- Venue
- Rook Lane Chapel
- Location
- South West England
Held at the beautifully converted Rook Lane Chapel, ‘Country Matters’ encompasses a range of work based around our relationship with the countryside. It seemed to me a very loose theme, somewhat all-encompassing, and I worried that this vagueness might permeate through to the collection of work. Happily, this is not entirely the case, although it feels a little mismatched in places. Sarah Fraser’s recycled textiles for example, seem slightly cut off from the main body of the exhibition, displayed in the foyer area and an unusual contrast to the the surrounding paintings. Fraser’s garments themselves are beautifully made, with obvious resourcefulness & skill and in fantastic vibrant colours. ‘Country Matters’ also includes some fun ceramic sculpture from artist Alison Bundle, but again, this doesn’t necessarily work well in the gallery space.
Best is Carolyn Finch’s photorealism contemporary landscape paintings, which bring together great composition with interesting countryside scenes. Shadows and reflections create depth and capture the light very well, with more than one genuinely striking piece that will make you stop in your tracks. Particularly good are Finch’s smaller paintings of beach pebbles, and her detailed ramshackle fences. Claudia Phipps’ architectural glass sculptures & hangings show a wonderfully creative use of materials, from flattened green-glass bottles stumps, to glass found on the beach or in charity shops. The result is that each piece is like a whole eco-structure, almost seeming to support itself in a labyrinth of glass and the occasional peculiar metal object. Wires string the creations into life, seemingly floating in mid-air, & parodying the building’s stained glass windows behind them. They are delicate & carefully constructed, especially Phipps’ beautiful icicle-like, clear-glass web.
Not quite as engaging are the generic landscapes & field scenes that unfortunately seem to make up a fair portion of this exhibition. They are not all very well executed, and the content is less than intriguing. Jackie Spurriers large cows on canvas are bold and eye-catching but vary in their success. Some of the animals well-captured expressions seem to stare right into you, while others fail in their grapple with difficult perspective. There definitely comes a sense that Spurrier has a genuine interest in these creatures, and her enthusiasm certainly shines through. Unfortunately I couldn’t help feeling these pieces erred too much toward the commercial market, and for better or worse I have seen similar works adorning the walls of numerous restaurants & businesses alike. There is some lovely work and a great deal of talent on display in Rook Lane, but this is somewhat hampered by an emphasis on photorealism painting that ends up overshadowing some of the more exciting work.
