Art and Craft by Father and Daughter

29th March – 4th April

Brian Murphy | @pastelandcharcoal
Jane Coleman | @longbridgebears

A Joint Exhibition of Work by Father and Daughter Brian Murphy and Jane Coleman

Brian is a self-taught artist with a lifetime passion for drawing and painting. His subject interests are eclectic, but he describes himself essentially as a figurative artist. Of all subject material, he believes drawing the human form is one of the most challenging and absorbing. To him, it is also one of the most rewarding, since it is, above all, a collaborative process built on a creative partnership between artist and model.

Brian’s preferred media are charcoal and pastel, which he describes as so wonderfully simple yet so exciting to use! They also lend themselves perfectly to his preferred style of drawing, chiaroscuro, a technique which relies upon the use of strong contrasts to achieve depth and volume.

Using only pieces of charcoal/pastel, a putty rubber, a chamois and various fingers and thumbs, Brian says it is hard to describe the joy of seeing an image slowly taking shape. In recent years, he has fallen firmly under the spell of the impressionist, Degas, whom Brian suggests is one of history’s most prolific and accomplished painters of the female form. Degas’ many hundreds of ballet and nude drawings and paintings continue to enthuse all who aspire to draw the female form and who aim to capture the grace and elegance of dance.

Brian works mainly for his own enjoyment but accepts occasional commissions as time allows. See more of his work on: https://www.reallifeart@gmail.com

Jane, who is also a self-taught artist, has an enduring passion for creative crafts and drawing. She hopes her drawings in this exhibition reflect her parallel passion for wildlife and the lovely creatures many of us choose as pets.

Jane tries always to portray something of the unique character and personality of the animals she draws. She normally studies each in real life, where possible, taking a series of reference photos as she does. These she will later work from in the studio, often making a number of preliminary sketches before embarking on the final piece.

In relation the materials she uses, Jane says that, because of its enormous versatility and usefulness in portraying fine detail, her preferred medium is graphite pencil. Whilst her drawings take many hours to produce, she finds the process hugely absorbing and rewarding.

Drawing is not Jane’s sole creative interest. She also produces beautiful macrame pieces and hand-crafted collectable bears, examples of which are displayed in this exhibition. Also, several of her bears can be seen on her dedicated website: https://www.longbridgebears.co.uk/