I went to see this exhibition at the Watts Gallery. While I enjoyed the sculpted forms made by Lucy Lutyens it was Fiona Millais paintings that I was really interested in.
She states that she takes inspiration from the places and objects that she loves. That daily walks with her dog in her local landscape (central Surrey) are opportunities to collect feathers and stones that become reminders of that walk.
I was interested by the way that these collected items become part of her paintings. Her paintings sometimes have interesting names like 'A Four Feather Walk' and 'Mrs Duck Lost a Feather'. Other names reflect a time of day or a mood - 'Into the Quiet Evening' and 'Quiet Wood', while some are more traditional 'Along the Ridge' and 'Chalk Hills'. It made me think of the explanation and help that a painting's name can give a viewer.
The one on the bottom right reminded me of some of Neil Bousfields prints, while Fiona hasn't got the details in the sky that Neil uses there was something reminiscent about them. She describes exploring the natural rhythms in the land and the way that humans have shaped land over time which echoes some of what Neil is interested in. She also uses layering which, although different in paint, has a similar effect of creating that connection between the layers in the artwork and the layers in the land.
I really enjoyed the exhibition and thought Fiona's paintings were stunning. The thin layers and handing of the paint in many layers means that there is a lot more you can see when you look more closely for longer. They're definitely paintings I could live with (if only I could afford one!).
I was interested that although she references the layers and meanings translated from the land to the canvas she doesn't talk about place at all in the same explicit way that Neil does. She doesn't stick solely to one location which Neil tends to, as there are a variety of seascapes as well as the Surrey landscapes, however she seems limited in her locations so they are likely places she knows well.