- Venue
- Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum
- Starts
- Friday, November 14, 2008
- Ends
- Sunday, January 4, 2009
- Address
- Royal Pump Rooms The Parade Leamington Spa CV32 4AA
- Location
- West Midlands
Mary Riley who lives in Leamington Spa has been inspired by the Warwickshire landscape throughout her career, often returning to the same place many times to sketch the changing weather conditions through shifting seasons. These sketches inform large scale studio paintings which are powerful and strikingly energetic. Riley’s paintings are not merely representations of the landscapes, but serious studies in colour, light and depth. Using broad brush strokes and energetic lines and markings to depict colour and movement, Riley attempts to see beyond the landscape to distil the essence of a place and capture the emotions and sensations that it evokes. Mel Lloyd-Smith, Curatorial Associate at the Mead Gallery, Warwick University, who has contributed to the exhibition catalogue said, “Riley’s profound exploration of aspects of the natural world has triggered an awareness of her own responses to life’s experiences. Painting serves as a vehicle for recollection, reflection and insight and the works themselves variously embody personal feelings and emotions.” This exhibition, which aims to convey the energy of the artist’s studio, will bring together work from the past three years including large scale paintings, sketch books and a short documentary film. It will demonstrate Riley’s artistic progression and will attempt to reveal the way in which the landscape has inspired her move towards abstraction.
