| Exhibition details | What: Acrylics, Oils and Textiles - and exhibition by Iain Will and Sue Kershaw When: 15 Jan - 26 Feb 2007 Times: The gallery is open Mon - Fri, 6am - 7pm Where: Norman Rea Gallery, 1st Floor, Langwith College at the University of York Cost: Free |
The average exhibition is highly likely to offer at least one eye-catching work of art – indeed one expects to discover an array of pieces to grab one’s attention or capture the imagination. To have such works of art produced independently by a brother and sister is undoubtedly worthy of some attention, and to have such pieces displayed together in the same exhibition is simply a must see. On Monday 15th January Langwith College, at the University of York, opened its doors to the public for the first time this year to unveil its Early Spring exhibition – a relatively unremarkable choice of venue for such a remarkable display of acrylics, oils and textiles by brother and sister Iain Will and Sue Kershaw. While Iain and Sue utilise very different materials – Iain working in oils and acrylics on board and canvas, Sue choosing to adopt a traditional English piecing method with stiffened cotton fabric – both draw upon the natural world and their local, rural surroundings for their inspiration.
 | | Part of the exhibition |
At first glance the more traditional landscapes, townscapes and wildlife of Iain’s paintings hanging alongside the simpler, geometric and contemporary compositions of Sue’s designs appear somewhat bizarre. However on closer inspection one cannot help but wonder at the sibling’s similar choice of colours, the similarity of their preferred pallets standing out as much as their artistic styles contrast. From the bright seascapes, moonlit forests and vivid poppy filled landscapes of Iain’s paintings to the bold, sharp, contemporary outlines of mountains, volcanoes and leaves incorporated into Sue’s pieces, one cannot ignore the vivid, eye-catching and visually exciting colours running throughout the exhibition that was, according to Iain, “surprisingly easy to put together”. While Iain has previously exhibited at York City Gallery, the Guild Hall and Sheriff Hutton Art Show, this is the first time Sue has unveiled her work in a public forum – however one hopes that this won’t be the last time the siblings work together to produce an exhibition so easy on the eye. Sara Beach |
