Tag Archives: artworks

ARTWORKS: creative diversity, past times and looking ahead

The first Artworks exhibition, held twenty one years ago at Blackthorpe Barn, was assembled in a flurry of excitement.

Founder member Katie Millard, and former member Graham Portlock, no sooner had the idea of an art exhibition than they were ringing friends and associates to see if they would take part, and thus, by necessity, the first Artworks exhibition was an exhilarating mix of contemporary art.

Artworks Annual Exhibition 2019

Artworks has continued to espouse this creative diversity, and this is one reason we support and exhibit the work of selected guest artists each year. I invite you to browse our archive of previous exhibitions on the Artworks website, where many of the photographs highlight this successful combination of different artists & artforms exhibited together at Artworks.

Artworks Annual Exhibition 2018

Due to Covid-19, this year’s selected guest artists will now exhibit with us in 2021. The works of our guest artists includes: figurative stone carvings by Antonia Hockton, collagraph prints by Iona Howard, abstract paintings of Louise Chapman, mixed media art by Evelyn Polk, the landscape etchings of Laurie Rudling, haunting figurative sculptures by Jacquelyn Hindle and abstract bronze sculptures by Jim Racine.

Artworks members also explore a multitude of creative approaches in their art, from the exquisite botanical watercolour paintings of Alison Jones and Julia Groves, to the expressive mixed-media works of Hazel Bradshaw, Alfie Carpenter and Anne Paton.

Artworks Annual Exhibition 2018

The ceramic sculptures of Cathy D’Arcy and Carol Pask will be well-known to our regular visitors, are now joined by the sculptural artworks of Sue Caddy, Nicola Coe and Zoë Rubens.

Artworks Annual Exhibition 2019

The works of Colin Slee, Eileen Revett, Eleonora Knowland and Jazz Green, in the form of atmospheric charcoal drawings, precise woodcut prints, sculptural canvas paintings and mixed media collages, extend the diversity of contemporary abstract art in Artworks.

Artworks Annual Exhibition 2019

There are also those of us who portray the world as we experience it in our own especial ways: Chris Gamble with her emotive drawings, Roger Gamble’s vibrant acrylic paintings, Lyn Aylward’s theatrical self portraits, Christine McKechnie’s remarkably detailed papercut collages, the unique handmade prints of trees by Janet French, plein air sketches & monoprints by Kit Price Moss, Elaine Nason’s wonderfully observed scenes of rural life and Helen Dougall’s intricately crafted wax batiks of local landscapes.

Artworks Annual Exhibition 2019

Finally, of course, there’s me, Gillian Crossley-Holland, and I’m still depicting the north Norfolk shores and local fens that endlessly inspire.

All these distinctive works by Artworks artists would normally be exhibited together in Blackthorpe barn, and if you are missing an inspiring walk around our annual exhibition this year, please do visit our archive of previous exhibitions.

Gillian Crossley-Holland
Chair of Artworks

Follow ARTWORKS on social media:
Instagram: @artworkseast
Twitter: @artworkseast

ARTWORKS: First Saturday, The Artworks Shop & a Mini Art Show online

This is the weekend we would have been opening Artworks to the public, an exciting time and also a time to breathe a sigh of relief and know that most of the challenging work of putting on this exhibition is over and the fun can begin.


Ceramics by Sue Caddy

One of the fun events I’ve always enjoyed the most is setting up the Artworks shop, which we always do early on the first Saturday morning. It’s so delightful to open boxes of the new art works made by our members and to be setting out all the original and handmade greetings cards, but looking on the positive side it should be even more exciting next year.


November Fen by Iona Howard

Meanwhile, we do have an online slideshow of recent works on the homepage of this website. As always there is a wonderful mix of styles and subject matter; some members, Anne Paton, Kit Price Moss, Lyn Alyward and Roger Gamble have responded directly to the pandemic.


Blue Poppies by Julia Groves

Others have carried on observing the landscapes they love to explore; Alfie Carpenter, Janet French, Helen Dougall, Colin Slee and Iona Howard. While other members, Sue Caddy, Jazz Green, Antonia Hockton, Evelyn Polk and Julia Groves have continued to pursue the disciplines that inspire them.

Do browse our website to enjoy this range of work.

If you’ve been saving up to buy a special artwork and this was to be the year, please use the contact page link on the Artworks website.

Gillian Crossley-Holland

(Artworks Chair)

Follow ARTWORKS on social media:
Instagram: @artworkseast
Twitter: @artworkseast

ARTWORKS: Guest Artist Louise Chapman on painting in ‘lockdown’

Louise Chapman was looking forward to exhibiting with Artworks as a guest artist in 2020. The cancellation of our annual exhibition has not deterred Louise from creating new work in lockdown:


New beginnings, mixed media on canvas

Determined to turn ‘lockdown’ into a positive I decided like many artists to use the time to experiment, painting some semi abstract work, developing my interest in collage and marrying the two in mixed media pieces.


On the h, mixed media on canvas

This has proved a very rewarding experience, producing works that I am pleased with in their own right, and leading and teaching me new ways of working.


Everything I love, mixed media collage

Collage practice has assisted significantly in the development of the design and composition of my large abstract oil paintings, inspiring me to get back into the studio as soon as possible following a recent very successful exhibition in Framlingham late this summer.


Keeping the balls in the air, oil on canvas

The results of this successful and exciting phase will, I hope, be evident in the work I will produce and exhibit next year as a guest artist with Artworks at Blackthorpe Barn in Rougham, a long held ambition.

Louise Chapman