show and tell september 2026
We were all fascinated by how the result of Catherine’s experience of the Lofoten Islands within the Arctic Circle showed itself in her artworks. Catherine explained that she felt somewhat in a dilemma of being pulled in what she saw as unrelated directions and styles of expression when what she sought was a connected body of work.
However when her pieces were displayed alongside the atmospheric and powerful photos it became clear, to us as viewers, that there was an evident consistency in the paintings. There was real sense of power, magnitude and a peaceful, spiritual enigmatic quality.
Catherine stated that the photos are for reference only and are intended to show aspects of the character of the islands and hopes her work expands on that. She is aiming to express her reactions to her time there by the expression of atmosphere using a limited palette.
This led to a useful discussion with several suggestions such as moving towards a larger canvas and putting photos of similar features into groups. Hopefully this dialogue of ideas provided the compass for Catherine to continue to navigate her own distinctive path onwards.
Then we were in awe of Jane’s sketchbooks which showed the most enchanting free style watercolours, painted en plein air, of her recent favourite places both on the Welsh coast and beside the river in Wharfedale.
Jane is following a desire to make works which explore and relate to her present vision problems and how it affects what she sees and the resulting painted images. For the time being Jane is initially experimenting with materials and working out how to take her ideas forward because she thinks she will find it helpful and interesting for herself and maybe also for others.
This is just a short two minute read but once again, and I think it needs to be reiterated, those couple of hours spent in our show and tell sessions are absolutely the best tutorials for practising artists.
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