SHERRY EDM
O
NDSON
A
B
OUT
Hello there! I thought I would write a little about my painting journey to date. I have painted and drawn since I was very young, my favourite subjects at the time was ladies wearing crinolines patterned in purple and yellow, moving on to a cottage in a wood with a pond, and finally an island against a vivid sunset.
During the 1960's, I attended a college in Charring Cross road studying exhibition design and display. After leaving college, my life was filled with a variety of activities, such as working for John Lewis, teaching art and drama at a boarding school for girls, making maps for the Forestry Commission, and helping friends run a small hotel in Guernsey before finally stumbling into Ceramic Restoration.
After a long and successful career restoring ceramics, I made a happy return to painting, with my restoration space transforming effortlessly into my art studio, and becoming my special place.
I was encouraged by another artist to enrol with the Open College of the Arts (OCA) in order to refresh my techniques and subsequently I ended up participating and completing a number of courses to degree level. It was an enriching experience, and as I look back at my final student work, I was surprised at how little painting I submitted. After leaving the OCA, I found that my interests in landscape painting started to develop further.
'Nothing dims the excitement, of a painting going to a new home to hang on a wall and be enjoyed by its owners'
Soon after I decided to join some local art groups in order to exhibit my work and see my paintings hanging on a wall. The first time I exhibited with the Winchester Art Club, I won the landscape prize and on top of that, the painting sold. I was so excited, as nothing dims the excitement of a painting going to a new home to hang on a wall and be enjoyed by its owners.
So here I am living and painting in a small village in North Hampshire, my art studio is in the garden. I explore the local landscape on foot and in paint with my studio assistant Sunshine (my Golden retriever). We go on walks every day I observe how time, weather and seasonal change, transforms the landscape.
There is a thrilling sensuality in natural textures, shadows and reflections caused by dramatic change and wild sunrises/sunsets. The power of nature constantly fills me with awe and wonder. During the darker months of the year, the sense of peace waiting for the sun to rise is an intense experience. Sometimes we see an owl in the wild or hear it calling.
I observe the landscape continually, and when an event happens, I like to respond with a painting or make notes of the event to use the image later.
It's difficult sketching with a dog on a lead, but I make special outings to sketch. I take a large number of photos, primarily of my paintings, the walks, my garden, Sunshine, or anything that catches my fancy, after which they are then ruthlessly culled. Some of the photos are used for greetings cards, but I never copy photos for my paintings.
My paintings are ‘about’ rather than ‘of’ a place, they capture the atmosphere, colour, movement, and the briefest of transformations that are so easily missed. I love transforming what I experience into meaningful images, with the intent to spark a response in someone else. The paintings I create are tactile and visually stimulating, and I like to imagine a visually impaired person running their fingers over the surface and reading something into it. My painting techniques continue to develop as I create each new piece, with every day being a new learning experience. I relish the seasonal moods and changes in the landscape, painting in tune with the seasons to create new works of art.
'My paintings are ‘about’ rather than ‘of’ a place, they capture the atmosphere, colour, movement, and the briefest of transformations that are so easily missed'
