Venue: Art Pavillion, Mile End Park, Clinton Road, London, E3 4QY
Resist much, obey little is an exhibition of three painters namely Rosemary Beaton, Lesley Burr and Alison Harper, who graduated from Glasgow School of Art in the 1980s. The three have exhibited together many times as a collective and in various combinations in London, Glasgow and Shetland; known as the ‘Glasgow Girls’ – referring to the dynamic movement of female artists emerging from Glasgow School of Art in the ’80s as part of the resurgence in figurative painting. This exhibition celebrates 40 years of Painting and Friendship and the significant contributions they have made to the arts.
Above L2R: Lesley Burr, Alison Harper and Rosemary Beaton
The exhibition curates, artwork from over 30 years of art practice, encompassing and interpreting the theme of nourishment and the essential nature of making art and, of encouraging creativity. Working as educators throughout their professional careers, the artists are keen to share an enthusiasm and their love of creative practice through three art workshops and an artist panel talk during the exhibition.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Rosemary Beaton won the John Player National Portrait Award in 1984 leading to a series of high-profile portrait commissions, and she is well known for her life drawing and painting figures. “Rosemary celebrates and luxuriates in the human figure. Her sensuality runs rampant through her images and is joyous, poetic and amused.” Alison Harper, 2018. With precise observation Rosemary has produced literally thousands of drawings, underpinning an exceptional body of creative work, prolific, energetic and colourful. Her paintings are represented in public collections including the BBC and has undertaken large scale public art in stained glass and metal.
Lesley Burr produces landscape-based imagery inspired by nature, and the environment and the inter-connections that emerge. Winner of numerous awards in 2019 she fulfilled a longstanding ambition to visit the arctic by being selected as arctic artist in residence by the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute. She has exhibited her work internationally and nationally with paintings in public collections including Shetland Amenity Trust, NHS. She regularly works with communities and has completed large public art commissions for community and private settings in Scotland.
Alison Harper, artist and co-Founder of The Essential School of Painting graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1985, was awarded scholarships to study in India and Norway. Her work can be found in public and private collections and she has exhibited nationally and internationally. Alison taught at GSA for ten years till 2002. Alison’s work is about re-imagining imagery around themes of womanhood – Goddesses for our times, Bad Girls/Good Girls and “If God were a Woman”. Alison desires to create a reflection of aspects of womanhood, telling and re-telling stories from female perspectives using humour, tragedy, joy and suffering.
ART WORKSHOPS
Venue: Art Pavillion, Mile End Park, Clinton Road, London, E3 4QY
Lesley Burr – Sunday 19 November – 1-4pm
Creating a sketchbook. Exploring landscape and nature inspired themes, using watercolour, pencil, crayons, and paper surfaces. Introducing techniques to encourage experimentation to record ideas and observations, using supplied source materials and working from memory. Suitable for all levels of experience. Click here to book
Rosemary Beaton – Wednesday 22 November 1 – 4pm
Exploring the human form through Movement. Using a clothed model, the students will work from observation using various techniques to describe movement and drawing. This dynamic workshop is suitable for all skill levels and will help students with hand eye coordination. Click here to book
Alison Harper – Friday 24 November 1 – 4pm
Expressive portraits in pastel. Make expressive portraits in pastel, pencil and charcoal. Learn some of the methods you can use in this wonderful drawing medium to create expressive portraits exploring a range of approaches and effects from naturalistic to exaggerated. Click here to book
THE ARTIST PANEL TALK and Q&A
An opportunity to meet all three artists Rosemary Beaton, Lesley Burr and Alison Harper
Sunday 26 November 2 – 3:30pm
Venue: Art Pavillion, Mile End Park, Clinton Road, London, E3 4QY
A chance to meet and ask questions of the artists. Participants at each of the workshops will be invited to submit written questions about the artist’s working practice. Questions will be collated to form an organised informal panel talk on the last day of the exhibition. Visitors to the exhibition will also have the opportunity to submit written questions. The event aims to include as many themes as possible for a lively and insightful event into the working practices of the artists. Click here to book
Click image below to see more on this exhibition and instanews about the ESOP
