76th Annual Exhibition at Guildford House Gallery
Saturday 18 October to 15 November 2008
The Guildford Art Society’s Annual Autumn Exhibition brings a wealth of diverse and contrasting images to Guildford House Gallery. Glass sculptures will contrast with three-dimensional works in cement and traditional portraits vie with powerfully coloured abstracts. Detailed botanical flowers mix with impressionist interpretations.
The Garden Room becomes a ‘room of small paintings’ to make an exciting change to the large canvases. This idea is the creation of the new Chairman, Jane Allison, towards a room similar to that in the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. No painting will measure more than 14 inches.
The remaining Gallery rooms will display a mix of popular artists as well as some newcomers, and a mix of portraits, landscapes, marine art and abstracts, as well as sculptures in a variety of media. As always, all work is for sale.
The new Chairman, Jane Allison’s portrait paintings reveal the characters of her sitters in compassionate, delicately applied paint; her colours are tuned in to express the nature of her sitters. She is currently painting the portrait of the Duchess of Cornwell for the Wiltshire Rifles, and also a portrait of Henry Allingham, who is the oldest man in Europe – a veteran of the First World War and 112 years old!
Jane Allison’s paintings show a sharp contrast to Michael Woods’ work. His non-representational paintings contain inspired colour combinations using structured abstract shapes taken from landscapes and the environment.
Jenefer Ham, whose work is on permanent display in the Guildford House Gallery shop, will exhibit her glass sculptures which are fashioned from natural elements and become transparent waves with fluid and ephemeral qualities. This contrasts with Jeanne Argent’s cement sculptures showing the essence of stillness and permanence, inspired by seed pods and growing plants. Jeanne Argent is perhaps best known locally for her sculpture Alice Through the Looking Glass in the Castle grounds.
A regular favourite at the Guildford Art Society annual exhibition is Jan Harbon, whose botanical flower paintings reveal the growing lines of plants detailing petals veins and stigma of flowers, whereas Nola Armstrong’s mixed media with pastel show garden flowers, vases and fabric designs in random free shapes.
Through out the exhibition each artist reveals their own original way of creating images from the world as they see it, all playing a special part in the diversity of work shown.
Guildford Art Society has also just launched their own website, which can be visited at www.guildfordartsociety.org.uk (this page opens in a new window).
To find out more or to join Guildford Art Society contact the Membership Secretary on 01483 567041.
Guildford House Gallery
155 High Street
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 3AJ
Tel: 01483 444740
Fax: 01483 444742
Email: guildfordhouse@guildford.gov.uk
Booking: Book Online
Open Tuesday to Saturday. 10am to 4.45pm. Admission Free