'THE LURE OF THE COAST'

I love meeting abstract artists, as I find the process and results of abstraction fascinating.  During Somerset Open Studios I took advantage of visiting the home and studio of Angela Charles in Crewkerne.

Above and below are samples of her work and there are some photos of her studio below.  The paintings are all in response to the landscape, light and sea on the coast from Dorset to Cornwall.  Angela describes it as 'the lure of the coast' and often takes spontaneous trips there in her camper van to gather material for her works.

Angela uses as a starting point, the pen sketches and written notes done at a location, giving a sense of place and the feelings of being there - although the resulting paintings often bear no resemblance to the original sketches.  She works on spray-primed aluminium or wooden boards, and builds up layers of acrylic paint.  Areas of frantic mark making contrast with smooth, calm sections, which give her work a sense of peace, as well as intensity.

The paintings reflect the landscape, with the wildness of the sea, and the dramatic coastline of the South West.  The more I look at them, the more I see and could easily live with one...    

OPEN STUDIO - DEREK NICE

I first saw Derek Nice's artwork at a show in the Victoria art gallery in 1998 in an exhibition called 'Sea Dreams - Art Salutes the Boat'.  I went to the show because it contained work by Alfred Wallis, the Cornish Primitive painter whose work I had always admired, and I wanted to see originals, not photographs in books!  I wasn't disappointed by Wallis's work, but I was blown away by the work of local artist Derek Nice.

I visited him at home in his studio during a Somerset Art Week, and bought a piece from him.  This went on to inspire me to think of boats as a subject matter and use the driftwood which I had collected over the years!  Click on the Derek Nice link, at the bottom of this post, for further details and to see what I made!

This year, I discovered, via the Somerset Art Works Open Studios brochure, that he had moved to Wells, only a few miles from Shepton.  It was great to see his work again after many years.  I loved his collages, paintings, use of text within them, and, of course, the boats!  Above, he was pictured in his new studio, which has been converted from his garage.

He now has another subject matter - angels!  Many people love and believe in guardian angels so he hopes that his angels are spreading some happiness around!  He has done a series of large free standing ones for himself and has sold an enormous one to a church!  A lot of his work is made from found and reclaimed materials which are preserved, and often enhanced, before being recycled into works of art...

The pics above show Derek's delightful garden, complete with a Shepherd's Hut, sculptures, and some of his angels - inside and out!