Sarah Bale, Val Bright Jones, Julie Dodds, Amy Drayson and Rhoda Webb will be showing their varied and eclectic work at the prestigious Grundisburgh House Gallery, near Woodbridge. The stunning gallery stands in the grounds of Grundisburgh House and has a terrace overlooking a natural swimming pond and the Lark River valley. The gallery’s generous display space will provide an ideal backdrop for the five artists’ work.
Sarah Bale’s work focuses on the female. She describes the characters in her paintings as “often mysterious, powerful, but at the same time fragile”. Using oil paints, with layers of colour, she expresses the feelings of the women she paints.
In her paintings, Val Bright Jones seeks to express the feelings and memories of a place; its visual appearance is secondary. Figures, and more often swimmers, appear to enhance a memory of place and time. “The Suffolk countryside, close to the River Stour and the ancient water meadows of Sudbury are my constant inspirations,” she says, “plus a love of wild swimming.”
Julie Dodds creates powerful and atmospheric wire sculptures. Her fascination with history and folklore, with tales of mystery and magic, often linked to local places, produces a surreal, otherworldly quality in her work. As well as wire, Julie works in pencil, ink, watercolour, acrylic and gold leaf, the last reflecting her new interest in Byzantine iconic art.
Describing herself as primarily a painter and printmaker, Amy Drayson explains: “My interest extends into making, too, either creating art objects or things I use as references within my pictures. My work explores narratives using memories, imagination and biblical, mythical and fictional stories. I’m interested in ideas of belief, belonging and identity, essentially exploring the human condition through stories.”
Rhoda Webb describes her work as “exploring our fragile connection with the natural world through sculpture and alternative photographic processes, sometimes combining the two”. Speaking of her recent work, she says: “I particularly enjoy making cyanotype prints as they are exposed outdoors, simply using sunlight, then developed in water.”
The joint exhibition runs from 19-25 April at the Grundisburgh House Gallery, Woodbridge Road, Grundisburgh, IP13 6UD, open daily 10.30am-5pm.
Terry Hughes