27th April – 23rd May 2021
Artists Lucy Corbett, Julienne Braham and Deborah Gillingham exhibited paintings that came about because of, or during, the unprecedented year of 2020 and ongoing lockdowns. The exhibition also included work by potters Jason Braham and Russell Kingston as well as ceramicist Kim Colebrook. Artist Blacksmith Jacob Edwards and wire worker Susan Bain also had pieces on show.
Enjoy this 3D tour of the exhibition when it was in the gallery. You can walk around virtually, clicking on the white circles to take you up to a painting. If you then click on a painting it will open up with information beneath so that you can find out more. The named images at the bottom of this web page take you to each artist's page:
For Deborah the Lockdown of 2020 brought new challenges of longing for family contact and holidays in the sun. She has reflected on how naive she was as the pandemic began. On week thirteen she painted a picture she later called Isolation as though the colours were the same, and the subject matter the same, it seemed that it was no longer about sun, sea, sand but about loneliness. She couldn't paint again for many months. At the end of the Summer she was able to see her daughter but noticed she didn’t hug her. A world where we didn’t hug is not something she could envisage happily. It forced her to return back to her studio, to painting. The series that emerged and are on show at Found are about her fear of a no-touch world.
For Julienne Lockdown was a huge expanse of space to reflect and accept contrasting emotions brought on by the pandemic – anxiety/ stillness, despair/compassion, grief and gratitude, but never contentment. She has said “I’ve never felt so grateful to be a painter as now; being able to create, express and make some sense of the emotional conflicts has brought release and comfort. Some paintings reflect sorrow, and the darkness of grief and others are freeing and joyful finding new hope and humour in absurdity. It has been a time for exploration and adventure, but also for self-awareness and deep contemplation – a gift for creativity.”
Lucy normally focusses on oil paintings and charcoal drawings which range from portraits, animal portraiture, landscape and still life. More recently she has been exploring outdoor still life. This latter genre became a favourite over the first lockdown during the lovely weather.
The exhibition also includes work by potter Jason Braham and features hanging and free standing forms by sculptor Nick Davies. Nick combines oxides with plaster to replicate the shale, limestone and blue Lias of the heritage coast of South Wales and recently coordinated the Standing Still Exhibition that was hosted by The Makers Guild of Wales/Craft in the Bay Gallery, Cardiff during 2020.
Visitors to the gallery will also be able to enjoy work by Russell Kingston who makes Devonshire Slipware that is wheel thrown and slab built. Ceramicist Kim Colebrook is also part of the show.
