I am pleased to announce the opening of my Shades of Green Exhibition at the Royal United Hospitals in Bath. Two years in the making, it will finally open on the 12th of May, filling the corridors of the hospital with original art inspired by the English countryside until the 24th of July.
The exhibition is inspired by the verdant Somerset landscape surrounding my home in nearby Englishcombe, which reinvigorated my love of nature through the lockdowns we've endured since Spring 2020. I found a new connection with nature by spending time in my garden, and on walks along the local country paths. My favourite trees became my constant companions, such as the elegant trio of acers which I named the Three Graces; Euphrosyne, Aglaia and Thalia, and most importantly King Arthur, the giant Corsican pine dominating the views over the valley towards Englishcombe village. From this silent communication with the woodlands and landscape was born the idea for the exhibition Shades of Green, which will be shown at the Royal United Hospitals in Bath from the 12th of May to the 24th of July, 2022.
Following the lockdowns, I invited 13 specially chosen artists, intentionally diverse in their practices, to respond to the same landscape view at my home. There was no special remit other than to create works from their own personal reaction after visiting the location. The artists range from abstract to figurative, surreal and pop, thus the exhibition is as much a study of their individual artistic relationship with nature as the depiction of it through the works they have created.
JOHN BALL • DAY BOWMAN • LOUISA BURNETT-HALL • IAIN COTTON • DAVID FERRY • PETE HOIDA • MARGUERITE HORNER • TIMOTHY EMLYN JONES • SUSAN MCDONALD • FIONA MCINTYRE • ROY OSBORNE • RICHARD WALKER • DAVID WALSH
All works are available to purchase, with a percentage of all sales going to 'Art at the Heart', the charity which supports the hospital with an art and design programme to stimulate healing and well-being, and create an uplifting environment for patients, visitors, and staff.
Featured Artists
The featured artists and I are honoured to be part of the hospital's arts programme, and look forward to delighting you, the hospital's visitors, and patients with this show.
Here is a preview of some of those works which will be exhibited:
The Tree Hugging Challenge
Alongside the development of the Shades of Green Exhibition I initiated a Tree Hugging Challenge inspired by my relationship with King Arthur. I invited friends and colleagues to respond to trees they loved and send me photos of them hugging them. Arthur welcomes me every morning and makes me smile...even at times when that might be hard to do. I received over 100 responses from around the world, from Tokyo to Colombia, via Paris, Spain and across both the United Kingdom and America, all hugging their favourite trees.
Now, as promised, with the help of designer Phil Hendy, we have created a poster using a selection of these tree hugging photos that will be proudly displayed alongside the other artwork at the Shades of Green Exhibition, and here is a sneak preview of that poster.
We are also in the process of planning a tree hugging event as part of our exhibition activities this summer before the show closes on the 24th of July. More to follow about that soon.
Exhibition Walkthroughs
If you'd like to walk through the Shades of Green Exhibition with me, please email sandra@sandrahiggins.com to arrange a time.
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