'Gardens & Flowers' Gallery Forty-Nine's new exhibition highlights the plight of pollinating insects, and celebrates the centenary of the Chelsea Flower Show.

An innovative group of Yorkshire artists gained inspiration for the work in our forthcoming exhibition from an Everingham flower farm.   ‘Gardens and Flowers’ opens on Saturday 1st June with a preview from 12 - 4 pm. It will be a big, beautiful exhibition with an installation of 2D and 3D work by acclaimed Yorkshire artists including Corinne Young, Shirley Vauvelle, Claire West, Samantha Bryan, Sharon Winter, Chris Moss, Esther Munday, Margaret Hockney, Jill Ford, Helaina Sharpley, George Hainsworth, Margaret McLellan, Lee Karen Stow and Meg Burkill.   Inspired by and linked to the abundant wildlife destinations in the East Yorkshire area, the exhibition sets out to reflect the beauty of native British flowers and to highlight the plight of pollinating insects, and the importance of our gardens and parks to their recovery.

Corinne Young, who has also curated the exhibition, said: “We wanted to create an exciting mixed exhibition that was inspired by nature and wildlife, and were delighted when Gill Hodgson of Flowers from the Farm offered to let the artists gather source material at her farm near Pocklington.  

 

I’m passionate about nature and have done lots of research into pollinating insects and the importance of nectar and pollen rich flowers and was thinking about organizing a nature-inspired exhibition, so Gill’s invitation was very opportune.”

 

The Gallery is also involving many of the area’s nature tourism destinations in the exhibition, including the RHS, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Events (especially of note is the Wolds Wildflower event on 16th June), RSPB, Yorkshire Coast Nature, Be the Start (B&Q)and The Secret Gardens (open gardens taking place as part of a week-long summer festival in Gallery Forty-Nine's local area of Old Town, Bridlington).

 

The exhibition runs from 1st - 29th June, and will feature nature-inspired textiles, paintings, sculptures and ceramics.  The exhibition will then move on to the Art & Rose Gallery in Pocklington on 6th July.

Just take one very small area to begin

There are many ways of looking at the subject – it is limited only by your own imagination!  For this set of images I have taken one tiny idea from flowers

They go to seed and pollinate

Scanning electron microscope images of seeds

 

 

First selection just taking one very small area of study in flowers, and look at the way other artists have used it

Peter Randall Page for example

a woven willow star anise seed at Kew

This piece is tie-dye - the fabric tied around seeds to create the pattern

this piece is Seed, bird map by Cas Holmes

Market Harborough branch have made a start...

Market Harbro, a set on Flickr.

I was asked to introduce the Kickstart programme to Market Harborough branch on Thursday evening.  Guild members who have participated in Kickstart previously were kind enough to bring along some of their exhibits and I had a selection of sketchbooks and items of my own and from friends. We had a look at the beginnings of kickstart and some ideas for this years project.
A simple task was then set which makes you take a little time out to play... 4 or 5 different grids were reproduced on A4 sheets, and a tray of wax crayons, felt pens etc made available.

A quick look at the designs of CR Makintosh reveal a simple flower shape produced and repeated within a grid, a tail of black added here and there, along with colour...ta dah!

Flowers ... what a lovely idea!

OK - so where can flowers take you?

These lovely images of costume from http://sadhanapeterson.com.au/e could be felt or fabric.

These images below are from the work of Phiona Richards are at the opposite end of the scale size wise yet not so very different?

Phiona is one of the artists providing our inspirational workshops this year - in September in Corby.

The other workshops are with:

Alysn Midgelow Marsden - July - Nottingham

Ruth Brown - August - Scunthorpe

Helen Melvin - October - Ashbourne 

Click on the names for more about the artists 

Thank you to those who purchased booklets at Regional Day Saturdaythe 18th May in Nottingham. It was lovely to see such a good turnout and most of the first print run were sold on the day.

I also have 11 places booked on the first workshop so get your skates on if you wan tto attend that one - details to the right of this blog or in the booklet above.

New Look: New Project 2013/14

Ready for launch this Saturday 18th May 2013......