura-Jane Luff

“From a very young age I found that I had an ability and keen interest for drawing and painting. I graduated with a BA Hons Fine Art degree at Lincoln University in 2012 and since then have set up my own fine art practice. I’m currently co-running an art group once a week in a relaxed environment for anyone at any level of artistic ability and I give demonstrations within the group on how to draw and paint different subjects , encouraging them on their artistic journey.

The world around me is my inspiration and I love to draw and paint a variety of subjects including people, animals, landscapes and still life. These are created through a range of media that includes coloured pencils, acrylic, water-soluble oils, and pastels.  As an artist I feel that it’s important to sometimes ‘get out of your comfort zone’ and explore and interpret various subjects and media.

I am a regular volunteer and exhibitor at Carre Gallery and have previously participated in exhibitions in Bottesford, Sleaford, Lincoln, Broadstairs, and Cirencester.

I welcome commissions for portraits and pet portraits, so if you are looking for a special gift for someone or for yourself then feel free to contact me.”

You can follow Laura online at the following links:  www.facebook.com/theartoflaurajaneluff  and www.laura-janeluff.blogspot.co.uk

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The exhibition is open 10 am – 4 pm every day (except Sunday) until Saturday 13 October.

Gallery photos by Martin Cameron.  Images of artwork supplied by the artists.  Click on any image to see a larger version (opens in new window/tab).

Glynne James – As Time Goes By

 

Glynne James is a Lincolnshire artist who moved to Boston six years ago from Sleaford where he and his family lived for 35 years. He was born and raised in Hertfordshire where he started painting and exhibiting his work, but moved to Lincolnshire in 1974 and fell in love with the fens. He stared to develop his own unique style depicting the ever-changing and fascinating fenland landscape.

The temporal approach is the essence of Glynne’s work and results in highly stylised canvases. Each painting approaches the landscape in terms of its changes, not as individual paintings but upon the same canvas, strips of fenland character displayed as a coherent whole. On occasions the adjacent strips are subtly differentiated as if moving from one minute’s observation to the next; on others the changes are sudden and startling – a field of wheat becomes a sea of plastic; a distant shape becomes a blazingly lit power station. Landscape which may appear featureless to the casual observer is presented with its components highlighted. It is evident that the twenty-first century is upon us, be it in the growing of new crops, the threat of climate change or the understated march of machinery. These paintings wake us from our dreamy preconception of what landscape painting is, and challenge the viewer to see the Fenland Landscape and not just look at it.

Glynne is a regular exhibitor at Carre Gallery.  His work can also be seen at Store Street Gallery Bloomsbury London, Stark Gallery Canterbury, Buckenham Galleries Southwold Suffolk, Gallery in the Lanes Norwich, Riverside Art and Glass Wroxham Norfolk, Harding House Gallery Lincoln, Fulbeck Craft Centre and Arts Coritani Swineshead.

The exhibition is open 10 am – 4 pm every day (closed Sunday) until Saturday 02 September.

Images:  (From the top) Somersby Room at the gallery: Polythene Lakes in a Sea of Yellow: Memories: A Splendid Year.  Artwork photographed at the gallery by Martin Cameron. Click on any image to see a larger version (opens in new window/tab).

Landscapes, Scene and Unseen

An exhibition by Anne Barnham and Robin Hall

Anne Barnham

Anne originally comes from Cumberland but now loves living in Lincolnshire. She paints open landscape scenes, rivers, old buildings, boats and much in between.

“The skies and views here are an absolute delight, especially to a countryside-loving artist like myself.

I started painting later in life with help from many artists, including Peter Hayward from Timberland. I have attended courses with artists whose style I feel compliments my own, a desire to encapsulate the essence of a view.

I have painted in many different places, both in England and abroad, as much as possible on the spot, but if not then from my own sketches, photos and observation. I undertake commissions, either from photographs or the actual place. My paintings are hanging in collections in many parts of Australia, New Zealand, Europe and USA. (Mr. Trump hasn’t got one yet!)

I think it is very necessary to capture the atmosphere and feeling of a place. My paintings reflect this with the idea that you could ‘walk into’ the scene, they are varied and interesting with wonderfully strong and harmonious colours.

I enjoy selecting my paintings for an exhibition, there are a number of local views as well as some with a little difference! More paintings can be seen at my Studio in Digby, you are very welcome to come and visit.”

Anne has been given several awards, including The Carre Gallery Award in the 2015 Summer Exhibition, and she was selected to be a wild card in the Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2016. Unfortunately she was unable to take up the prestigious offer because of prior commitments. She is entering again this year.

Anne is also Chair of the Sleaford Art Group, a member of The Shelford Group of Artists, an Ambassador for SAA paints and a Professional Associate of the Society of All Artists. She does workshops and demonstrations for local Art Groups, give talks to WI and Ladies groups and teaches art on the Cruise Liners.

Robin Hall

Robin is a Sleaford-based artist who paints mostly landscapes inspired by the Lincolnshire countryside. Born in Sleaford, he attended York College of Arts and Technology where he attained a BTEC National Diploma in General Art and Design. He then went to Coventry University where he graduated with a degree in Graphic Design. Robin has also studied calligraphy with the Open College for the Arts, watercolour with Christine Burnett at her studio in Grantham, and drawing with well-known SAA art tutor and author Trudy Friend.

“My half of the exhibition with Anne features work created over roughly a seven month period. I can definitely say that my contribution to the exhibition is the unseen bit! Despite my work having mostly an imaginary style, my paintings are inspired very much by the Landscape, especially the Lincolnshire landscape.  Skies, trees, hedgerows, cow parsley, sheep, and colourful yellow fields have all inspired the various paintings I am exhibiting. I have used a variety of media to create the images for this exhibition including watercolour, coloured pencil, mixed media, acrylic inks, and watercolour pencils.”

In 2013 Robin won the Carre Gallery Award for his painting Sunset at Silk Willoughby and his paintings were used in 2016 as part of a presentation for the Lincolnshire Environmental Award about Mareham Pastures.  Robin, a member of the SAA, also teaches painting on Wednesday afternoons at The Source in Sleaford.

The exhibition is open from 10 am – 4 pm every day until Saturday 03 June. (Closed on Sunday.)

NB: OPEN on Bank Holiday Monday 29 May.

Images (from the top).  Ancient Sentinel (Robin) and Grange in Borrowdale (Anne); The Lamp; The Lock at Haverholme; At the Field’s Edge; Grazing Sheep near Rauceby.  Click on any image to see a larger version (opens in new tab/window).

Lincolnshire

An exhibition is support of Sleaford Live 2017

This year’s theme is Lincolnshire.  This exhibition has a range of artworks, mainly landscapes but with a few surprises.  We have paintings, photographs and even a cleverly constructed box with a Lincolnshire Hare design.

During the exhibition Mary Newman will entertain us again by painting a large ‘backdrop’ in the gallery which will be used as part of the scenery in a forthcoming play at the Sleaford Playhouse.  You can drop in and see how the painting progresses, watch how a theatrical scene is painted and chat with Mary who will be happy to see you.  You can also see the finished painting in the production ‘Natural Causes’ at the Playhouse  from 24 May – 27 May (click here for more info and book tickets – opens new window/tab).  Pictures will be posted  here as Mary progresses (but you really need to visit the gallery to appreciate the real thing).

We also have some poems on display from the Sleaford Hub Writers who will also be performing at the Hub (The National Centre for Craft and Design) during the Sleaford Live Festival on Tuesday 02 May. (Click here for more info on Sleaford Live Festival.)

Exhibition opening: 10 am – 4 pm every day (excepts Sundays) until 06 May.

PLEASE NOTE: The gallery will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday 01 May.

Images from the top:  Paintings by Lorraine Appleton and Malcolm Doughty; Lincolnshire Hare by Suzy Chaplin; Belton House Roof by Martin Cameron; Candlesby Room. All photos by Martin Cameron.

Update:

Mary Newman’s painted backdrop for the Sleaford Playhouse production Natural Causes.  If you visit the Playhouse you will see more of Mary’s work adorning the walls of the auditorium.  Be sure to take time to enjoy before the lights go down.

Near and Far – Paintings by Malcolm Doughty

Carre Gallery is pleased to welcome back popular Lincolnshire artist Malcolm Doughty who has created an excellent exhibition for us.

Malcolm says, “It’s a great pleasure to be exhibiting at the Carre Gallery again.”

“I have over fifty pictures on show this time, most of which are new and are for sale. The exhibition title ‘Near and Far’ simply refers to where I’ve gleaned subject matter. The emphasis is on landscape close to Sleaford and surrounding villages but there are scenes from other counties and coastal scenes. A few more fanciful pieces are included and one abstract.”

“These days I favour acrylics as my main medium but still use oils quite often. Now that I’m well into ‘retirement’ and largely free of commission work I am enjoying a new lease of painting life which I hope shows in my work.”

Malcolm is well known for his detailed landscapes but this is not all you will see in this exhibition. And he often injects subtle humour into his work. Look carefully and some of these pieces will reveal his nickname ‘Alf’. In one particular painting (no clues) this takes the form of cleverly arranged items within the painting. Come and see; you will not be disappointed.

Exhibition opening:

10 am – 4 pm from Monday 12 October until Saturday 24 October. (The gallery is closed on Sundays.)

Images from top:  Greeting the Day, Walking into Edale, Brighter Side of Town.  Click on any image to see a larger version.  Artwork and artist photographed in the gallery by Martin Cameron.

Glynne James – An Exhibition of Paintings

The Highlights of Dungeness

Glynne James was born and raised in Hertfordshire where he started painting and exhibiting his work. In 1974 he moved to Lincolnshire and fell in love with the Fens. Here he developed his own unique style depicting the ever-changing and fascinating fenland landscape.

Colan Campbell, artist and proprietor of Arts Coritani on Glynne’s paintings :-

“The temporal approach is the essence of Glynne’s work and results in highly stylised canvases; each painting approaches the landscape in terms of its changes, not as individual paintings but upon the same canvas; strips of fenland character displayed as a coherent whole. On occasions the adjacent strips are subtly differentiated, as if moving from one minute’s observation to the next, on others the changes are sudden and startling; a field of wheat becomes a sea of plastic, a distant shape becomes a blazingly lit power station. Landscape which may appear featureless to the casual observer is presented with its components highlighted.

Glynne James with “Venetian Red”

These then are not landscapes in the comfortable Constable sense. They still address the age-old relationship between artist and farmer but it is evident that the twenty-first century is upon us, be it in the growing of new crops, the threat of climate change or the understated march of machinery. These paintings wake us from our dreamy preconception of what landscape painting is, and challenge the viewer to see the Fenland Landscape; not just to look at it.”

Glynne regularly has work shown at Bell Fine Arts, Winchester, Store Street Gallery, Bloomsbury, London, Stark Gallery, Canterbury; Arts Coritani, Swineshead, Lincolnshire and Buckenham Galleries, Southwold, Suffolk. Glynne’s work has been exhibited by Stark Gallery and Bell Fine Art at Affordable Arts Fairs in Hampstead Heath and Battersea Park, London with successful outcomes. Glynne also holds an annual exhibition at Carre Gallery, Sleaford, Lincolnshire.

The exhibition is open 10 am – 4 pm from 24 November until 06 December. The gallery will be open every day including Sunday.

 Glynne will be in the gallery on the following dates:

November: Mon 24, Thu 27, Fri 28, Sat 29, Sun 30.  December: Mon 01, Fri 05, Sat 06.

www.glynnejamesart.com

Photography by © Martin Cameron.  Click on any image to see a larger version.