Friday 6 March 2009

Bellis Gallery


I popped into the Bellis Gallery yesterday to see a mixed exhibition there which had opened the previous week.


It was a very good exhibition with a number of old names from Brighton Art Fair as well as quite a few craft makers on the ground floor. The Gallery itself is tucked behind the Seafront on Kings Road where it leaves the seafront by Dr Brighton's. The space itself is large - surprising as we are used to Brighton's rather pokey shops and galleries - the ground floor comprises a large double fronted shop with little rooms and nooks and crannies to display the art and makers work, displayed in very friendly and accessible way. Then upstairs is a large clear gallery space where larger exhibitions can be hung.


The present exhibition features painters - Patrick O'Donnell's new beautiful and powerful figurative work which still retails the atmosphere and intensity of his previous nature inspired paintings.


These are balanced by the smallerscale and more monocrome but equally intense collagraphs by Phillippa Karakashian and the ink landscape memoires of Angie Meaden.


In an upper room are Tony Owers Encaustic Paintings incorporating elements of found photographs and print.

Harriet Butler - printmaker and illustrator is exhibiting some of her humourous and lively illustrative etchings down-stairs and there are more in the browser.


Overall a great exhibition showcasing - in the main - great Brighton talent.
Do seek out the gallery, its well worth a visit and the exhibition will be on for a good while.


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