Stamford Pride

Kindred at Stamford Arts Centre

From 4th-19th April, nine local artists gather together at Stamford Arts Centre to host a joint exhibition. Kindred explores evocative themes of nature, landscapes, surface pattern & abstraction through painting, mixed media, drawing & printmaking…

Nine Like-Minded Artists, one exceptional exhibition in Stamford. Kindred features exciting contemporary artists, exhibiting as a group for the first time, offering a fresh and unique invitation to see the world through their eyes. As individual creatives, based in
Lincolnshire, Rutland, Leicestershire and beyond, they have all come to this point from various careers and backgrounds: textile design, illustration, teaching, even archaeology.
The work itself ranges from bright and bold to subtle and delicate. Inspiration drawn from the natural world forms an important part of much of the work, with floral, botanic, and landscape elements complementing other pieces, which utilise graphic shapes, pattern and abstraction. What underlies all the work is the organic, hands-on nature of its creation, so here we’ll meet the artists creating a stunning exhibition from 4th April at Stamford Arts Centre.

Jackie Cheetham

Jackie Cheetham now lives near Exton, but she has been a resident of Lincolnshire or Rutland for 25 years. Her current mixed media piece explores the fragile nature of memory and how it can be embodied in quiet corners or empty places.

“I originally took an Archaeological Sciences degree straight after school and worked at the Mary Rose Trust before and after the ship was lifted,” she says. “When I was lucky enough to be able to stop working I signed up for an art class in a nearby village hall.  I had no art education at school but had always been interested.”

“This class showed me I wanted to take things a lot further and I was lucky enough to be accepted onto a one year full-time Foundation in Art and Design at Grantham Collage, and then a three year full-time Lincoln University BA in Fine Art which was taught at Stamford College, graduating in 2010.”

“In the area I’ve met some talented local artists who have all been incredibly kind, sharing and supportive, culminating in us planning this exhibition together. I really enjoy painting larger pieces and I’m still very much at the start of my painting journey, but look forward to working with my fellow artists to show off my large scale panels.”

Bright Sun, Wooded Shade by Jackie Cheetham, 49x49cm framed Acrylic and Mixed-Media £450.
Bright Sun, Wooded Shade by Jackie Cheetham, 49x49cm framed Acrylic and Mixed-Media £450.

Nicola Durrant

Nicola Durrant’s mixed-media artwork ranges in size from 20cm to 80cm square, and are intimately connected to the sensation of walking or flying through the landscape and the history associated with the ancient footpaths and bridleways that surround her studio.

“I am captivated by the land, sea and sky bleeding together with no fixed horizons and fascinated by birds that glide and dart through the sky,” says Nicola. “They too are following ancient routes invisible to the naked eye but predetermined by their ancestors much as modern day shipping and ley lines are to us.”

“In my latest work I am trying to convey the atmosphere and sensory experience of that particular place or subject, with textures and patterns are replicated in my paintings using layers of mark making which are often peeled back, rubbed or sanded away to reveal the history of the piece as it develops.”

“When drawing outside I love to use water soluble graphite, and pencils, and then back in the studio where I often work from multiple quick sketches, acrylics and ink.”

“My love of open space, colour, and texture is what I try and convey in my work. Wherever I go, I take a sketchbook with me and capture the elements of beauty outside. I find there’s always something to discover, something new to see!”

Horti Show Blousy Blooms 90cm x 65cm mixed media painting on framed box canvas, £1,100.
Horti Show Blousy Blooms
90cm x 65cm mixed media painting on framed box canvas, £1,100.

Gill Edwards

Gill Edwards creates colourful and uplifting mixed media paintings capturing a love of joyful mark making, pattern, colour, contemporary still life, and more recently figures.

A career in textile design, working commercially in high end fabric and wallcoverings design and manufacture, has honed Gill’s skills in the use of colour and design, and now as an early career artist she has exhibited and sold work internationally.

Gill is already represented by two UK based galleries and had her first solo show in May 2022. Working from a studio in the historic town of Southwell she is inspired by the beauty of ceramics, patterned kilims, organic shadows and flowers and loves to explore the combination of strong pattern with flat areas. Gill’s recent Modern Muse series has been created as a celebration of the female form and the bond between mother and daughters adding a layer of human connection.

‘On Reflection’ by Gill Edwards, mixed media on board, framed size 32 x 32 cm, sold. Below: The Fennel Jug, Kiku, Two Ginger Jars by Gill Edwards, mixed media, framed size 34 x 34 cm, £365 each.
‘On Reflection’ by Gill Edwards, mixed media on board, framed size 32 x 32 cm, sold. Below: The Fennel Jug, Kiku, Two Ginger Jars by Gill Edwards, mixed media, framed size 34 x 34 cm, £365 each.

Carly Gilliatt

Carly Gilliatt works from her studio in rural Lincolnshire and produces atmospheric paintings  inspired by the landscape she walks through. “I trained in Textile Design and then became a teacher,” says Carly. “It was teaching that first inspired me to start making my own work; encouraging and inspiring students all day, I really wanted that for myself!”

“I took a City & Guilds course in Stitched Textiles and spent a long time working in fabric before the expressive qualities of paint drew me in. I am now thoroughly enjoying exploring my ideas in paint and mixed media.”

“I work mainly with acrylic paint, but very often use mixed media as paintings develop, this might include inks and watercolour as well as charcoal and pastels.”

“The journey to a finished painting can be a long one, but the result for me, should be beautiful with a living, breathing energy and evoke a sense of place.”

“Over the past couple of years I have exhibited in solo and group shows and enjoy meeting people who connect with my view of the world.”

At one with nature, Carly Gilliatt 61 x 61cm
At one with nature, Carly Gilliatt 61 x 61cm

Su France

Su France is a botanical and nature inspired printmaker, with a passion for capturing the beauty and intricacy of nature through the medium of printmaking.

Using techniques such as intaglio, collagraph and solar printmaking, Su creates detailed and accurate representations of a wide variety of plant species and natural forms.

She also makes use of a traditional hand-cranked Gunning printing press, which adds a unique tactile quality and depth to her work. Su makes silver jewellery, which she has the pleasure of having on sale in Made Gallery in Uppingham, as well as The Hub, in Sleaford.

Su draws inspiration from the natural world, and often spends time in woodlands, on beaches and in botanical gardens studying and collecting elements that will become the subjects of her unique prints.

Su France's eco, silver jewellery sells locally and internationally.
Su France’s eco, silver jewellery sells locally and internationally.

Joy Gosney

Joy Gosney gained her BA (Hons) degree in Illustration at the University of Kingston, but she has links to the local area going back generations, with her great grandparents farming land around Newton on Trent and her grandparents running the village shop in the village for many years.

“I was raised in the Fens, near The Wash, and after attending Lincoln College of Art I completed a degree in Illustration at Kingston University, graduating with a contract with Bloomsbury Publishers to write and illustrate my first children’s picture book (my editor was none other than the lady who had given J K Rowling her big break just a year or so previously!).”

“A long career in illustration followed (books, magazines, travel), then two years ago, I got the painting bug and actually started making connections then online with some of my fellow exhibitors, so painting has been a relatively recent development for me, but I absolutely love it!”

“I’ve sold lots of statement pieces to new collectors and had one of my landscape pieces accepted into the prestigious Harley Gallery exhibition in the summer.”

Joy Gosney’s Blustery Day, acrylic on board, 20x20cm and is £160.
Joy Gosney’s Blustery Day, acrylic on board, 20x20cm and is £160.

Kate Johnson

Artist Kate Johnson has produced an expressive series of landscapes and sketchbook in drawings to present at Kindred this spring. Each piece has been inspired by elemental forces, wild, atmospheric places and by the beauty of natural forms.

“The discipline of sketching and painting whilst out walking has provided me, over time, with a visual vocabulary of expressive gestures, marks and fluid brushstrokes,” says Kate. “Having worked  en plein air I then return to the studio bringing in further techniques to give a freshness and a sense of spontaneity to each piece.”

Winter Trees, mixed media sketch on paper, mounted on board, size 46x32cms.
Winter Trees, mixed media sketch on paper, mounted on board, size 46x32cms.

Sue Johnson

Sue Johnson, based in Uppingham, is a mixed media artist working full-time from her home studio in Uppingham. “I have a background in printed textiles selling Artwork to companies globally for fashion, interiors and surface pattern,” says Sue. “This previous career undoubtedly influences my playful use of layering, design layout and abstraction.

I love working with pattern, texture, mark-making and colour. I like working in a call and response kind of way, and my work is often process-led. I often enjoy painting with paper and drawing with scissors as I incorporate collage as part of my process.

The result is frequently abstract but alludes to a viewer to the kind of context or concept the work is exploring. I love using any paper ephemera to paint and draw on, especially pages from old books destined to be shredded.”

“These provide unique, forgiving and interesting surfaces to paint and print on and collage yields unexpected results.”

“I paint or monoprint my own papers and enjoy mark-making, creating texture, and scratching through to reveal parts of the underlying layers.”

“I usually work on ply wood panels with acrylic paint, inks and other media like crayons, pens and pencils. As an emerging artist I  have exhibited and sold work both internationally and here in the UK.”

Image: Sue Johnson, www.johnsonstudio.co.uk.
Image: Sue Johnson, www.johnsonstudio.co.uk.

Carol Pairaudeau

Carol is a painter and printmaker working from her home studio in rural Leicestershire. With a background in chemistry and information science, Carol followed a career in scientific software design before electing to study fine art at Loughborough University, in her mid 30s.

Her mixed media paintings reflect an interest in both the painted and printed mark, with delicate layers of handprinted papers incorporated into the finished piece.

“Inspiration often comes from some small but compelling detail,” says Carol. “Something within my surroundings for example, like a reflection in water, an overhanging branch, or a fragment of architecture.”

“But this is a starting point from which I can explore related ideas and emotions and then be led by the creative process itself. In addition to developing my own practice I enjoy sharing my knowledge and enthusiasm with others and offer printmaking tuition and workshops.”

Carol was one of 15 who also contributed to a recent exhibition entitled Breast Cancer & Me.

A landscape of change Carol Pairaudeau, Mixed media on cradled panel, 50cm x 50cm £525.
A landscape of change Carol Pairaudeau, Mixed media on cradled panel, 50cm x 50cm £525.

Kindred takes place from 4th to 19th April at Stamford Arts Centre from Monday to Saturday 9.30am – 9pm. Call 07721 622652 or see www.stamfordartscentre.com.