Contemporary Passions X

Fifteen members of the South Hams Arts Forum present Contemporary Passions X: the tenth annual summer exhibition of painting, printmaking, glass, jewellery, feltworks and sculpture.

The group celebrates its twelfth anniversary this year as a vibrant artists' collective with over 50 members.

In such a beautiful part of the county, it's no surprise that the local landscape and coastline are strong features of this exhibition. Dartmoor is represented by Rosemary Bonney, who is drawn to the less-visited and wilder areas of the moor, where the transient changes of weather and mood inspire her acrylic and mixed media paintings of wide vistas and more intimate compositions of wild flowers and hedgerows.

Caroline Barker also explores the wilderness of Dartmoor and the coastline to gather imagery for her printmaking, often incorporating native birds and other wildlife in a montage of multiple images. Hares, those secretive and elusive creatures of countryside and legend, are also a recurring theme for Joanna Martins. Born in Salcombe, Joanna has travelled widely, and takes her inspiration from the natural world. The natural world also inspires Lin Cudlipp in her exploration of texture within her work. Surface and light are important in her studies of countryside and coastline.

Maggie Smith presents a lively body of mixed media works inspired by the sea and the surrounding landscapes, combining printmaking, textiles and text with torn papers and paint on a large scale. In contrast, Maggie also produces detailed drypoints and monoprints, often on a small scale, and inspired by her garden and the natural world. Deborah Poole, too, draws on garden and wild flora, sketching patterns of growth and detail which she develops into designs for feltworks. She enjoys the textural qualities of the material, mixing and layering dyed wool fibres which are hand-rolled to create an image embedded in felted fabric.

Diana Booth paints in a contemporary, colourful style, using a palette knife with oils on canvas. The rugged forms and structures of coastline, cliffs and landscape feature in strong compositions, with the added drama of light reflected in wet sand. Diana seeks out stunning landscapes in the South Hams and also in New Zealand, which she visits regularly.

A newcomer to Devon, Hazel Strange has spent the last three years getting to know her new landscape, walking its paths and fields in all weathers and exploring the concepts of the landscape being at the same time new and ancient. Her preparatory work involves photography and digital manipulation, but she returns to the more traditional oil paint on linen or canvas for her finished works. Andy Ford also explores the landscape with his camera, recording scenes and making sketches which he later reworks as pastel and watercolour paintings.

Christian Parkes also takes his inspiration from the beauty and power of the landscape of the South Hams, and works on a spiritual level to create uplifting, visionary oil paintings. In contrast Sara Downham Lotto shows a lively series of abstract mixed media paintings which use collage to explore pattern and surface.

Glass has become firmly established as a popular medium among SHAF artists and makers, and this year's exhibition features Inka Gabriel's stylish lamps, and Lisa Smith's fused glass panels, and jewellery, created by lampworking and using inclusions such as foils, metals, chemicals and enamels. She also makes use of silver and semi-precious stones in her jewellery. Olivia Wotton also shows a collection of her delicate silver jewellery.

www.shaf.org.uk

For more information visit http://www.harbourhouse.org.uk/gallery-SHAFCP1012.html