Midsummer Magic - Curated Exhibition
This specially curated exhibition takes place right after the summer solstice and across midsummer's day, featuring the artistic creations of up to nine talented artists who have captured the essence of this brief season. Traditionally, midsummer's day symbolised the midpoint of the growing season, marking the halfway point between planting and harvest. Some still hold the belief that good weather on this day predicts a bountiful harvest, while the gathering of flowers remains a significant aspect of modern midsummer traditions in many countries. In ancient times, pagans regarded midsummer as a magical time of new beginnings, celebrated through festivals and bonfires. Nowadays, midsummer celebrations blend ancient and more modern elements, incorporating dancing, singing, feasting, and drinking, along with the tradition of jumping over bonfires to ward off misfortune. This exhibition aims to capture the enchanting spirit of abundance and joy that characterises this magical season.
Taking place in our recently refurbished Artisan Gallery, our new series of curated exhibitions aim to offer an accessible platform for even more local and regional artists to join our talented range of exhibitors here at The Station.
Exhibiting artists include:
Self taught local artist Zoe Lord invites you into a world of fairies, ancient customs and folklore. Imagery which captures the magical essence of Midsummer and celebrates the start of summer. Taking inspiration from the dreamy, emotional and poetic work of Marc Chagall. Where floating people, lush flowers and foliage and childlike imagery are used to convey the joy of midsummer through the use of a limited number of vibrant colours. Four acrylic on canvas works entitled: ‘Future Reflections’, ‘Lovers Jumping’, ‘Sun Worshipers’ and ‘Return of Summer’ make up this mini exhibition. ‘Future Reflections’ is based on the superstition of looking into a body of water on Midsummer’s Eve, where you would see the reflection of a future love. ‘Sun Worshippers’ captures first light at Stonehenge, an important historical site at the solstice, as the stones are aligned to the movement of the sun. ‘Lovers Jumping’ dates back to pagan customs of lighting and jumping over bonfires on Midsummer’s eve to ward off demons and bring good luck to lovers. Finally ‘Return of Summer’ is a celebration of the return and bounty of summer through the tradition of maypole dancing still seen in the UK and around the world.
As a dog walker, Mark spends a lot of time out walking in nature, in arguably Mother Nature’s finest achievement, North Yorkshire. Mark set himself a challenge to capture 1% of the feeling of happiness it gives him. Mark has lived in Richmond for about 20 years. That’s about 7500 days, walking his dogs twice a day - about 15000 walks. Each time he goes out he sees or hears something new. The artwork displayed in this exhibition is Mark's attempt to capture the beauty he sees in the summer walks he's been on.
Graduating from Chelsea School of Art in 1994, Hellen specialises in Textile and Mixed Media artwork. She draws inspiration from the industrial shoreline and rugged landscape of the North East in her work. As a working florist, she also focuses on the flora in which she delights in nurturing each day. She aims to reveal the beauty in the collision between the natural and manufactured environment. The seductive, tactile, jewel-like colours and surfaces are intended to conjure the vitality, atmosphere and a sense of a place. She draws the viewer in close, to call into focus the familiar and the overlooked in every exquisite detail that creates a terrain or bud. This collection is a Dendrophile dream, - these ‘treescapes’ and the colours and textures it conjures up, through the sun soaked blankets of colour that peeps through the forests and woods in Midsummer - an enchanting magical moment in nature is captured using exquisite organic fibres and threads.
Jackie's experimental photographs were taken when the light is at its brightest, approximately Midsummer. Through the intensity of hand made mirrors build spiralling light producing a 'Monet-like colour pallet proudcing fairytale images as the light spirals around the 'pontil' of the reclaimed 'jar-lens', creating a vision as the veil becomes thinner at Midsummer, encompassing the worlds of fantasy and reality, thus creating a magical time for Faries and Elves to pass through the veil to reality. The photographs give dream-like qualities, and a symbolic fusion between different worlds. In Shakespeare's 'Midsummer's Night Dream', Titania the 'Queen of the Fairies' is given a magical potion of made from plants and flowers inducing her dream-like state; thus these photographs are 'Monet'- like and impressionistic representing magical plants and flowers.
Gill's still life watercolours celebrate the beauty of summer fruit and veg in delicious close-up. The subjects are captured either at the start of their short lives, at the peak of their fruitfulness or during their glorious decay. The collection is a set of six summer scenes describing: pears, lemons, oranges, kiwi, persimmon, mushrooms, onions, olives, gooseberries and apples. Additionally, one of the paintings references the mystical powers of the summer solstice moon as it offers up a fruit of the sea in the form of a luxurious lobster on a bed of tangerine.
Harriet's felted pictures show the natural beauty of the dales in the summer season. Displaying the wild hay meadows, hedge rows bursting with life, beautiful bright flowers and uplifting summer skies. Hariet's art is made from 100% sustainable wool which she felts using a combination of traditional techniques; wet felting to make the “canvas” base, followed by intricate needle felting to add depth and character with finer details. Harriet likes to think of this process as painting with wool, blending colours together as she goes. Superfine Merino wool is her favourite to work with, along with Bluefaced Leicester and Shetland. Incorporating texture allows her to breathe life into her felt art, it’s a very tactile medium that is so therapeutic and relaxing to work with. For the Midsummer Magic Exhibition, Harriet is showing a selection of her Yorkshire Dales Landscapes and artwork that depicts tha animals that reside within the national park.
Grace's pieces are all to do with Pagan ideals, Mother Earth, elements and wildlife, focusing on imagery that connects the earth to Pagan seasons. She particularly likes using symbolism to express nature within her works along with colour, shape, movement and with a strong reference to design. Grace has creating images invoking Midsummer with corresponding colours, plants, flowers and the wildlife while also adding magical elements using spiritual surrealism and romanticism.
Jill Clay is a local tutor who absolutely loves Japan. When she's not working with her tour company over there, she spends her free time shopping for unique papers to bring back home. Jill's art includes watercolors, Japanese textiles, resin, and Chigiri-e—the beautiful Japanese art of tearing paper. She blends watercolour and Chigiri-e to create affordable pieces with a delightful Japanese twist. Jill lives on Aske, surrounded by thousands of acres of gorgeous greenery, which greatly inspires her work. You can find her art in several galleries, and she’s always excited to take on commissions. Plus, she teaches fun workshops on Aske. One Midsummer tradition involves bringing nature into our homes. Jill aims to capture the beauty of nature in her work and express her appreciation for the landscape she inhabits.
Event date: 21/06/2024 - 02/07/2024