This summer exhibition, the first of its kind on the gallery walls, spotlights artists whose works won the attention of our prize givers and selectors over the last two years.
Ann Blockley RI
Dartmoor Hawthorn by Ann Blockley RI“I moved my studio near to Dartmoor recently. On an Autumn visit, I was immediately drawn to the scarlet’s of the ragged hawthorn trees on the moors which seemed particularly vivid this year. It was a scurrying day full of texture and movement. I gathered some plant materials from the undergrowth around the shrub and used these to help create a textural background. I worked into this to develop the shape of the hawthorn as it blew in the gusty wind being careful not to be too literal. After all, a hawthorn is, in fairy lore, a tree of enchantment and magic, especially when alone in the landscape. My aim was to capture some of this magic in my painting.”