INSPIRED by the opportunity to revisit Wales, where a childhood was spent exploring its landscapes with family, RCA artist Chloe Holt has produced a new collection of beautifully painted wild flowers, lichens, rocks and seaweeds, full of sweet yellow memories, for her latest show at Ffin y Parc Gallery.
Chloe was born in 1981. Her shows are growing in popularity in London and in the North of England were she is currently living. This is her fifth collection at the award-winning Ffin y Parc Gallery where she will share exhibition space, from Sunday, October, 13 until Wednesday, November 11 with fellow artists Chris Neale and Robert Pitwell.
“This is a very special body of work, as I’ve had the chance to revisit Wales for this collection,” explained Chloe.
“It’s a place that has always given me so much inspiration since I grew up on its borders and spent most of my childhood exploring its places and landscapes.”
She added: “This exhibition showcases a mix of both paintings and paperwork series’. For the first time I’m exhibiting original sketches which normally remain in my personal collection. The sketches and watercolours show the progression of thoughts from the first impression to the finished works.”
Welsh artist Chris Neale is returning to the gallery with a collection of over 20 new paintings of North Wales landscapes. Over the years Chris has become steadily more popular and has recently moved from Pembrokeshire to Penmachno.
He explained: “With these works I hope to capture the emotion that drives me into the hills to where the road ends and along tracks that lead to unknown places. Composition and colour are my main interests; I try to use them to capture the essence of what I see. I try to make each image arresting to the viewer and invoke a reaction of ‘hiraeth’.”
As an experienced printmaker Robert Pitwell’s background is obvious in this small new collection, his first since 2013 at the gallery. Born in 1964 and trained in Cardiff, Robert taught printmaking at Coleg Menai in Bangor, and lives in Pentrefoelas, where he also has a studio.
Gallery owner Ralph Sanders explained: “For this collection, Rob has created bright, colour-saturated works, often painted on found or re-purposed materials. Despite their diminutive scale, they are works of considerable power, passion and intensity. Like shiny and unexpected jewels.”