Reflections
Ouse Life Artists' approach to exhibiting work
The Life Drawing group I have belonged to for many many years is full of amazing artists. This makes me a very lucky woman! For most of us, drawing the naked body is a practice, like yoga or meditation. Our actual main artistic focus is often elsewhere.
Every few years, we put on a local exhibition, so people can see what we get up to. We started off, at the beginning of this new millenium, with a show about Fenland people, each of us produced one or more portraits of local people. In 2022, just aster the Pandemic, we had a big exhibition in Ely Cathedral, to mark the 700th anniversary of the Tower’s collapse.
This year, for the first time, we are showing in the Prickwillow Art Space, owned and run by of two of our founder members. This privilege means we can choose a theme which does not have to be specific to our geographical area. Sue Osborne suggested “Reflections”, a theme both limited (great for any creative project) and loose enough that people could go off in various directions both philosophical or (in my case) literal.
My response to the theme
For me, the simple idea of landscape reflected in water proved so very fruitful, that I still have plenty of ideas I haven’t even touched. It certainly gave me the impetus to explore various places I have travelled to, as long as they involved water.
Here are my seven entries: one is even loal to Ely (Upherd’s Lane), two are from Morocco, three from Norway and one from Tuscany.
I found painting water fascinating. You have the level of sky, of scenery, of water and its reflections. Sometimes there is even the level of the exact surface of the water, if something such as vegetation is floating on it.
Some of these paintings have alreadyappeared in my Blog: Vardø Harbour (not yet finished) and Essaouira harbour incoming tide.