Ordinarily, at this time of year Yvette Phillips, Eleanor Wong and I would be opening the doors to the Blewbury Clubhouse to welcome you to our annual exhibition as part of Oxfordshire Artweeks. This year, however it is taking place online. In an attempt to make it as real an experience as possible artists across the county have been updating their websites, making videos, flick books and more so that you can still experience the range of creative talent from the comfort of your own home.
I have been busy updating my website with the New Work I would have exhibited this year and have made all of it available for you to browse and buy here. As a thank you for your support and to celebrate the virtual festival I'm offering a 15% discount across all of my work, from original oil paintings to limited edition prints 2-25 May. Just use the code ARTWEEKS20 at the checkout.
If you would like to talk to me about a piece then please do get in touch - buying art is a very personal experience and chatting to our visitors is something I will miss the most this year.
ARTWEEKS 2020
Intro from my exhibition catalogue…
This past year has seen many highs for me as an artist. I have been lucky enough to be pre-selected for the RWA annual open and more recently for the New English Art Club annual exhibition. I now tutor at Sunningwell School of Art, and The Coaching Barn, as well as running my own Life Class and workshops in Blewbury, all of which I love. However, for me the real high always comes from pushing my painting forward and developing my practice. And to that end I have found myself wrestling with the desire to paint the model as well as explore the environment within which he or she resides. I have loved painting pieces like Tuesday at Bobby’s, where the painting is less about the model and so much more about the feeling of my favourite studio and the balance of paint, shapes and marks on the canvas. And I have continued to explore this theme and other ways of looking through my drawing, which is such an important part of my practice. However I am equally seduced by a wonderful pose, a fleeting moment, the colour of skin.
This latest collection of work, follows on from last year (some of which is included in this catalogue) in an attempt to unite all of these interests; to create pieces that expose and celebrate the raw beauty of their subjects, whilst enjoying the process of painting itself and its endless opportunities for exploration.
Charlotte Houlihan, May 2020
