Art and nature are intrinsically linked, from the animals in ancient cave paintings to Monet’s waterlilies, the connection has always been present. This month an event at Arts Bar Hope Street will mark Earth Day, curated by Laura McCann, the exhibition will showcase a group of artists who are continually inspired by the natural world.
“Lena and the Sea” creates contemporary paintings and takes her inspiration from wild swimming. Lena has a degree in fine art but actually, like lots of people, she found that the joy went out of her creative practice when it became more about deadlines and rules than artistic exploration and self-expression. So after graduating Lena trained as a hairdresser, which is what she happily did until 2018, when as a mum of two, she decided to return to her first love, art. By then Lena had followed already followed in the footsteps of her own mum who swims outdoors everyday and before long Lena’s new found passion for wild swimming started to influence her painting. The pieces Lena has created especially for this collection explore the connections we feel and forge when we are near the sea.
Suzanne Grace is a qualified teacher, zoologist and management conservationist. Since studying at Liverpool Art College and UCLAN in 2012, Suzanne has volunteered at Liver Sketch Club and has been experimenting with new ways to develop her own artistic practice. Much of Suzanne’s work focuses on nature and she’s currently exploring wider themes such as the extinction crisis, rewilding, and other environmental issues. For this exhibition Suzanne will be presenting a collection of her very popular studies of endangered species.
Steph Aldwinckle is an abstract artist living in West Kirby. She received a BA Hons in Animation and Illustration many years ago, however it wasn’t until she moved to the Wirral a few years ago that she decided to pick up a paint brush once again. Steph’s home studio overlooks the beautiful Wirral penisular and on towards the dramatic Welsh Hills and this is the view inform her abstract landscapes. For this exhibition Steph is bringing together a range of work that demonstrates how she’s constantly inspired by the ever changing colours of the sky, land and coast around her.
Andreea Mate is a contemporary artist living and working in Liverpool and is currently studying for an MA in Exhibition Studies at LJMU. Andreea’s work is inspired by her own life experiences and having lived in Romania until the age of six, she acknowledges that her work is also informed by growing up in two different cultures. Andreea uses her creative practice to explore her memories and she also views it as a therapeutic process. The series of paintings presented by Andreea at the Earth Day exhibition were started during lockdown and helped her to cope with the difficulties of life at that point. The pieces hope to demonstrate the duality found in nature and in our own lives, in that they appear to be one thing on the surface but there is a secondary and much deeper meaning to each image.
The Earth Day event launches on Thursday 20th 6pm-9pm and continues Friday 21st until Sunday 23rd of April 12pm-5pm. Entry is free and artists will be present throughout the event and items will be available for purchase.