Mark Makers Collaborative Exhibition

Contemporary Mark Makers Collaboration Exhibition.

Collaboration – 1. To work with another or others on a joint project. 2. To cooperate as a traitor, esp. with an enemy occupying one’s own country.

Contemporary Mark Makers group in Totnes have been working collaboratively on new paintings and prints. Our group context is about creatively moving beyond our comfort zone, loosening the control we have gained in carefully honing skills over many years of art making. Artists were initially paired or grouped at random then work began in response to subjects arising from the artists joint discussions. Ways of creating together arose over time as artists gained trust in each other and learned what is possible from combining differing methods and approaches. We also used a number of unusual collaborative exercises to help us explore our processes. Inevitably the work had it’s own say and moved us forward.
Collaboration has broadened our perspective on art making enabling the making of exciting, vibrant new work. Collaborators thoughts:

“I think we all wanted to unravel a bit in order to see how we ‘ravel’ ”
“The process of watching someone else working; each new step of the painting different to what I would do, and thus surprising.”
“The work that has resulted really does seem to reflect both of us but something unique and independent of our individual styles.”

Contributing artists: Rachael Bennett, Andy Coldrey, Jane Ellis, Rosemary Ensor, Sara Gilbert, Josie Gould, Ann King, Anne Pirie, Anita Reynolds, Bev Samler.