"A Creative Space - Artists' Gardens"

20 July - 8 August 2021, 10:00-16:00, Tuesday - Sunday, closed Mondays except for Bank Holidays

An exhibition of paintings by Eileen Tupling and Brian Spooner

Brian and Eileen are local artists who have both had full careers, lecturing in Art and Design. They came together to exhibit their work in 2014.

Brian Spooner – “Spaces: Gardens and Landscapes.”

Eileen initially proposed the subject of “Gardens.” I had just returned from a holiday in France where I had visited Monet’s garden, so the topic was immediately appealing. My interest developed further when I visited the magnificent gardens of Powys Castle, Wales. The coastal walk at Roses on the Catalan coast with its strong Mediterranean light provided further stimulus and my own large garden is a constant source of inspiration and delight. Landscape painting has always been my main interest, since my teenage years at school in rural North East Wales.

A visit to the recent Bonnard exhibition at Tate Modern reignited my interest in Post Impressionism and Abstractionism, which influenced my approach. I started by working directly from the garden at home. As the paintings developed I found that they were moving away from direct observation to less figurative images, becoming more interested in space and colour. As with my landscape painting, a broader, gestural approach in mark making became a key characteristic.

The main focus of this exhibition is the garden paintings. I have included a limited example of my landscape paintings.

Eileen Tupling - "Artists’ Gardens"

A career in textiles, as both designer and lecturer, has always informed my own work. As I concentrate on this, I continue to explore techniques and materials which are essentially part of creative textiles. As part of this process, I have also developed an interest in research through recording, sketching and painting.

In my work, putting these together has allowed me to produce a more personal response to the subject.

For this exhibition I have worked on a theme which has motivated me for the last few years, first inspired by working in a friend’s garden in Lavernose-Lacasse near Toulouse. I was then completely hooked after visiting The Royal Academy Show ‘PAINTING THE MODERN GARDEN’.

This was a turning point for me and since that time, I have visited and recorded houses, gardens and spaces of artists. I have looked at painters, writers, musicians but in particular, those whose space has been part of their creative process or an inspiration and influence on their work.

Exhibition poster

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