In this exhibition are two contemporary artists from Cumbria, creating still life paintings as a means of expression, from Tina Balmer’s exuberant and colourful flower arrangements to the carefully observed studies of Rebecca Scott.
Mary Gavagan
Throughout the history of art there are many examples of artists who have incorporated objects from daily life, flowers, fruit, books, to convey through inanimate objects, information about the subject matter of the painting or the individual in a portrait. In the twentieth century for a number of artists including Picasso, and the Italian artist Morandi still life painting was a major aspect of their work.
Tina Balmer lives and works in Ulverston. She graduated from St Martin’s School of Art in London in 1983, where she studied Fashion Design. She has been exhibiting paintings since 1998 and has had solo exhibitions at Brantwood near Coniston and the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal.
Tina has organised various art trails and exhibitions in the north of England, including Printfest and Artfest North.
The subject matter for Tina’s paintings are everyday objects, representing the rituals of daily life such as vases, jugs, teapots and flowers. Tina calls her paintings ‘a celebration of the domestic and the ordinary’.
"Although figurative, I’m not concerned with getting an absolute likeness, but with the painting itself; the paint, marks, colour, canvas."
Tina Balmer
Rebecca Scott, whose work is in private and public collections nationally and internationally, currently lives and works between London and Cumbria, and is Co- Founder of Cross Lane Projects, an independent art space in Kendal.
Rebecca studied Fine Art at Chelsea School of Art, and gained an MA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths, University of London. She has exhibited in London, Cumbria, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway.
Rebecca’s artistic practice revolves around the transformation of conventional photographic imagery into painted works that challenge traditional ideas of interpretation and representation. It centres on the language of desire pervasive in consumer culture by extracting images from original contexts and overwriting their intended meanings.
"I tend to work in series, and retrospectively can see a biographical aspect to my oeuvre; the topics I chose to respond to, have often been meaningful in a personal sense, playing out in reaction to the situations I have found myself in."
Rebecca Scott
Running until the end of July 2024, the free exhibition called ‘Still Life – A Celebration’ has been organised in partnership with Gavagan Art.
Gavaganart, in Lancaster, works with artists from throughout the British Isles with an emphasis on artists from the North of England with many artists based in either Yorkshire, Lancashire or Cumbria.
In partnership with Gavagan Art, Art in the Atrium at Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa provides an accessible, free and informal way of being able to see a display of fine art in the resorts' spacious Atrium.
Other artists whose work curated by Gavagan Art, that have had exhibitions as part of the Art in the Atrium gallery.
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