Amidst the Trees and From the Earth

An exhibition of paintings by Kate Stephens & wood-fired pots by Brigitte Colleaux, a short walk from Greenwich Park. About The artists Kate Stephens’ work usually begins with drawing from life. And sometimes, these en plein air works themselves form finished pieces. Other works are fragments drawn from moving animals, quickly captured on paper. Disparate elements combine; loose narratives composed in paint. “The journey towards this exhibition began with a chance encounter with wild horses in Somerset’s Quantock Hills. Spotting their hoofprints by the water’s edge, then watching, spellbound, as the horses themselves came into view. The horses nervously surveyed the scene, before descending to drink from the pond; both they and I part hidden by surrounding trunks of moss-clad beeches.” -Kate Stephens Kate regularly exhibits her work in solo and group shows, including Discerning Eye at Mall Galleries and The Royal West of England Academy in Bristol. Her recent painting, “Looking Back at Uccello’s Hunt in the Forest”, exhibited at Gallery White Box last year, is currently showing at The Salisbury Museum Landscape Open. Instagram: @stephens.kate Brigitte Colleaux is a potter based in Oxfordshire, with links to Thames-Side Studios in Woolwich. She makes both tableware and unique pieces on the wheel and wood­fires them for 72 hours in a Thai­-style kiln. While the pots are glazed inside, outer surfaces are kept bare to benefit from the flames and wood ash. This process allows the fire to paint the pots randomly, as a kind of magic. “I like the effects of fire, ash and smoke on bare clay; I try to pack the pots inside the kiln so they benefit from the fire, flames and ash. In reality, I have no control over how they will turn out, I can only hope that they survive the inferno. These last two years, I have started using grasses on the pots to obtain decorative effects on the bare clay. It is an ongoing artistic research.” -Brigitte Colleaux Instagram: @brigittecolleaux_woodfiredpots 👩‍🎨 Workshop: Drawing a Diorama with Oil Pastels. Led by exhibiting artist Kate Stephens. Thursday, 12th November, 5.30-8pm. Book workshop place. Read more Toggle Crafts Sculpture Painting