This exhibition is aptly named as it offers eclectic works that are deservedly collectable, especially if you appreciate formal, expressive, landscape or figurative art. Here we find the precise approach to structuring visual components into intriguing patterns, swathes of rich colour to suggest emotional content, different interpretations of the landscape, and well drawn figure work. All are well executed, presented and engage the aesthetic.
In the formal genre, Leone Broadhurst's mixed media constructions address our appreciation of precision while allowing the imagination to run free. With delicate drawing of fish and emblematic patterns on small rectilinear shapes of gold paper, the large exhibit Cryptogram 3 reminds us of a remnant from some ancient temple recently discovered by intrepid archaeologists. It is a treasure to view, decipher or appreciate for its beauty and structure. Then there's Leith Jansen's ideal play with colour. Employing oil paint in either simple or maze-like patterns, the artist reveals the bold strength and subtle innuendoes that primary and secondary hues are capable of evoking. Her linear designs lead us down, across or into the centre of the canvas and as the eye travels along the geometry of the surface, the mind finds subtle changes of hue and a feeling of serenity.
Two narrow vertical exhibits by Carol Rowling are both physically and emotionally expressive. Layers of canvas, each painted in a different colour are fixed to a support. Employing an angle grinder, the artist cuts short sharp gashes through the layers to reveal the different hues of the torn cloth. Despite the sense of physical 'violence' evoked by the artist's method, these are surprisingly delicate works. A different expression emits from David Giles's large canvases. The cool colours, subtle textures and gentle titles reference an underlying sense of peace and harmony on the surface and in the mind. These are intriguing works as the deeper we look into them, the more subtleties we find.
If you enjoy landscape painting, Jennifer Hopewell's excellent richly coloured images will delight. The artist adeptly captures the heat of sun bleached fields and the rich colours of nature in her larger works. Meanwhile the smaller canvases, each hosting three 'bands' of landscape, reveal her ability with the 'less is more' approach to painting. There are sufficient notes in paint to allow the viewer to name the places. The same can be said of Pam Brittain's abstract landscapes in her Gascoyne series. Using swathes of rich colour she strips away the image but the atmosphere remains. Brittain also reveals her ability to draw and paint the figure. Her ladies in bold arbitrary hues seem strong and confident, a reflection the artist's skill.
Sheila Posner too is adept at drawing the figure. I particularly appreciate Notebook 1 and 2 which host fine line drawings of the female nude. They appear to be scratched into a panel painted with a variety of marks and colours. These works may have commenced as an 'exercise' but the result is two very interesting images.
This exhibition is aptly named and well worth a visit. Perhaps it might solve some of your 'chrissy pressy' problems.