One of Judy Burnett’s paintings at Morten Gallery, Bridlington
YORK artist Judy Burnett is exhibiting paintings and collages in the Hills, Fields and Shifting Tides exhibition at Morten Gallery, High Street, Old Town, Bridlington, until August 14.
East Yorkshire artist Hannah Hoad’s linocut prints are on show too in the summer exhibition at the coastal gallery run by ceramicist Jenny Morten.
“These two artists have a lifelong love of the beautiful Wolds area surrounding the sweeping bay of Bridlington,” says Jenny. “Judy walks along the coastal paths drawing the changes in the seasons, capturing the myriad effects of light and the rich textures of colours and forms in her sketchbook.”
Hannah Hoad, left, gallery owner Jenny Morten and Judy Burnett launch the Hills, Fields and Shifting Tides exhibition at Morten Gallery
Once back in her studio, she develops her studies into compositions of multi-layered complexity through hand-painted collage, inks and acrylics.
“Hannah picks out the diversity of bird and animal life against a backdrop of subtle patterns and tones with a printmaker’s eye, transferring her sketches into finely worked linocuts, where bold black outlines are softened by hand- painted watercolour,” says Jenny.
Most of the works on show are small in scale with a jewel-like quality that delights the viewer on close inspection. Original framed works are displayed in both the main and side galleries with mounted pieces in browsers available too.
Morten Gallery’s opening hours are: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm.
A linocut by Hannah Hoad at Morten Gallery, Bridlington
York artist Judy Burnett with her painting Looking Towards Bempton
JUDY Burnett and Lynne Porter are to hold a joint exhibition at Jenny Morten’s bright new gallery in the Old Town, Bridlington.
International ceramicist Jenny has opened the Morten Gallery in the High Street after returning from working and teaching in California.
Running there from September 19 to October 31 will be Judy and Lynne’s show of new works entitled Bridlington And The Wolds: Through The Artist’s Eye. Both artists will be at the Saturday launch between 1pm and 4pm to discuss their work.
York artist Judy, a regular participant in York Open Studios at her home studio by the River Ouse in New Walk, has loved studying the Yorkshire coastline since her student days in Hull.
Every vacation, she worked at a restaurant perched on the cliff edge at North Landing, Flamborough, and latterly she has been re-visiting these favourite cliff-top areas.
“Flamborough Head has a magical quality, and I constantly attempt to capture the majesty of the monumental cliffs and the huge expanses of sea and sky in my paintings,” says Judy.
“The white cliffs take on different tones in the changing light and the grasses on the cliff tops move in the wind as the waves roll below.”
In her paintings, rapid mark-making is balanced with areas of flat colour and textured surfaces, aiming to keep the work fresh and spontaneous while echoing the power of the elements.
On The Edge Of Understanding, acrylic on wood, by Lynne Porter, at the Morten Gallery, Bridlington
Just south of Flamborough Head lies Bridlington, a seaside town with “a totally different atmospheric quality,” Judy says. “The wide-open golden beaches of the two Bridlington bays appear to be endless when the tide recedes; the wide vistas of sand, sea and sky contrast with the busy visual activity of boats in the harbour,” she notes.
Judy’s work begins with observational sketchbook studies on-site and is developed in her York studio with acrylic paints and hand-printed paper collage. “The resulting mixed-media paintings reflect the transient effects of the ever-changing weather, from hazy mists to brilliant sunshine,” she says.
Fellow exhibitor Lynne Porter, who lives on the Yorkshire coast, is a mixed-media artist who works in oils, acrylics, charcoal and collage.
Her paintings are rooted in her meditative experience of studying the woods, hills and valleys of the Wolds, as well as the coastline.
“My work concerns my interaction with the landscape,” she says. “I’m inspired by the coast and countryside and I love to experiment, being particularly driven by texture and colour.
“I work on location, going out into the landscape and making loose, painterly sketches, using all my senses to get the right expressive feel.”
Once back in the studio, Lynne’s intuition takes over as she tears selected areas out of the sketches to set the making of her abstract paintings in motion.
“These are pasted into sketchbooks. I may then add collage and/or mark making to these,” she says. “The results inspire the paintings and, I hope, capture that ‘sense of place’.”.
Meanwhile, Jenny has opened an annexe to her gallery to display the entire archive of her late husband, artist Geoff Morten. More than 1,000 works are on show, ranging from large canvasses to small paintings, etchings to monoprints.
