Structures

Both artists live and work close to the sea, and this reflects in the works on show, which explore what has become a journey of an extraordinary time in our human history. During their walks, navigating the wooded hills and nearby beaches, they are acutely aware of the organic geological changes and constant movement of the coastline and the gradual ingress of the sea. A common theme in their respective work is a fascination with structure. Ruth’s paintings are firmly rooted in the natural world of trees, and their anatomical and limb like presentations. Liz has a passion for coastal manmade architecture, in particular the esplanade shelters of old and contemporary mobile beach saunas. Their observations generate ideas, sketches and photographic references for use back in the studio. For Ruth, paint and memory lead her towards what she calls, composite landscapes. She works in thin layers of acrylic paint, on a prepared surface of Paynes Gray, a soft matt blue black. The darkness of the work is rich and earthy. The flora and fauna among the trees at times have a hint of melancholy. A work comes together when the painting returns her gaze with a glimpse of something that is not yet known or experienced.

If Liz is not in the studio, she is usually on the beach. The sea is part of her being and has a constant presence in her life. She makes precise, beautiful, soft, dreamy, coloured pencil pigment drawings. Her West Bay Esplanade Shelter drawings explore the effects of light on the building and the Eype Pavilion series of drawings, are a visual record of an enigmatic clifftop timber chalet of a bygone era that now exists precariously close to the edge of the cliff.