Oh Australia IV

When I retired from full time work as an administrator at North Devon College, in Barnstaple, North Devon,  I decided that, after painting for so many years, on a self-taught basis, I should formalise my education and get a degree. My choice was Fine Arts, of course, and after three years study in Barnstaple and Taunton, I graduated in 2011 with a Grayson Perry (upper second).

 

I have been a member of the Westward Ho! & Bideford Art Society for many years and  was Exhibition Organiser from 2010 - 2018. I have also done a little teaching for groups of folks locally and with my husband have lived in the area for many years.

 

Colour is my passion. In my degree, I focussed on painting and for three wonderful and scary years I was able to experiment and play. My thesis was on colour in the industrial age, which was a fascinating area of research. For me image making is often formed from memory and emotion rather than direct observation and, as with other artists, I can be influenced by issues that have a strong meaning for me. I enjoy the process of allowing and enabling material to flow and develop dynamically. Further stages in the painting may include form produced from images created by the spontaneous action of the media.

 

• some ways it could be argued that I am portraying what I see around me, in the landscapes, seascapes and sky-scapes, of this beautiful part of this country. Living in Devon, I am lucky that I only have to walk a mile or so to get to water; there are several rivers nearby and the local marshes and estuary often provide the inspiration and motivation for my work. I am drawn to the abstractions in nature and these play a large part in my work, sometimes without my being conscious of their presence until nearing completion of the piece.

 

In my most recent works, I am enjoying using oils and cold wax medium to produce depth and texture. I have always loved working with oils, the smell, the media and its forgiving nature, however it does take a long time to dry! Using the cold wax medium, does speed up the process and creates gorgeous textures. I do hope you like what you see.

 

It is important to me that you are happy - in love even - with your purchase(s). These days when physical galleries are not always accessible, it can be a bit of a gamble for the customer to buy anything online. Even more so when it is something so personal as a piece of art - that you may only have seen in its virtual format. I want you, my customer to have confidence in buying my work, either from my website or the online galleries I work with. I take great care to reproduce my work as accurately as possible to the original, within the limitation of photography. My desire is to establish a long-lasting and successful working relationships with all my customers.

 

Jenny Smy's work is held in private collections in London, Scotland, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Australia, Germany and USA.

The theme in this series depicts my response to the devastating bush fires in Australia last year, particularly in the Kangaroo Island area off the coast of South Australia.

Andy and I were guests on the island for 2 months in 2008 and were horrified, by the chaos and devastation to this wonderful place caused by the fires.

There is a donation website to help and support the island and if any of the pieces to sell, I will be donating 10% of the net sales, to them.  

Mixed Media | Oils and Cold Wax Medium

43x51cm

Framed Under Glass With a White Wood Frame