Picture framing is now available at blue-ginger - call in for details
Su Williams Textile Collages & Print Making
I graduated from Herefordshire College of Art in 2001 with BA (Hons) in Design Crafts and now live in Bristol. To produce my textile collages, I begin with the background working with dye washes and then I add the layers of fabric as a painter would add paint, to build up a relief image. I do not draw any part of the image but work with the materials I use, to express the spontaneous blend of colour and form of a landscape. Since moving to Bristol, the urban landscape, such as the colourful houses perched on the hills, has encouraged me to develop my print-making which I approach in the same way as my textile work, looking at layers and textures.
Su Williams
Gilly Mound - Mixed Media Artist
'My work is a response to images that attract me:
The contrasts between sharp and muted, graphic and blurred.
The translucent brightness of sunlight through coloured glass.
The character of the English cottage and red brick terrace.
The layering together of tone and texture where surfaces appear broken or fragmented.
These are the elements I endeavour to build into my work - not based on realism but on the essence of a subject as I see and feel it. Whether that work is a painting, or a textile piece, the process is the same - a project of many fits and starts. Finally, I see the finished piece in my minds eye and follow that image through to a conclusion'.
Gilly works from her cottage in Worcestershire overlooking the beautiful Teme Valley where she lives with her husband John and their big dog Basil.
Bronte Woodruff
In my work, I respond to the atmosphere of a wind-blasted hill, the texture of a tree trunk, the wooliness of a moorland sheep. I find it helpful with a new subject, to tease out the technicalities of shape and form with sketches from various angles, enabling me to feel its substance subliminally. Once I feel I have grasped this understanding, and my hand can move unselfconsciously, I can then cut out the technicalities and move into a more flowing, liquid translation, informed but not strangled by my earlier observations.
I work chiefly in watercolour, crayon, ink and van Dyck crystals, sometimes alone, often combined. Their different properties of dispersal and merging form a strong element of the light and strength of an image. In particular, the organic quality of van Dyck crystals (burnt walnut husk) lends itself to the earthiness of my rural pictures and serves as a wonderful intensifier to the other media, enhancing the depth of watercolour, and enriching the startling clarity of inks. Using a variety of media enables me to build up layers of colour and texture, creating depth with sponging, flicking, spraying and other devices.
Having experienced a country childhood, I feel that while I am rooted in a rural tradition, I am constantly exploring and reviewing my means of expression. My aim is to draw an observer into my world, and create a shared experience.
Hani O’Keeffe Worked as a freelance illustrator for 15 years until the birth of her second child. She has been represented in UK, USA, Europe and worked in all the major book and magazine publishers and design agencies. Hani has received several pet portrait commissions recently, and as a result she has been encouraged to set up a website and return to painting – which she absolutely loves.
This is
Hani’s portrait of my Bernese Mountain dog , Tilly. She’s really captured Tilly’s personality, together with the softness of her muzzle and the slightly doleful expression she has when she’s excluded from meeting-and-greeting visitors to the gallery, and all against the background of Tilly’s favourite dog-walking place – the Malvern Hills
Talk to Hani about commissioning a portrait of your dog!
"Rome" by Rebecca Birtwhistle
Worcester artist Rebecca Birtwhistle has now moved to Somerset, but retains her links with the area. She has produced this series of ink and acrylic paintings especially for a blue-ginger painting exhibition.
Nancy Padden at the blue-ginger gallery
Reef Rings by Leila Godden
My aim is to produce paintings which capture the essence of a subject but allow a personal response and express more than just the visual qualities. Texture is important in building up an exciting image which allows an interplay between the source inspiration and the materials themselves. I may include fabric, sand, and textured mediums to add depth and visual impact.
I paint mainly using acrylics, but previous experience with ceramics and printmaking have been instrumental in my love of an exciting surface quality.
My inspiration comes from nature. I live on the border of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, with a view of the Malvern Hills from my studio, but my formative years were spent by the sea in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. The art and landscape of St Ives have been a key influence, and I have been mesmerized by the rich and varied blues of the Indian Ocean.
Photography by Kevin Mallett
Malvern photographer Kevin Mallett looked to the Malvern Hills for inspiration, and after working on some more conventional images, his eye turned to the other forms which complimented the landscapes and shifted the focus to more bovine hills and valleys! With an irreverent twinkle in his camera eye, Kevin says: "My Objective is to cause a degree of intrigue and compel the viewer to take a second glance at the image". Kevin is a professional photographer and his editorial work can be seen in national publications and advertising shots for well know commercial clients.
