2018 will see the culmination of a international collaborative project I have been lucky enough to be involved with over the last year. A while ago I was invited to be one of seven French and British artists taking part in a project between the twinned communities of Scalby and Newby (North Yorkshire) in the UK and Pornic (Pays de la Loire) in France – a relationship which spans almost three decades. This was such an exciting opportunity for me – to collaborate with French artists, and to immerse myself in a new landscape and make artwork in response to it.
We have experienced each others cultures, landscapes and people and created an exhibition of work to be shown in the UK and France later this year. Last summer we were visited by the French artists of the Art-Multiple association, who were inspired by the Yorkshire Coast – a location which has attracted artists for over 200 years – and in October we traveled to the beautiful coastal town of Pornic in France where we were made to feel so welcome and treated to some gorgeous home cooked food and excellent wine! I have just completed the body of work I will be showing, created using my absolute favourite brand of pastels, Unison Colour. I am very proud to be one of their Associate Artists. Normally I use their cool greys and blues to reflect the typically cold British weather, but for this project I needed to capture the turquoise of the sea at Pornic and the bright azure skies (not a cloud in sight!) – Unison Colour’s range of vibrant pastels were perfect for this.
Our project could not have been possible without the amazing support of our sponsors, including that of Unison Colour and Great Art. Their generous sponsorship will help us with, among other things, the costs of staging exhibitions in France and the UK and also the publication of a catalogue to accompany the exhibition.
This cultural exchange has given us fresh perspectives and we can’t wait to show the fruits of our labour! The exhibition ‘Territoire-S’ will take place at the following venues:
Woodend Gallery, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, 16th June – 28th July 2018
Chapelle de l’Hôpital and Maison du Chapitre, Pornic, France, 14th September – 14th October 2018
