De Young Museum

We were watching Artland the other night and they visited this amazing museum and gallery in San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge Park. It is clad in perforated copper sheets that the architects Herzog de Meuron based on digital photographs of light through tree branches. The copper is untreated so its surface patination will change over time eventually turning green.
Herzog de Meuron also designed the Birds Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing which we also love.
photo: thomas mayer

The Butterfly Effect

Thought this was a leaf but on closer inspection it was a strange leaf impersonating butterfly...
photo: susan laughton 2009

Featured Artist: Suzanne Worrall

We did an 'artists swap' of work when I left Valley Artists and so I'm pleased to have two of Suzanne's dry point etchings of found and constructed bundles of grass and straw exploring structure and space. They are not representative of her main body of work but have strong visual connections to our sculptural explorations. More of her work can be seen at Valley Artists.

Duckett and Jeffreys Gallery

The main reason I need to get painting again is that I have a solo exhibition coming up at the exciting new Duckett and Jeffreys Gallery in Malton, North Yorkshire. The exhibition will run from 7th September to 17th October 2010. The show is untitled as yet, I need to have a few more paintings completed first as they will help me find the title...
As Secondnature we will also be having an exhibition there in 2011 (11th January to 20th February) with video artist Maria Silmon, inspired by the tree in the land and skyscape.

Duckett and Jeffreys open on 11th March with the exhibition 'Mouths with Triangles' by Jerwood Drawing Prize shortlisted artist Sally Taylor.



aaa drawing sally taylor 2008

Starting painting

winter journey III susan laughton 2009
After quite a break whilst moving studios I really need to get painting again! An exciting but also scary prospect...This is a detail from one of the last series of little paintings I made with gesso and pencil, which are currently on display at the lovely Cupola Gallery in Sheffield and on my website. I need to get back to my sketchbooks first to pick up my train of thought(s) and will probably start with some small works on paper - a less daunting prospect than stretching canvases. Cupola have several of my paintings on show as well as Secondnature work. They currently have a solo show 'Like a Fool' by John Brokenshire.

News: A new studio space for 2010

After six very happy years at Valley Artists in Waterfoot, Rossendale we have moved to a new studio at Victoria Mill in Congleton, Cheshire. This will be a working space for painting and sculpture but also give us somewhere, by appointment, to exhibit our work.

Layers: time, memory and change.

Old warehouse doors, Honfleur, northen France.
Pam's work has introduced thoughts about layers: of time, memory and change. History held and expressed by objects.
photos: ian turnock/susan laughton 2009

Featured Artist: Pam Hunter

Forget me Not
gelatine monoprint pam hunter 2009

Pam is an artist and writer based at Valley Artists in Rossendale who has been working with gelatine as a medium for monoprint, she says:
The work explores the process using everyday objects from the home and garden and show traces of my preoccupation with time and memory.
These prints were created for the exhibition 'A Postcard from Home'  held as part of Reveal:Rossendale Open Studios in 2009.
More of Pam's work can be seen on Valley Artists website.

Onions
gelatine monoprint with collage pam hunter 2009

Discovering Patterns II

This beautiful shadow is actually of something quite mundane (a raffia basket) but it expresses well our interest in how light, focus and an abstract viewpoint can be transformative.

photo: ian turnock 2010