4 Artists Exhibit at Tonbridge Castle

In Memory of Betty - Sue Vass

This weekend I visited the 4 Artists Exhibition at Tonbridge Castle Chamber, and in all honesty it was really worthwhile. I spent ages losing myself in the detail of a number of pieces, trying to work out what the shapes and contours depicted. Some of the sculptures were suspended  in the windows. Others fashioned with wire sat on white oblong blocks. Painting, print, drawing and sculpture are all represented.

The curation of the exhibition is excellent considering the difficulty the space provides. It is far from complementary with distracting dark panelling, patterned carpet and drapes. I find the decor unhinging, and overwhelming. This is an exhibition that deserves to be shown to its best advantage ... in a white gallery where nothing diverts the eye or causes a visual battle.

I observed other visitors at the exhibition and noticed they were spending lengthy moments viewing the art, and that is a good sign as it shows engagement with the pieces. They were certainly not on a whistle stop tour and rushing out again.

Beast - Jill Goldsworthy

'Beast' by Gill Goldsworthy had me lingering a little longer. I liked the way the content was secretly hidden, not quite revealed and yet emerged through the layering of blues.  

Finding Wales - Marilyn Garwood

Finding Wales was the subject of  Marilyn Garwood's two paintings. The atmosphere and sense of place was captured in the soft tones and contrast of shapes. The warmer greens in the painting's foreground, set against the colder blues in the distance, reflected the way light and atmosphere quickly change the landscape in Wales.

Margaret Barrett, one of the exhibiting artists, was happy to answers questions and talk about the pieces on display, whilst at the same time wiring a new sculpture. Her work is made with discarded materials, and she told me that skips hold a treasure trove of possibilities, but sadly they represent the throw-away society in which we live.  The exhibition includes a sculpture made entirely from empty food packets and another of plastic containers.  Margaret's work  was chosen to be exhibited at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition this year, and was sold to an admirer.  You can own a piece of her work by giving a donation to charity.

Crisp Packet Collage - Margaret Barrett

From the Sea - Found - Margaret Barrett

Butterfly - Margaret Barrett - Mixed Media

Love in the Mist (detail) - Margaret Barrett - Wire and Plastic

 The exhibition is open daily until Friday October 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Entrance is free.