TIDAL (1 July – 21 August) features new paintings of the River Hull by Susan Beaulau and Ceramic Moon Jars by Miray Mehmet Fontanelli.
Susan Beaulau spends her time between India and the UK. Susan is one of Yorkshire’s prominent narrative artists with a focus that combines landscape painting, this exhibition features her reportage of the River Hull from source to the post – industrial and historical port side.
“Standing beside the River Hull, hour after hour, I became conscious of the immensity of this vast body of water. The energy and majesty of the water, eternal and ever moving, has inspired my work: art and human experience transcending time.” Says Susan
This appreciation and love of the river and its surround has grown gradually. Through the lens of childhood growing up in Wawne, the draw of watery landscapes has continued into adult life whilst discovering wider horizons – from the River Thames to the exotic waterways of Southern India.
Susan has now returned to her roots. Research takes place along the banks of the river searching for scenes that excite inspiration. The water racing and swirling quickly, stopping, and changing direction, the River Hull is a continued fascination as the water will rise and fall with the tide.
Her paintings capture and contrast the crystal-clear water of the River’s source as it meanders through the idyllic rural England near Driffield, with the heavy, dark brown clay water of Hull itself, surrounded by crumbling warehouses, tall chimneys and discarded plots of wasteland. The paintings are both bucolic and industrial, worthy examples that demonstrate the changing economic times.
The Practice
Susan’s preference is to spend three to five hours beside the river, painting as fast as possible before the light changes, to capture the essence of each moment. The paintings are executed in oils to achieve accurate colour and tone. Her mission is to capture this feeling in my paintings, to communicate it to the people of Hull and to inspire passion.
“As I paint, I have the feeling that this river has been here for all of time, and we humans are in awe of the sublime power of nature; I push this feeling as an expression through and into the paint. It is this intimacy with the River which inspires and generates.”
Biography
Susan Beaulau trained in Fine Art at the Hull School of Art and Design. Since training, she has pursued a successful art career reaching above 40 years. An established artist, Susan has produced commissions for both public and private clients across the world, for example, Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, London; The Palm Court Jazz Café in New Orleans, USA. Since 2020, Susan has travelled to India to record the remote fishing villages capturing their way of life in a non – commercially focussed lifestyle. Paintings are in private and public collections, such as the Slade School of Art, and exhibitions are extensive. Susan has exhibited widely across the UK and more frequently in India.
To complement TIDAL, Susan will be joined by ceramicist Miray Mehmet Fontanelli who creates wonderful moon jars with reactive glazes. A perfect accompaniment to the theme of TIDAL and RIVER.
Based at the Deptford Studios in London, Miray explores form by experimenting with the natural qualities of the material. A lot of time is invested into glaze research. Vessels are hand built using techniques such as coiling, slab building and mould pressing. Inspiration is generated by geology, formations in nature, architecture and how components come together to make a form.
Join Studio Eleven Gallery for the preview and meet the artist, Susan Beaulau, on Saturday 3 July, 11:30am-3:30pm. 30-minute slots are available, offering space for up to four people. To reserve a time slot, please email info@studioeleven.co.uk
Studio Eleven, 12 Humber Street, Hull, HU1 1TG
Gallery opening times: 11am–3pm Wednesday-Saturday
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