The Bingley Gallery Summer Exhibition 24 June to 8 August 2021

Just at the moment it seems we could all do with a little move colour in our lives and for its new Summer Exhibition, The Bingley Gallery has gone out of its way to feature artists, for whom the exploration of colour is important.

As a mixed show, about 15 artists  contributed to the exhibition, increasing the variety and interest of the work and find styles to cater for a wide selection of tastes. It seems that after a period of isolation our fantastic local artists are finding their creativity again, often using new media or working in different ways to express themselves in new and exciting ways.

Enjoy, David

Josie Barraclough Oil paint on collage on canvas

From Yorkshire roots, Josie Barraclough’s art was further developed during extensive travelling and working overseas including Australia and the Far East. Influenced and energised by light and colour, she creates pieces that are a direct response to her surroundings, combining naturalistic elements such as landscapes, botanical and still life. Close inspection reveals that the oil paint overlies a collage of printed clippings and other documents which add to complexity and meaning of the work. As she explained ‘Often even a tiny item of information can spur a whole series of paintings’.

Martin Cosgrove Fine Artist Oil on canvas

One of our new artists this year is Dr Martin Cosgrove who has a great interest in the interaction between colour and mental health and this exhibition presents three new works with a ‘colourfield’ theme, in addition to three more traditional abstract landscapes, a genre for which he is well known.

Martin uses his training, in both medicine and painting as well as life experience and a process of what he calls “innocent curiosity” in juxtaposing and overlaying colour when painting, building layer upon layer of oil paint on the canvas over many months, sometimes years to create richness and depth. The response of people to his work can be extremely varied. As he explained ‘We all respond to colour differently and whilst my paintings promote no emotional response in many people, for some they will be a source of intense fascination, arresting their thoughts and bringing up emotions, memories and feelings which develop and evolve as the viewing is continued’.

Jane Fielder

I’ve been busy working on six new paintings inspired by colour, some I’d started a long time ago but they only blossomed during lockdown. Like the first two ‘Rays of Hope’ and ‘Rejoice’. They are both big ones and just magically appeared. Sometimes something just takes over and I’ve no idea where they come from. I even started to sing! I haven’t done that for AGES. It only happens when I’m totally engrossed. I just let my mind wander and see where it takes me. I’m sure they must have come from the huge feeling of joy from being able to see friends and family again. I missed them SO much and struggled to paint.

For more of Jane’s Work click here

Alison Deegan: Linoprinter

Alison Deegan works primarily as a landscape archaeologist but combines this with her consisebale ability as an artist. She uses lino cuts to express the structure of a landscape, either through bold, single-colour prints or building layers of colour and texture to create more complex and intricate images. For Alison, printmaking is a release from the accuracy and objectivity demanded for her archaeological work, and the physical process of lino cutting and printing is an escape from the digital workspace.

Anne Marwick

Anne explains her motivation as an artist to be the pleasure of creating new and exciting patterned work. Brightly painted paper is de-constructed by cutting into strips then reassembled by weaving into brightly eye-catching geometric forms which appear to leap from the flat surface of the picture.

David Starley Oil Painter

David Starley, resident artist has a few new and old ones in the show

L. Amy Charlesworth: Oil Paintings

Amy Charlesworth normally works in oils in a hyperrealist style, but hew work for this exhibition includes a series of more freely painted ravens,

Click for more of Amy’s work

Lis Holt: Coil-Built Ceramics

Lis Holt allows her ceramic vessels to diverge considerably from the early Aegean art that inspires them. Amongst her influences are the times spent exploring dusty museums during holidays abroad. She keeps to the older technique of coil building (wheel throwing was a much later development) and produces beautifully elegant forms, decorated with glazes that are resonant of the early civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean.

Daniel Shiel; Photo Composites

Daniel Shiel is a geophysical surveyor who draws on his career in archaeology and his childhood love of ruins. The processes of decay and the marginalisation of once important structures are central to his imagery. His media is photography, with collections of images being re-modelled into new constructs with rich textures and patterns which appear to have histories of their own.

Kate Lycett: Embellished prints from watercolours

Kate is a Hebden Bridge based artist, whose early influences include, aged 9, being taught technical drawing by her grandfather. More formal training included studying fine art at St. John’s in York, where she specialised in textile design. When commercial design work failed to enthuse her, she returned to painting and has built a strong reputation and a loyal fan-base.

She describes her style as follows “My textile design background is always present in the way that I paintand interpret what is around me. I see patterns in everything; the hills adorned with houses and washing lines, rows of flower pots and stripes of brightly painted drain pipes. Lines of gold thread trace paths through the landscape, and gold leaf changes the surface of my pictures with the changing light of day. I want to paint beautiful pictures of the places that I love. There are never people in my pictures but they’re full of life and warmth.”

Kath Bonson: Ceramics

William Morrison Oil paintings

William Morrisson’s work falls into the long British tradition of landscape art. William’s paintings may include thin layers or thick impasto oil paint, much like the built-up strata of a moorland landscape with its layers of bedrock peat and heather, such that the painting conveys a feeling of time and place.

Leyla Murr abstract acrylic paintings