Gillian standing by statue

Gillian Redwood

During the last part of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, I developed a series of acrylics which are focused on the human body. They use as their genesis the images from life drawings completed over the winter of 2007, while studying at the St Ives School of Painting in the UK.

Each line or brush stroke tells a story, and every time I paint I'm aware that the energy behind a line can be felt on the canvas or on the page. Where the lines of energy flow in a landscape or a human body can give information to the eye, and we interpret these in our own way. If we could see energy between things, the relationship between the seer and the seen, then how would our world look? I explore the energetics of the universe in my paintings, and express some of these energies in colour and form. I work quickly and in short bursts, usually covering the whole canvas in one session, then layering colour to imitate the layers that I perceive. Often I use acrylics as a wash, like watercolour, then apply paint in different ways. Every flow of energy changes the shape and density of an object, and I like to observe these flows.

Qualifications & Study

  • Cardiff School of Art, Wales UK: Pre-diploma 1965
  • West of England College of Art: Diploma in Art & Design 1966-69
  • St Ives School of Painting: Residential courses, classes 2007/8

Biography

In the early years after graduation I lived and worked in London, then returned to Wales as a young mother. I worked as an artist and developed a series of paintings as wood collage. Each was individually cut with a treadle jigsaw, then mounted and painted as a landscape collage. Later I studied airbrush illustration and used the skills to develop large watercolour airbrush paintings exhibited in 1989 and '91. I studied Chinese brush painting and created images on long scrolls of rice paper, plus painted wall hangings for a collaborative mixed media exhibition in 1998.

Galeri Yr Hen Feudy, Llanegrin, Gwynedd

From 2003 I worked professionally as a full-time artist painting in oils and acrylic on canvas. I was invited by artist Jane Whittle to assist her in the conversion of a large barn into a rural gallery at her home in the Dysynni valley near Llanegryn.

We worked together on replacing windows in the barn, whitewashing walls, painting cowstalls and laying white stone. The transformation of this barn into a rural Art Gallery presented a first class venue for local artists to show their work. The project was completed in the summer of 2004 and we held our first joint exhibition in June. This was followed by an Open Studio during Gwynedd Arts Week in October which involved local artists work, where six of my acrylic and oil canvases were exhibited.

White Rock, British Columbia March '05

In White Rock I worked on a series of charcoal and pastel drawings. These were created in the towering Redwood Forest, inspired by the energy and beauty of Giant Sequoia trees and beaten white grasses in the frozen marshlands. I exhibited these drawings and the resulting paintings in my exhibition 'Forgotten Forest' at the White Rock Arts Council Gallery. This show described my relationship with the forest landscape: the virgin forest which has been lost, the trees that remain and the vitality of life that I discovered there.

Art Walk, Aberdovey

In the summer of 2005 I returned to Wales and organised a summer Art Walk in Aberdovey which took visitors around the small quayside village, entertained by stories of the port and sunken lands of Cantre'r Gwaelod, then back to the seafront for an exhibition of my artwork. I was awarded a Ceredigion Business Marketing Grant in the autumn of 2005 to purchase IT equipment and design software packages for publicity and marketing. With this I set up my own website and was able to update it myself on a daily or weekly basis.

Canada, U.S.A, Kaua'i Hawai'i, 2006

During this time I travelled across Canada and down the west coast of USA, with one month spent in the artistic town of Patagonia in the south of Arizona. Along the way I had the opportunity to develop drawings and paintings and respond to commissions and gifts of my artwork. I made many pastel sketches which were to become the basis of a series of paintings. The journey then took us to the island of Kaua'i in Hawai'i during a monsoon-type flood, giving me time and space to study the Polynesian culture, medicinal plants, Hawaiian spiritual beliefs and a vast array of local art. I exhibited in three galleries on the island over the five month period.

Summer 2006, Gwynedd

Several months were spent painting and exhibiting in the gallery Yr Hen Feudy.

Porthmeor Studios, St Ives, Winter '06/'07

I was extremely happy to be able to rent a winter studio/gallery for six months in the centre of St Ives, an internationally renowned UK Mecca for artists. Living there I could attend courses and classes at the School of Painting, a place where Emily Carr first discovered her talent for landscape and trees. In St Ives I was able to paint and sell my art direct to the public in my courtyard studio/Gallery. This direct approach, being able to talk to interested customers made my creative efforts a joy. The ongoing drop-in life drawing classes at the School of Painting were crucial to the development of life studies in the new 2010 series. In the final two weeks of my stay, I rented a Waterfront Studio Gallery for a final exhibition.

Italy 2006/7

Living in central Italy for 10 months, I explored local art and culture and visited artists and galleries throughout the region. Our journeys centred on areas of Umbria and Tuscany with visits to Rome, Florence and Perugia. While I was immersed in the fabulous culture of Renaissance Italy, it was a time of absorbing artisitic imagery rather than creating it.

Nakusp B.C. 2008 ~ present

Now a resident of Nakusp, I am inspired by the scenery and sense of place where I can continue the creative journey. I now have a Studio-Gallery in the centre of Nakusp called 'The Small Gallery' and it is open during the summer months for visitors, and during Fall and Winter -- by chance or by appointment!