At Blackburne House – Main Hall until July 28th 2005.
Ghislaine Howard is an artist acclaimed for her powerful evocations of shared human experience and in particular the experience of women. She has worked in maternity units, prisons, geriatric wards and a womens refuge.
In this exhibition though, timed to coincide with the Womens Music Festival, most of the pictures are studies of her daughter, Cordelia, dancing. They’re nice but I would like to have seen a broader collection of her work. There are also some paintings of garments such as Red Dress or Pink Skirt. They’re all acrylic on panel, the paint is quite thick and even looks like something else has been mixed in to give it a rough texture in places.
Cordelia Howard is studying drama and is interested in self-image. Here she is showing several manipulated photographs of herself, some in the style of artists such as Degas, Leonardo and El Greco. Some work quite well, some don’t.