5 Selected Paintings from 'The Allergy Series';

exhibited @

Saturday 10^thJanuary 2004 - Saturday 14^th February 2004
(extended to the 28^th February 2004)

'Allergies'

Materials = Acrylic, Oil and commercial paint mixed with Beetroot on canvas.

Finished image 16"x 12"

How can something so beautiful cause so much suffering? Pollen=spiky balls, chemical warfare a biological irritant. These paintings of flowers are not painted for their beauty but for revenge for the suffering they have caused me.

Frames: The frames are made from pallets that carried 'industrial' lawn mowers. Machines that distribute grass pollen, causing more irritation and discomfort to my fellow sufferers.

Following a successful 81st Summer Exhibition of the Westward Ho! And Bideford Art Society at The Burton Art Gallery, where I sold 'These are The Flowers I Forgot to Give My Wife on Her Birthday'
(Acrylic and oil paint over a Beetroot wash) I began thinking about my allergy to flowers.

Why have I been plagued with allergies? Why do they keep on changing, modifying and evolving?

Press Release

Second North Devon Open Art Show

Artistic talent from across North Devon will be displayed for everyone to see in the New Year. The second annual North Devon Open Art Show is being held in January, showcasing the work of eight local artists. The 2004 event promises to be bigger and better than the highly successful first show in February 2003 and has been expanded over two venues - The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon and the Gallery Bar at the Queen's Theatre.

The initiative aims to highlight the creativity and quality of local work and capture the imagination of visitors. By encouraging entries from artists of all types, the show aims to balance the career development needs of local professional artists with the demand for exhibition space from amateur artists.

2004's featured artists are:

* Nigel Mason from Ilfracombe. Nigel Mason’s paintings, which are all over one metre square, offer new perspectives on North Devon’s coastal landscapes. Nigel requires the paint to form its own landscape, in the same way that actual landscapes are formed, by erosion, silting, shifting and gravity.
* Sue Plummer from South Molton. Sometimes fiery, sometimes icy, Sue Plummer’s vibrant paintings are inspired by the natural world, its complexity and diversity. Sue aims to suggest a mood and atmosphere in a way that allows the viewer an open-ended individual interpretation.
* Nick Parsons from Newton St Petrock is a contemporary blacksmith. The inspiration for Nick’s work is industrial architecture and machinery, incorporating its utilitarian aspects with their evocative feelings of strength and power. Nick’s work exudes his passion for working with hot metals.
* Christine Lovelock from Barnstaple started painting seriously in 1997, selling her work nationwide and abroad through her website. A member of Pilton Art Group, she works in pastels, oils and acrylics to create beautiful landscapes.
* Nick Taylor from Combe Martin creates bright, visually stimulating paintings to compliment the motionless atmosphere of modern minimalist interiors. With titles such as ‘Blue’, ‘Four Friends on a Bus’, and ‘Christmas Tree’, Nick’s striking images also seek to represent the way children might see the world.
* Liz Willis from East Down works with painted and torn paper to create abstract pieces, sparked by an emotion or biographical event. The work combines organic shapes and edges and strong colours with very controlled, precise, straight edges.
* John Forward from Henford trained as an architect and architectural illustrator. Now a professional watercolour artist, he specialises in seascapes and landscapes of Devon and Cornwall.
* Peter Bright from Woolacombe works in oil, acrylic, emulsion, gloss, enamel and beetroot dye! His selected paintings from ‘The Allergy Series’ are bold images of flowers painted from the point of view of an allergy sufferer.

The first five are at the Museum, the bottom three are at the Queen's Theatre. The Show is on from January 10th - February 14th.