Striking new Washington exhibition explores use of colour in art
It features the work of a collective of artists.
A new exhibition at Arts Centre Washington (ACW) explores the use of colour in art.
The free exhibition, CHROMA: A Measure of Colour has been produced by Interface Arts, a network and collective of artists from County Durham and the surrounding areas.
Fifteen artists have contributed to the exhibition, which features paintings, sculptures, quilting, fused glass, needle felting, textiles and jewellery.
Matt Blyth, General Manager at ACW, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting Interface Art’s brilliant new exhibition.
“Colour is rarely viewed in isolation, and our perception of colour is relative, often influenced by factors such as neighbouring colours or light conditions. Simply, people see colours differently, which is an interesting perspective for artists to explore.
“Artists from Interface Arts have been delving into the possibilities and dimensions of colour to present a body of unique, original artwork celebrating the joy of colour.”
Interface’s Brenda Watson, one of the artists featured, explained: “It’s been interesting to see such a wide range of responses by our artists to the theme. Like many other artists, I’ve always been passionate about the use and power of colour in art.”
Wendy Parkin, Chair of Interface Arts and another featured artist, said: “Fifteen of our 18 artists have contributed, and the majority of pieces have been especially created for the exhibition – and most are for sale.”
Wendy’s contribution to the exhibition is four brightly-coloured oil paintings of children’s wellington boots.
Wendy, who has a BA (Honours) degree in fine art from the University of Sunderland, said: “My work is centred around children, so the theme of colour was one I was particularly excited to explore.”
Brenda completed a BA and then an MA in Fine Art at the University of Sunderland and led on organising the exhibition.
Her own contribution is a bright pink installation made of dress netting and held together by fishing wire, which took her more than two months to make.
Another part of the exhibition is Nature’s Palette, by artist Natasha Armstrong. Natasha has created 20 paintings of insects and plants found in the region and provided colour palettes for children (and adults) to see if they can match the colours in the paintings.
Qian Zheng is new to Interface and has created three paintings for the exhibition. A scientist by trade, over the past decade Qian has worked across a range of artistic media, and her current focus is on Chinese art.
She said: “Together, my three pieces map chroma’s full spectrum: from whisper to blaze, quiet to radiant, celebrating how colour carries memory, mood and cultural soul.”
CHROMA: A Measure of Colour is at ACW’s main gallery until Saturday, September 19.
Interface Arts brings together artists and creative practitioners from a wide range of disciplines to organise exhibitions, workshops, performances and community arts activities while promoting participation in the arts.
The group meets regularly for workshops at the Oriental Museum in Durham. New members are welcome and for more information, go to www.interfaceartsdurhamuk.com