New gallery’s first solo show explores the Exe Estuary
A new art gallery on the banks of the River Exe in Devon is showing work which reflects the dynamic nature of the Estuary and is offering people the chance to try ‘en plein air’ mixed media painting by the waters of the Exe for themselves.
The Seaglass Gallery in Lympstone, in the village’s old newsagents, is run by Charlotte and Bruce Ellis, who say the local landscapes and environments are at the heart of the work they exhibit.
Curator and artist, Charlotte Ellis, says: “Being a new gallery, with a focus on art and wellbeing, we wanted our first solo exhibition in Seaglass to reflect our love of the Exe estuary. For centuries, the estuary as well as being a place of work, has given people a reason to stop, to breathe to pause in their daily lives. We want the Seaglass Gallery to give visitors the same feeling. “
Devon artist, Jayne Farleigh, will be showing a series of semi abstract paintings which reveal what she describes as ‘The Layers of the Estuary’. Immersing herself in her subject by painting in the open air, she is interested in all the parts that make up what we think of as the estuary – not just the water, but the sky above and the earth below. Her work explores the connections between these different elements such as the dancing energy between light and water.
Jayne says: “When people look at my paintings, I want them to feel the estuary and get a sense of the energy and power running through its layers. I think about the whole energy of a place and the elements of it that feed life- animals and plants. There is a whole energy beneath the estuary that feeds into this cycle of life. We are drawn to places because of their beauty but also it is energy that attracts us and it is this energy I try to harness in my paintings.”
Jayne will be running a mixed media en plein air workshop on the foreshore of the Exe, as part of the exhibition. Participants will look at how using mixed media can represent the layers of the estuary in a semi abstract way.
The exhibition in the Seaglass Gallery, Lympstone, EX8 5ES, opens on Tuesday 5th July and runs until Saturday 16thJuly.
‘Layers of the Estuary’ will be open from 11am-4pm every day except for Wednesday 13th July, when Jayne will be running a workshop.
Contact the Seaglass Gallery for more information about the workshop or the exhibition.
