It may seem incongruous, Oxfordshire being so far away from the sea, and yet it’s a common theme amongst South Oxfordshire’s artists this year; beaches, oceans and seascapes featuring heavily in their Oxfordshire Artweeks exhibitions. (South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse runs from May 10-18).
In Cumnor witness Take Annabel Jolly‘s shell obsession, which stems from beachcombing memories on the Isles of Scilly as a child. “Shells are such beautiful forms created by nature,” she explains.
Using empty shells harvested from the Cornish, Norfolk and Anglesey coast, she has a team of friends, pubs and restaurants who now donate cockles, mussels and scallop shells which Annabel then cleans. “I start with a plan, but the shells take charge, forming shapes that take on a life of their own. The bigger they are, the livelier and wilder they become,” she explains.
The exhibition in the Archangel Studio, in the former vicarage in Cumnor, features mussel mumurations and larger shellworks including mirrors. They sit alongside Sarah Bond‘s vibrant mixed media landscapes and monoprints inspired by the beauty of the land and sea and the endeavour of renewable energy.
In Fernham near Faringdon, ceramicist Nigel Edwards is presenting a series of work inspired by coastal geography. His sculptural, functional collection uses clay and glazes to convey the raw energy and dynamism of the rural coastlines and marine life. The result is a balance held between two forces, the power of the ocean and man’s relationship and impact on it.
In Abingdon’s historic St Ethelwold’s House, tucked away in the middle of the town with glorious gardens that roll down to the Thames, Trish Ampleford (Artweeks venue 211) is showing joyous, instinctive seascapes, inspired by her time on the Cornish Coast and in The Scottish Highlands. The wildness of these coastlines is reflected in her dynamic and energetic colour palette, evocative of the power of the waves and coastlines, guaranteed to transport you straight there.
In the nearby St Nicolas Church, Emma Williams uses early Victorian photographic process of cyanotypes to create art in stunning Prussian blue and white images through textile and pattern design, inspired by the beaches of her youth, her radiating patterns reminiscent of waves, underwater corals, microscopic marine life, pebbles and the revelations of beach-combing.
In Ewelme Debbie O’Farrell presents embroideries of the seascapes and coast around Polzeath and Rock, using her sewing machine as a tool, changing her thread as a painter would their palette. Her gold, silver and copper metallic threads capture sunlight and reflections from dawn to twilight.
Over in Watlington, printmaker Mark Lord’s stylised artisanal lino prints in black and white prints are also inspired by the sea, featuring his beloved Cornwall where he grew up and is most at home. Fishing boats bob in Cornish harbours, a crab scuttles down a beach and there’s fish and chips for supper.
Nearby, Antonia Glynne-Jones’ colourful abstracts are also inspired by the sea, and swimming amongst the rocks. “In Cornwall there are two outdoor pools that have inspired me in particular – the tidal sea water swimming pool in Bude, and the Lido in Penzance. The Bude pool is fed by the sea at high tideland built into the cliff face. The Lido in Penzance is more contained and the memories of floating in the Art Deco, geothermal pool in the freezing wind and rain surrounded by the sound of the sea was my inspiration”, she says.
Also, along the High Street, Watlington Photographers Collective are hosting pop-up studio Watlington-on-Sea, where visitors can have their picture taken for a small price, with all proceeds going to Maggie’s Oxford.
For details of Oxfordshire Artweeks go to https://www.artweeks.org
