on the art exhibition salthouse: salt of the earth, at salthouse church, norfolk…

[detail of my work, saltscapes i-xxv, at the salthouse : salt of the earth art exhibition]

over the weekend i gave a brief artist talk on my work in this exhibition, saltscapes, about the ideas and concepts behind it and my use of materials…

i was surprised (and very happy) to hear that my work has attracted a lot of interest from many visitors, and one of the exhibition’s invigilators said that i had effectively sold it three times during the day (just once is very nice)…

the next day i was at salthouse church yet again to do my stint of exhibition invigilating, which gave me a chance to revisit some of the artworks in the salthouse art exhibition…

andy cairns’ salt encrusted construction corroded, crystallised, coalesced is a fascinating piece of coastal assemblage, displaying both resilience and fragility…

rory mcshane’s woodcut print salt squares shared some similarities with my work, exploring the geometric formation of salt crystals, echoing the wider pattern of the constructed landscape…

ross loveday’s three drypoint and carborundum etchings reminded me a little of the london skyline paintings by john virtue, as their natural rural counterparts, with their rich, dark expressive tones, evoking the wind-swept flat vistas of the north norfolk coast……

the celebrated east anglian painter maggi hambling displays one of her recent north sea paintings,storm wave, an energetic, power-packed painting in which its swooshing, watery depths persuade you to jump in and yet there is a fear drowning if you stay there a little too long…

marcela trsova’s piece light vessel, is a beautifully crafted construction of salt crystals and wire, an ethereal boat surrounded by wire fish suspended from the ceiling recalling souls to prayer…

both antje ernestus and jane wheeler reference the ritual collection and harvesting of salt in their sculptural, ceramic pieces…

david page’s some views of the marsh is a curiously abstract and dream-like painting, as one seemingly floats high above the salt marshes, with a solitary, small figure just visible heading inland…

colin yorke’s the outcasts is a work that is sensitively made, embracing the organic, weathered qualities of aged, spalted wood, as a group of only partially seen carved heads – all the more moving when seen in their final resting place (outside the church wall)…

there is also the work of ana maria pacheco, colin self, kabir hussain – too many to mention here as there are fifty artists included in this exhibition (it’s a big church), but it is a show that is defintely worth its salt (sorry, no pics of their work, but there is a colour catalogue). salt of the earth is curated by simon martin, curator at the pallant house gallery, chichester.

salthouse : salt of the earth : 2 july to 2 august 2009, salthouse church, norfolk

p.s. see some photographs of some of saltscapes, in progress, in the studio… or click on the photograph below for a small glimpse…

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and finally… [i found this and thought of yew…]