Pop-up art show at West Berks garden centre

Thanks to designer Jordan Ayres from Crane Garden Buildings at Hillier’s for reaching out to let us know about the upcoming pop-up art exhibition at the Hermitage garden centre in Prior’s Court Road.

The show runs from August 17 to September 1 in among Crane’s show buildings and features the work of two local artists, Julie Pearson and Kevin Scully, who are well-known to the area through Open Studios.

Their work will be on display daily from 10am-4pm and both artists will be there for a Meet the Artist session on Saturday, August 17 and Sunday 18 from 10.30am-3.30pm.

Hampstead Norreys painter Kevin Scully trained at Wimbledon School of Art and began his career as a scenic artist in the theatre and television. He then worked for many years as a successful illustrator in advertising and publishing, based in several London art and design studios. His commercial experience enables him to work in a diverse number of mediums, but he now paints primarily in oils, watercolour and pastels.

He says: “Time and experience have led me to find new ways of saying more with less. In my paintings, as much detail as possible has been eliminated, with the elements contained within them being suggested rather than specified. “

He produces paintings that are mainly figurative, with a sense of the enigmatic and evocative. Subject matter is varied and he focuses on choosing the less obvious viewpoints, avoiding the clichéd and overstated. Mood and atmosphere are his primary concerns. The paintings he produces en plein air are often used as the basis for larger studio-based works.

“In an attempt to capture the fleeting effects of light, and in particular atmosphere, I work at speed before the moment evaporates.

“I adopt the same lively approach in my paintings when I am confronted with a moody, misty landscape in the northern hemisphere, as I do when experiencing the heat and blinding light of more southerly climates.

Kevin tutors on painting holidays at home and abroad and runs regular art courses in the UK. He has led groups of painters to Spain, Portugal, Morocco, India, Greece, Gozo, Turkey, France and Italy.

Mortimer artist Julie’s award winning work is created in a wide range of mediums including drawing, painting, sculpting and digital prints.

Some are designed to convey symbolic relevance, gifts and wisdom, others are explorations into the unknown. Her unique images are produced using different forces, applied with various objects on a range surfaces to move acrylic paint and produce striking colours and affects. She takes days and even weeks looking for interesting aspects of the original work to photograph, sometimes digitally edit and reproduce in print.

She focuses on a subject as she applies the force because she believes it influences the outcome. It could be an emotion, the person she is creating for, a place or a significant moment. She loves that “science, life force, luck, fate, god or whatever you would like to call it, has a hand” in creating such beautiful images.

Facebook: @juliepearsonartist Instagram: @juliepearsonartist Website: www.juliepearsonart.co.uk

Julie was an award-winner for Outstanding Achievement in Art after her studies at West Dean College of Art and Conservation, in 2023.