What’s On

This exhibition is one of a series held in our Education Centre, living out our commitment to collaborate with local community groups.

Art For All is a group of artists who use the natural benefits of art and being creative as a way of improving their mental health and combating isolation and loneliness. The groups meet weekly, to draw, paint and print-make.

The artwork in this exhibition is created from their experiences of how being in and observing nature makes them forget their worries and connect to something bigger.
Their aim through exhibiting is to have conversations about the benefits of art and nature as a healing tool, and to de- stigmatise poor mental health by opening up conversations.

Meet members of the group every day.

https://www.artforallgroup.co.uk/home/ 

THIS EXHIBITION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JUNE 4th BY POPULAR DEMAND (previously advertised as ending on May 21st)

The very first item to be accessioned into the Nature in Art collection was by Elizabeth Gray, a watercolour entitled ‘Trouble Overhead’, depicting grouse cowering on the moors as an eagle flies above. At that time it was typical of the work she was producing, although as one tracks her artistic career from then on, it quickly becomes clear that she was a unique creative soul who, over her lifetime produced what many observers consider to be an unrivalled output, certainly in terms of its diversity.

On March 19th last year Elizabeth died, just a couple of weeks before her 94th birthday. Since then we have been given access to her studio and have discovered some remarkable and fascinating works, some of which even the family were unaware existed. It confirmed in us her reputation as a prolific, adventurous artist constantly experimenting and pushing the boundaries. Such an artistic legacy is all the more remarkable when one considers that she had no formal art training.

Inevitably, we cannot be certain where some of the pieces precisely fit into her artistic journey. Many are unsigned, untitled and very probably because of that, unfinished. Yet they are a fascinating insight into the  creative process and how aspects of nature from the large to the small were a precious inspiration to her.

Secrets of the Studio then, is almost exclusively works that have never been previously shown anywhere. This is a genuinely unique collection that includes many aspects of her output in an inspiring and varied display.

Firstly, there are watercolours of wildlife, particularly birds in a landscape, for which she became especially well known in the 1970’s and 80’s, exhibiting in the UK with the likes of Peter Scott and  David Shepherd and in the USA with the likes of Robert Bateman. She also regularly featured in the world renowned ‘Birds in Art’ at the Leigh Yawkey  Woodson Museum in the USA, who also commissioned a work for their permanent collection.

Proceeds from the sale of most of these works were accumulated to fund the purchase of an aeroplane for relief work in Africa. Indeed, throughout her artistic life the proceeds from her work were given away to charity, including Nature in Art.

Secondly, there are botanical illustrations. These were painted as botanically correct images, requiring real discipline and accurate observation. Looking closely at the pictures it is clear that none of them have been drawn first. She has simply painted directly onto the paper – an unusual feat. The only pencil is her name and, in some cases, the name of the plant. Complementing these are a number of floral still life compositions and works combining pencil and paint (above). These appear to have been a part of a phase in her artistic output before she began experimenting in other styles and media, and ultimately adopting another name for some of her work.

Thirdly, we have focussed on a particular area of fascination for her – rocks. Amongst the items we found were detailed paintings of pebbles to larger abstract pieces inspired by geological formations, produced in a wide variety of media (very often mixed). This gives an insight into how, once inspired by a particular theme, Elizabeth followed it with, it would seem, no clear idea of where she would end up. The idea was to enjoy the process and seek out fresh ways to express the insights she saw. It was a journey of discovery, not just of the theme, but the media too.

Fourthly there is printmaking, to which she dedicated much time later in her career. She was particularly interested in reduction printing, sometimes referred to by artists as ‘suicide printing’ because, rather than having a separate block for each colour, just one block was used. In her case some of the blocks were almost 1m in height and, having no printing press, all had to printed by rubbing with a wooden spoon on the back of the paper. No mean feat! Fascinatingly, we discovered examples of where she had poured plaster or pressed wet tissue paper into a carved block to        create a relief. Some were used for the covers of some of her one-off hand-made books.

It is clear that Elizabeth displayed real discipline in all the phases of her work, particularly when learning a new media. For example, she was given a computer for her 80th birthday because the physicality of some of her work was becoming increasingly challenging and the thought of creating work digitally had quite an appeal. So the fifth area is digital work and hand made books which were partly a spin-off from that process. Digital media required a different way of thinking, but once grasped she produced, self-taught as ever, some varied work, exploiting the potential of this new way of working. She was not one for standing still.

Accompanying the main exhibits will be examples of experimentation, tests, stencils and other elements that give an idea of the processes used and her desire to always try something new. In a book of her work published in 2015, a quote from Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973) was used, which seemed very apt for her approach to art – ‘I am always trying that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it’.

Five artists exploring themes from the natural world through drawing, painting, printmaking and poetry.

Murmur II (Conversations with Nature) brings together a new body of work, in a variety of styles and media by Andrew Morrison, Jo Biggadike, Shelley Winnett, Roy Hubbard and Julie Smith. At least one of them will be available each day to talk to visitors.

Humans speak the loudest, but beside our raucous demands are murmurings from wild things struggling to adapt to a changing world. ‘Conversations with Nature’ attempts to attend to nature’s quiet, often hidden voice; to listen and respond with paint and ink.

Free admission. Original artworks, prints and cards are available for sale with 10% of all sales supporting Nature in Art.

‘Meet the Artists’ evening – Friday 26th May, 6:30-8pm. Open to all.

The annual exhibition of The Wildlife Art Society International. A display consisting of over 300 works, both 2D and 3D. The society provides a focus for the interests of wildlife artists, painters, sculptors and photographers, whether they are professional, serious amateur or leisure artists. Most works are for sale. See members demonstrating every day.

The Wildlife Art Society International was founded in 1992 and has grown to be one of the leading Wildlife Art Societies in the UK and continues to grow in recognition internationally.

This event is organised by TWASI and will take place in a marquee on the front lawn of Nature in Art.

NOW EXTENDED TO 23rd July (was 16th)

A unique selection of work by the popular UK cartoonist, Norman Thelwell.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of Britain’s most popular cartoonists to have worked in Britain since the Second World War, Norman Thelwell (1923 – 2004). Although best known for his images of girls and their fat ponies, his work is far more wide ranging than many realise. The countryside and environment were particular passions that informed his work. His cartoons were a powerful way for him to comment on issues of the day.

‘Wrestling with a Pencil’ was the title of Thelwell’s autobiography (1984), and in it he says ‘Although my object as a cartoonist was mainly to earn my living by amusing readers, it was also quite possible to express my own feelings on subjects, situations and events about which I felt strongly. Politics I have always found very boring and there was no way in which I could have become a political cartoonist. My interest lies in the minutiae of the human dilemma, the day to day problems of life and the way we are all swept along by events or developments which we feel helpless to influence. I seem to have touched at one time or another on almost every subject under the sun from combine harvesters to computers, rockets to ramblers, paraffin to pigs. But the predominant thread which has always run through my work is my love of and fascination with the countryside: the flesh and bones of these islands.’

This exhibition will include a broad selection from a remarkable body of work produced over a lifetime. The selection was made with the assistance of Thelwell’s artist son, David, who will be artist in residence at Nature in Art in June, and Thelwell’s daughter, Penny.

In 1952, Thelwell penned his first cartoon for the satirical British magazine Punch, renowned internationally for its wit, irreverence, and for publishing the world’s best comic writers and poets. This led to a relationship that lasted for 25 years and over 1,500 cartoons, including 60 front covers. Some original Punch cartoons will be included in this exhibition.

Thelwell published his first pony cartoon in 1953, and quite by accident, his name became synonymous with images of little girls and fat hairy ponies. The ‘Thelwell pony’ quickly became the most-often referenced source of horse humour the world over, and today, as we prepare to celebrate the centennial of the artist’s life, his caricatures remain as popular as ever. Thelwell’s 34 books have sold over 2 million copies in the United Kingdom alone, and his cartoons are found on a diverse array of merchandise. Interestingly, when we need it most, his book ‘The Effluent Society’, which commented on environmental issues, was republished this March. (This, and some other merchandise will be available in the shop.)

Lent by the family archive, this display, although including a few of his renowned horse and pony pictures, also embraces serious paintings completed purely for pleasure, and drawn and painted cartoons with relevance to nature, the countryside and environment, plus early works from his army days in India and before.  Together they reveal not just Thelwell’s skill as an artist, but also his mastery of sharp social comment and his awareness of then current and future threats. He used satire to convey serious messages about the need to preserve the natural world; many of which still have poignancy today.

Many of his 34 books centre upon country life and country pursuits, and their light-hearted images are founded upon a thorough knowledge of their topics. (He was a keen angler, for example.) Although progress has been made in some areas of conservation and the tackling of environmental challenges, it is likely that Thelwell would be disappointed that many of his cajoling drawings are as relevant today as the day he put pencil to paper. Things have not changed as much as he would have liked.

For the last quarter of a century of his life Thelwell lived in the Test Valley at Timsbury, gradually restoring a farm house and landscaping the grounds which gave rise to his first factual book, ‘A Plank Bridge by a Pool’, which detailed the first two lakes he dug there. A third lake was later featured on the BBC TV.  Written much earlier, but published three years later, ‘A Millstone Round My Neck’ described his experiences in re-building a Cornish water mill that was sold before the book was published. He always loved old buildings, and in his autobiography, ‘Wrestling with a Pencil’ he wrote about his joy of old cottages.