Contemporary Passions 2015

Annual exhibition of fine art by members of the South Hams Arts Forum.

Steve Kenna considers life drawing central to everything he does, and is working to find expression for figures at whatever scale they find themselves in his work, whether full-scale studies or small, incidental characters in his copper plate etchings or watercolour paintings.

Lisa Smith takes nature as her inspiration and works with fused and flameworked glass to produce contemporary fused bowls and lamps, organic in style and reflecting the gentle colours of the Devon landscape. She also makes handmade beads using coloured glass rods from Murano in Italy, which she melts in a flame and then shapes, forms and adds other elements such as silver and enamels before annealating in a digital kiln.

‘Where Sea, Shoreline and Sky meet’ is an apt title for Sue Farrow-Jones’ new body of watercolours, etchings, drypoints, monoprints and relief prints.
She says, “To say I am passionate about the sea is an understatement. It is more of an obsession, and I visit a beach most days with my dogs… so it is not surprising that most of my work in an attempt to capture the ever-changing visual relationship between the sea, sky and land, particularly the wonderful colours of these elements.”

"I’m passionate about the sea, and in particular the changing colours and moods that cross the surface. I spend many hours walking, and looking, and try to capture on canvas the things that I see."
Hazel Strange

“I am currently passionate about painting beachscapes and seascapes in oils. I aim to encapsulate the atmosphere, dynamic clouds, changing light and varying moods of the beautiful and inspiring Devon and Cornwall coast.”
Denise Orchard

“Using traditional skills of raising and sinking, I make vessels from 1.5mm lead-free pewter sheet. The designs are based on the geology of the south west coastline. As an Associate Craftsman of the Guild of Enamellers, I incorporate enamels into my designs, as well as using engraving, etching and casting techniques, and the use of a small flame to give a finished edge to each piece.”
Sandra Litchfield

“Ageing surfaces in our environment form the basis of the development for my abstract paintings. Old buildings often have multi layers of peeling paint that over time have developed into rich textures, and ancient stone walls are encrusted with lichens and mosses. Openings and niches give an insight into different usage. I sometimes distress my canvas by cutting into it, and then I may add paper, fabric or sand to enrich - but only as a means to achieve the result I seek. The paintings shown here reflect recent observation of part of the Royal William Yard prior to its restoration.”
Val Uglow

“I absolutely love words and I love cutting them out!
I cannot resist buying any dictionaries of thesaurus that I come across. I don’t really have any interest in their meaning – I just love the shape and feel of the words. They have a movement and texture that people miss. I like to make people look, really look, at words and hear them. When people see my work they often comment on how beautiful the shape of words can be, and I love that.
I have been cutting out words for just over a year now and find my work developing in ways that I didn’t expect. I have gone from the straightforward and legible to more abstract shapes, and feel there are many more avenues to explore.”
Sally Wilkinson

www.shaf.org.uk

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For more information visit http://www.harbourhouse.org.uk/gallery-contemporarypassions2015.html