Work of Barron-Cooper and Beaty
Preview of our Sept-Oct Exhibition at The Dennis Kilgallon Gallery showing the work of Hazel Barron Cooper and Rowena Beaty.
Hazel Barron Cooper – Artist Statement
The paintings are inspired by the Northumbrian landscape along Hadrian’s Wall and also on Lindisfarne or Holy Island as it is also known. They are based on observations of the lowering skies, the clumps of dark woodland on hillsides. the leaden darkness followed by bright light after a storm. They focus on the history of the landscape, layers of geology, ancient trackways, Iron Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon remains and traces, nature and the weather.
One of the main concerns is with the origins of interlacing and knotwork which appear in the Lindisfarne Gospels and Anglo-Saxon stone -carving found throughout Durham and Northumberland. The interlacing and knotwork reflects the flight of birds, the flow and currents of the tides and the energy of life itself.
The paintings reflect this natural energy by overlaying washes, spattering, scratching, resisting, using mixed media In some of the works water from streams and springs in the area they were painted in is used as the medium . In one of the pieces `Rain Painting’, the rain itself dropped on and diffused the paint to create the texture in the sky.
The layering of history, place- names, dramatic weather, folklore, ancient gods and traditions provide a never ending inspiration for my work.
The intention is to evoke a shared sense of place, the genius loci, the particular.
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Rowena Beaty – Artist Statement
The process of carving stone involves a physical and tactile connection with deep time, and reveals the earth’s history written into each boulder or fragment. In my sculpture I am interested in exploring our relationship with landscape and the rhythms of the natural world as embodied in the human form. I live on the Solway and my recent work has been influenced by this unique landscape where the shifting tides and sands of the estuary are the backdrop to daily life.
I like to select my stone from the place it is quarried. When choosing it I have an idea of the final form suggested by the size and shape of the original block, but the sculpture emerges throughout the process of carving, which becomes a dialogue with the physical nature of the stone – bedding planes, texture, grain, colour, resistance. Working with traditional hand tools, hammer and chisel, gives a close feel for the special properties of each piece of stone.
I want my sculpture to express the gravity and stillness of stone as a material but also the latent energy of the human body.
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If you pay the GALLERY, the Food Bank can claim ‘GIFT AID’ this will add 25% donation from the sale of work seen here going to the WEST NORTHUMBERLAND FOOD BANKS.
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