Cambridge Contemporary and Helmsley Walled Garden

During this year of cancellations I have been lucky that it has been possible for two events to go ahead. My exhibition at Cambridge Contemporary Gallery was moved from May to September and is running until September 27th, showing some of my best work to date alongside quirky and beautiful ceramics by Shirley Vauvelle and luscious paintings by Sally Anne Fitter. Altogether a wonderful exhibition full of top quality work by three established and highly individual artists.

Cambridge Contemporary Gallery Exhibition 5th-27th September

Perhaps surprisingly, although my classes were cancelled at The National Trust, the small organisation of Helmsley Walled Garden allowed painting courses to go ahead and for the first course we had the privilege of having the gardens to ourselves when they were still closed to the public.

As anyone will know who has visited, Helmsley Walled Garden is worth a visit. The garden is an uplifting, calming place of solace and visual abundance. It is a perfect environment in which to teach painting and study structure, composition and colour.

I have been wondering about these two strands of my working life. The public life of teaching and the solitary life of a plein air landscape artist who spends most of her time in the middle of a field alone and wondering how they connect. Students on painting courses each bring a gift of their own. Their own way of expressing, working with materials and unique ways of seeing things. Teaching, makes me reflect on what I do and how I do it. Looking at structure with others makes me look with fresh eyes.

Flower Power Watercolour and Mixed Media
Helmsley Walled Garden 19th-20th September 2020

For those who would like to experiment with different ways of working with Watercolour, including inks, gouache, pencil and oil pastel. The emphasis is on experimentation.

For details and booking, please see my courses page