This is the press release for the above exhibition I am exhibiting with..... I forgit to take a proper photo before I framed the picture attached but it will give you an idea....
Here are cool springs, soft mead and grove, Lycoris; Here might our lives with time have worn away.”Virgil, Eclogues X
Arcadia with Mosquitoes - Carolyn Trant drypoint and mixed media
During the numerous lockdown periods of the pandemic, artists returned to nature as subject matter, embracing the stripped back everyday, while attempting to expand suddenly myopic existences. A rotating exhibition involving pastoral depictions of the outside world such as birds, landscapes, and insects, Arcadia’s depiction of evergreen utopia sets itself against the backdrop of the climate crisis – a dwindling wilderness of undervalued species that may just be our last hope of saving the planet’s biosphere. Pieces serve as reminders: even in Arcadia, extinction is a possibility.
Enter the Fishing Quarter Gallery, a heritage fisherman’s arch on Brighton’s seafront in late summer 2021 to see paintings, prints, works on paper and artist books by eight contemporary artists inspired by these lockdown experiences. In stark contrast to the contemporary works, are a selection of historical works by Sussex master printmaker James T.A. Osborne whose passion for native wildlife is untainted by fears of its imminent destruction.
Artists
The artists include Carolyn Trant whose artist books are collected by some of the world’s leading museums and libraries, including the V&A National Art Library, British Library, Tate, USA University Library Special Collections and the Library of Congress. Andrew Gifford is internationally recognised for landscape and cityscape paintings. Solo public shows of his work have been held at Leeds City Art Gallery (2004), Fruitmarket Gallery Edinburgh (2001) and Middlesbrough Art Gallery (2000). In 2014 his exhibition Two Cities: Paintings of Jerusalem and Ramallah toured with the British Council to Al-Ma’mal Foundation, Jerusalem and the A. M. Qattan Foundation in Ramallah. Hackney artist C.A. Halpin is showing commissioned pieces for Arcadia and her detailed drawings of insects, part of her SUPERFLY collection. Her installation ‘Flea Circus’ is to be exhibited as part of the Artwave Festival in Lewes, 11 – 26 September 2021. An exhibition of art and a series of works on paper are included by Rowena Easton whose multi-media works have already been shown on an international scale. Exquisite flower portraits by Rosie Gifford are presented beneath the mesmerising cloud and skyscapes of Sarah Weeden, landscapes and seascapes of Suzanne Hennegrave and the print works of Derry Mountford who has shown at the Royal Academy and regularly exhibits at the Mall Galleries, London.
James T.A. Osborne R.E.
James T.A. Osborne’s works are a combination of colour wood engravings, linocuts and silk screens prints, illustrating a range of wildlife with a special emphasis on birdlife. They are bold, interpretive and large scale, rich in colour and detail. Throughout his career, Osborne experimented with forms of print and paper, and his editions never exceeded thirty. The large woodcuts and linocuts are in direct contrast with the delicate black and white wood engravings of his earlier works.
Osborne spent much of his early life in the countryside surrounding his parents’ farm, watching and sketching wildlife of every kind. In 1946 Osborne was elected an A.R.E (a member of the Royal Society of Etchers and Engravers, now called the Painter-Printmakers) and then elected a fellow (R.E) in 1957. He exhibited regularly with the society. His works were exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Shows twenty-four times between 1936 and 1970 and was shown in regional galleries throughout the UK. In Europe and America he was included within the Arts Council touring exhibitions. In 1964, together with Eric Ennion, Robert Gilmor, Elieen Soper, and Keith Shackleton, he founded the Society of Wildlife Artists and was a regular exhibitor with the Society at the Mall Galleries, London.
The Fishing Quarter Gallery
The Old Brighton Fishing Quarter is situated directly south of The Lanes and the Old Ship Hotel, between the Palace and West Piers. This area is of great importance as it is the very spot where the Fishing Quarter’s expansive history took place. The space is within an old fisherman's arch based directly on Brighton Seafront with vibrant oceanic views. The gallery runs exhibitions throughout the year hosted by artists, digital artists, photographers, filmmakers, and illustrators.
Arcadia
27 August – 12 September 2021
The Fishing Quarter Gallery, 201 Kings Road Arches, Brighton BN1 1NB
Open daily: 11am-6pm
Private View: Saturday 4 September, 6pm-9pm:
Finissage: 12 September 11am-4pm
Press Contact: Jessica Wood, Arts Media Contacts, 07939 226988 jessica@artsmediacontacts.co.uk
