PRESS RELEASE -“Seeds of Change” - Hereford City Centre Art Gallery Opening
Looking back to the future to bring the outside in
With the temporary closure of Hereford Museum and Art Gallery it has become even
more important to get the gallery space at the Old Mayor’s Parlour in the centre of
Hereford open again. Gallery@OMP will open on 29th March 2016. An opening
exhibition, “Seeds of Change’, that will reflect back to what has gone before, and also
project forward as to what can be is the creative coming together of 6 artists with
connections to Herefordshire who are at different stages of their creative lives. The
opening exhibition shows respect for the old, in terms of history, environment and
artistry, and has also brought in the new through the approaches the artists have made
to the works being show-cased.
Internationally recognized naturalist and wildlife artist Rob Parkin will be shifting his
studio base, from it’s usual location to the West of Hereford, into the gallery, for three
weeks, as a five-year project to catalogue the UK’s wild flowers will begin to emerge.
Switching style from his usual oil painting to illustrative drawings there is an urgency to
Rob’s work as many flowers are disappearing each year in response to environmental
change and sometimes human intervention.
Taking art into the 3rd dimension, Nicola Jedrzejczak, based in Ledbury, will be showing
her carefully cut and constructed altered book sculptures relating to nature based on
The Observer Books, a continuation of her 2015 Hereford College of Art graduation
project which started with “Cocoon’ about emergence and change, including butterflies
that have gone or are disappearing.
Looking at the broader picture and capturing the changing light patterns in the
Herefordshire landscape will be the drawings and dramatic oil paintings of Vanessa
Pomeroy. Working at one outside with the elements in the warmer months and from
memory plus photographic and sketch prompts the same views can be captured time
after time with totally different emotional responses being drawn out of the viewer by
this widely collected artist.
Physically bringing the countryside into his work is master potter Tony Hall, who uses
ash from the managed woodland surrounding his farm, based on the borders at
Knucklas, to fuel the wood-fire kiln he built. Producing hand-thrown domestic
stoneware vessels and carved slip-decorated earthenware Harvest Jugs, with a tradition
harking back to the 16th century, Tony’s work reflects the heritage of the venue and his
conservationist heart.
Change came into Emma Cownie’s life, after a car accident in 2012, which encouraged
her to explore new techniques, finding an intuitive style which results in expressive
bright oil paintings of the animals, birds and landscapes she encounters. This is the first
show for Emma’s work in her birthplace.
The sixth artist is the internationally acclaimed abstract ceramicist Ken Eastman,
showing a few of his large-scale ceramic slab pieces. Ken makes to see things that he’s
not seen before and that may not be fully understood or explained by maker or viewer
encouraging visitors to stop and ponder what is? And what is not?
So everyone is welcome to come along to see, think and explore at the exhibition “Seeds
of Change’ which encompasses not only the wildlife and nature themes that are evident
in many of the works, but also the paths that these artists have made or are taking. Rob
Parkin is delighted to be artist in residence and will be at Gallery@OMP (Wednesday to
Sunday) to discuss with visitors how we can each take small steps to conserve the
natural world on our doorstep. The exhibition is open to the public from March 29th to
April 24th, Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00, Gallery@Night Thursdays open late to
20:00 and Sundays 11:00 to 16:00. This marks the re-launch of a first-floor art gallery at
the Old Mayor’s Parlour, 23 Church Street, Hereford. Many of the works are for sale.
Gallery owners, the Church Street Charitable Trust are keen to keep this historic
building open as many days of the year as possible by hiring out the space to artists
from the Marches and beyond. Exhibitions will bring together traditional craft with a
modern twist and contemporary 2-D and 3-D artists with a view to bringing something
fresh and challenging to visitors at the gallery space. The Trust will is supporting local
artists with prizes for schools and sixth forms (exhibitions in May) and three exhibitors
for hArt 2016 (exhibition September).
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Kathryn Sassall pr@oldmayorsparlour.co.uk 07977418969
Website: www.oldmayorsparlour.co.uk
Facebook Page: OldMayorsParlour Twitter: @GalleryOMP
Pinterest: OldMayorsParlour
If you would like more information about any of the artists individual releases have
been created. Images : Copyright of images remains with the artist.