Wendy Fraser
A CANTER THRU’ THE COUNTRYSIDE
5-28 May 2010
I will be exhibiting my detailed, tonal equestrian drawings alongside floral and rural paintings in diverse media. Some of the pieces in this exhibition have been inspired by recent riding expeditions in Argentina and Chile. Preparing for this exhibition has challenged me to further explore and develop my work, narrowing the gap between my detailed drawings and the loose brush strokes that I use when painting sets for the local theatrical company.
I am self-taught and despite having enjoyed painting in various media over the years it is only recently that I have discovered the excitement and challenge of creating detailed tonal drawings.
Some of the pieces in this exhibition have been inspired by recent riding expeditions in Argentina and Chile. Having worked with horses for many years it is natural for me to be able to understand and portray their character, movement and impulsion. Indeed, I can ‘feel’ the horses as I draw.
I use a mixture of graphite, charcoal, chalk, coloured pencil and pastel, working on tinted paper to include additional tones. Each piece takes many hours to complete and entails applying several layers to achieve the tonal variations. Each layer is blended and shaded with a selection of tortillons, felt squares, chamois and soft paper before applying the next.
For this exhibition I have embarked on a large canvas using acrylics and broad brush strokes, emphasising movement and colour, ignoring detail.
The rural nature of the equestrian world has led me along other paths and so my repertoire has expanded to include rural and floral works in other media.
I have completed many commissions, participated in the annual South East Open Studio event, exhibited at other venues in southeast Kent and my work has been available for purchase at Elham Valley Arts.
Wendy Fraser, MA, BA (Hons)