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Artist Statement: The Minffordd Path is an image I made when I began my journey back to photography two years ago. I have walked, swam and meandered through the landscape for as long as I can remember. I feel more at ease outside and for me going out is staying in. Journeys on foot are a meditative act, a way of calming my senses and connecting the past and present. I am drawn to fragile, neglected and dormant spaces and often visit the same space time and time again. Within the familiar it is still possible to get lost. I use my camera as a diary, journal and sketchbook and photograph places that resonate with me or evoke a particular feeling or emotion. The photographic space allows me to begin an external and internal dialogue and add my own layers and stories to the tracks, pathways and causeways traversed and passed through by people I’ll never know or meet. #TheArtofYou #kristelcollison #artofyou18

Artist Statement: Artist and Writer based in Norwich, UK. MA Fine Art graduate from Norwich University of the Arts, 2014. This practice aims to convey a visual language that demonstrates the fluid ambiguity of meaning, hence of reading; through discourse, design, and changing contexts. This study of semiotics challenges linguistic traditions, methods of curation, and medium, but more intensively it confronts the connotation forced and attached to particular words. Deconstruction and Deconstructivism theory fuel this. They intend to tilt, to fragment, and to stylize forming a dysfunctional and seemingly misguided structure, making way for an accessible alternative freedom within language. Work Description: A duo of dark wood, engraved, designs. Succession (1) and Succession (3) began as digital prints, but in a classic experimental style they have taken the form of sculptures that demonstrate a cycle, one of meaning and definition that has been somewhat distorted or broken. They are each approximately 15x15cm and 3cm deep. They are to be placed, or leant, not hung. #TheArtofYou #artofyou18

Artist Statement: McBride has been unkindly called a dilettante on occasion, probably because she has rarely met an art form she didn’t love and worked in many. She began her odd career at age 3 in ballet (which lasted until age 10), then switched to acting through age 18; at university, she switched to English Lit. But her best friend, an artist, used to encourage her dabbling in art. Finally, in her early 30s and living in Manhattan, she studied at the Art Students League of New York because the great anatomy and drawing teacher, Robert Beverly Hale, was very, very old and she had always wanted to know what he had to teach. After a couple of years of study with Hale, Tom Fogarty (oils), Gregory D’Alessio (watercolour) and John Howard Sanden (portraiture), McBride applied and was “elected to membership” in the ASL, a membership she keeps up to this day, although she now lives in Cornwall, as she has for the past 8 years, except for one year in Languedoc. As if to prove she is more than a casual dilettante, McBride also studied for a master’s Degree in journalism, worked as an editor at Prentice Hall in NYC, freelanced for magazines, wrote 14 non-fiction books and one adult humorous mystery, decided to learn to train hunter-jumper horses, taught riding in the US…and all the while, took the occasional portrait commission, and did quite a lot of trompe l’oeil for individuals and interior designers. These days, McBride says, in respect of her bones being a lot older than they once were, the horses are a memory filled with passion, and will probably become art subjects soon. She has no interest in journalism, she says; these days, one has to be a warrior as well and that doesn’t appeal to her. She has finally arrived at the place of doing what her artist friend told her 50 years ago: “You really need to do some painting,” she said. And so, it is. Work Description: The entry is a one of the watercolours I did for my children’s book, Allo, Bijou by my alter ego, Nora Ned McBride. Along with it is a copy of the book itself, a story about a little dog who moves to France and finds friendship with a collection of French dogs. (A second book is now in production; it’s theme is the little dog—Bijou—rescuing an abandoned kitten with the help of her French friend.) #TheArtofYou #lauraharrisonmcbride #artofyou18

Artist Statement: I am a self-taught artist who has painted for ever. Initially I worked in Gouache, then Acrylic and now Oils. Now the lack of tuition is less of an issue because I am happy exploring different types of paint and different painting styles. The images have become much more of a reflection of me than a reproduction of someone else’s style. Work Description: Painting has always been there, from the early days of sibling rivalry with my brother to the dark days after my first husband’s death. Loosing myself in a picture has always been the way forward. A painting haunts you before you put brush to canvas, it nags away at the back of your mind demanding to be let out. For many years I was the girl who went no-where and then suddenly I had the freedom to travel and see the world. Initially solitude was a hard taskmaster but now, sitting in the open air completely absorbed in what I see has become a joy. The painting in this exhibition represents the joy of exploration and colour. If someone had said to me 10 years ago that I would spend time in Australia I would have laughed, but then I met an Australian with a property in the Adelaide hills. We only visited once a year but these visits saw a massive rebirth in my painting. I discovered acrylic and the joy of painting in the open air. This painting of Gum trees was carried at Easter last year. My last visit. Sitting on the old bench outside the house at Flaxley I was consumed by the colour noise and movement of the Gum trees and the magpies that warble through their branches. This painting for me says it all. #TheArtofYou #artofyou18

Artist Statement: A connotation relating to the beauty of women is hair, yet off the head it undergoes a shift in representation that unsettles the viewer as a reminder of the person on which it grew. Disembodied hair contains the identity of the person, and whilst growing it represented an important facet of society - that of the pressure on women to look a certain way and to act a certain way in order to conform to the patriarchal society into which we were born. Cut hair sits in a liminal space, as do cut flowers, where they appear alive but are in fact dead. My work creates an interplay between the beautiful and the grotesque, shifting the textures of these liminal objects which were once pleasant in a rebellion against the beauty ideals that intrude upon the lives of women from a young age, throughout their lives. The colour pink exemplifies in some instances the fragility associated with femininity - a key theme in my practice. My aim is to find an opposing strength in pink, representing and embodying the true nature of femininity and what it is to be a woman in the twenty first century. Work Description: This photograph was taken during a difficult time in my life, where the societal expectations and pressures of our culture tell me that I should look a certain way, and to behave in ways that were typical of women. Around this time, I decided to cut my hair short, and used it in this work so that I could carry a piece of my identity both physically and mentally at the time through my medium of choice. The characteristics expected of us as women include fragility, fertility and use as displayed objects, much like flowers. Using flowers in my work is a common theme, a satirical nod to the ways in which we are conditioned to embody these traits for the gratification of men. This photograph is an emblem of my liberation of the structures of society relating to female behaviour and stands against that which is expected of us. #TheArtofYou #mennasiwan #artofyou18

Artist Statement: Sarah Tansey lives by the sea and creates work from home in sunny Devon, UK. I am a mature lady and a single mum. I am a self-taught artist and writer. My art is very expressionist and a form of art therapy for myself. Work Description: This little book has helped me enormously and has been a form of therapy for me. It explains a lot to those who know me. I want people to better understand the Schizophrenic. I also draw on my life experiences to inspire me with my art work. The blurb from the back of the book goes as follows:- “An ordinary girl arrives in London in the 1990’s with unclear aspirations but with a determination to enjoy life. Following a turbulent relationship which includes the heavy use of recreational drugs the writer develops Paranoid Schizophrenia. This is her story, told with humour and insight, a story of coping with the disease and meeting the challenge of raising a son. Told with warmth and insight, ‘By The Light Of The Silvery Moon’ shows that there is hope and there is a future for those suffering with schizophrenia. The story is interspersed with photographs of the author’s paintings completed as a component of art therapy.” #TheArtofYou #sarahtansey #artofyou18

Artist Statement: Societal concern is at the core of my personal work. I use a variety of photographic styles and approaches to consider the physical impact of dogmatic, political ideology. It's a fruitful time to critique the powers that be. Photography is my regular go to for projects, but I also use video and alternative processes. The approach is always relevant to the subject matter. Sometimes serendipity prevails, and a chance moment or commission will expand into a project. The notion that a loss of empathy leads to dangerous actions has fuelled my work for the last ten years. I take solace in the hope that lessons will be learned before history has the time to fully repeat. Work Description: Parking Among Trees The flight that sticks in my mind most in my life was a very long flight to Australia that I took nine months after the birth of my son; just me and him. I felt like I was delivering something very precious and very fragile. All those intimations of mortality and stuff seem thrown into sharper focus somehow when traveling with someone who's oblivious to it all. “Still is a miracle that you're up in the air.” - Jarvis Cocker* These are the observations I made after unexpectedly becoming a dad in 2009. I have two sons now. It was the last film based photographic project I made before switching to a digital practice. I had graduated in 2008 so I was still finding my voice aesthetically and my life seemed to be the best subject at the time. I made the images at work, at home and everywhere in-between. I guess you could deem the project a stream of consciousness attempt to cope with rapidly changing circumstances. *Wireless Nights, Episode 1, BBC Radio 4, 11:00PM Thu, 5 Apr 2012. #TheArtofYou #willierobb #artofyou18

About Mark: Gay, involved in marketing and loves old cars. Worked for a considerable time in the "macho" car industry but as a student worked in the fashion industry, having been asked in a job interview "How do you feel about working in women's clothing?" You can guess the response OK well it was "if you've got anything that fits I will give it a try"), that had the personnel manager falling off her chair laughing. Moved to Torbay in 2002 for what was to be an early retirement. Like The Maleroom Collection, that idea didn't quite work out so now work in the tourism industry here which I suppose one could argue is about as close as one is ever likely to get to an early retirement. Work Description: Inspired by the iconic Tennis Girl photograph We booked a venue for 6 hours, cobbled together a few props, asked the lads in the office if they wanted a day off work and fortunately knew a professional photographer in the TV industry who later admitted “he had never done anything quite like this before and had thoroughly enjoyed the experience”. Each photograph selected was given a brief caption reflecting the product seen in each photograph and the resulting collection was presented to marketing managers (accompanied by representatives from their advertising agencies) in major companies around the UK. They were asked to look at each photograph in turn, name the product, and at the end asked to name the target audience. The men in the meetings said "women" and the women in the meetings said "gay men". We literally had people climbing over boardroom tables to get a better view of the photographs and you could sense a buzz coming from the advertising agency people in attendance. Our plan was to publish a coffee table book that would be published and distributed to venues throughout the UK; with mainstream advertisers recovering their initial advertising costs through print/poster sales. Called The Maleroom Collection, it very nearly succeeded only to be scuppered by a small handful of advertising agencies persuading their clients to use the traditional media to promote their products in the same manner we had suggested. The rest they say is history. You may recall Halfords "Chains and Leather" adverts which appeared just weeks after we had discussed The Maleroom Collection. Like our photographer "Mike the Fish", hope you enjoy the experience... #TheArtofYou #markhoyle #artofyou18

Artist Statement: Kavita is a local artist, based in Torquay. Her preferred medium is Indian ink typically embellished with watercolours. However, the last few years have been a journey of exploration; experimenting with chalks, acrylics, printmaking and clay. Inspired by her surroundings, Kavita has pushed the boundaries, expressing herself in a variety of media. Work Description: I feel this selection of pieces really encapsulates the theme, the ‘Art of You,’ as it represents milestones in my artistic journey. The acrylic piece was produced in a space with other artists during periods of complete silence. The collograph was the piece that first got my interest in printmaking and finally, the turquoise screenprint was the first time I had combined my Indian ink sketches with printing. Mousehole, Cornwall - Acrylic on Canvas. The Chaotic Mind – Collograph Derelict West Pier, Brighton – Screenprint #TheArtofYou #kavitasolder #artofyou18

Artist Statement: Becky comes from an artistic and literary background. She studied art in the early seventies but got diverted by literature and, latterly, the social development of adolescents. The research undertaken as part of her MA reconnected her to her own adolescence and its influence. She is a published poet and performs her poetry locally. Her work “Bedroom shrine to the virgin of the rocks” was shortlisted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2017. Her works has two themes: Art of School: Religious influence on an emerging young artist in the Seventies; Family Tree: Referencing the objects, places and influences in Becky’s past. Becky paints mainly in acrylic but uses mixed media including materials she used as a child and student to enhance the reference to emerging child artists. Parts of her original childhood and student works are collaged into paintings and some have a deliberate naïve quality for this purpose. Works with a reference to religious iconography replicate the paintings in her convent school. Becky includes works by her father and children to show the artistic tradition that runs through her family. Her father, Peter Draper, owned Milton Head Pottery Brixham from 1950 – 59 and became a successful playwright. He was a founder member of The Devon Guild of Craftsmen. The pottery site is featured on the Brixfest heritage trail app. Torbay Libraries held two Milton Head Pottery exhibitions in 2016. “Visiting Artists” is Becky’s blog on her website: recalling the influence of her artist father, his friends, convent education and art school education on her life. Work Description: First attempt at an oil painting in 1966 age 9 years. Painted more for the colours than the composition, it was so arduous and complicated mixing linseed and turps and using a stiff brush that I never painted in oils again. Visiting Artists One day in about 1966 two artists visited the art supply shop below the Overgang at the harbourside in Brixham. The younger artist knew the king of art mediums is oil. With linseed oil, turps, scratchy brushes and canvas, this was the alchemy needed to create a “work of art”. Having announced she was going to be an artist and go to art school (Tony Hancock hovers in the wings) the older and wiser artist replied, “Art schools are the universities of life” along with “never trust banks” and “people with glass tables shouldn’t sit on them” and “hang on, you’re nine years old” To the younger artist, buying the oil paint would mark a line between what you create with poster paints on paper and a new expectation; ‘the work of art’. Disaster: the completed canvas was the work of a nine-year-old; she wanted it to be at least a Picasso. Now she realises this was the closest she got. ‘It takes a long time to be young’ Pablo Picasso #TheArtofYou #February #2018 #Exhibition #Video #beckynuttall #artofyou18

Images from our January Exhibition featuring works of Richard Slater and Arthur Homeshaw. Read more about the exhibition. #2018 #Artizan #MainGallery #Janaury #RichardSlater #ArthurHomeshaw #devonmasters18

Extended opening hours until April 27th // 09:00-18:00 plus a closing view for the exhibition on Thursday 26th, 18:00-20:00. I’ve decided this month that I can’t pick a favourite piece from Cristina Ulander’s exhibition of new skyscapes and cloudscapes. Over the course of a month, we often say that our opinions evolve and change, and this has certainly been the case in April, but from my perspective, almost every piece has grown on me. Now, I don’t think I could possibly pick between the panoramic dunes of the Vorticity pair, the swirling murmuration of Dream On, the experimental Atmosphere No. 6, or the infinite Whispering Wind. All in all, it’s an exhibition I’ve enjoyed being in the presence of for the last month and one I hope visitors to the Gallery have enjoyed just as much. For those who haven’t made it in yet, please do come and join us as this exhibition is truly exceptional and offers an exclusive first-time view of many of these works. If you have already made it to show, come and join me this week to tell me your favourite piece and explore the exhibition one last time! To make sure you don’t miss out as April draws to a close we’ll be running extend opening hours all week from 9AM to 6PM and on Thursday evening following on from Artist Hour I’d like to invite you all to join us for a closing view of the show to celebrate these incredible works between 18:00-20:00. #April #2018 #ClosingView #CristinaUlander #Artizan #april18