Artists Statement
Based in Bethesda, North Wales, Deanne has been a professional artist for over 15 years. Known best for her tonalist landscape paintings in oil, her work is held in private collections across the UK and abroad and she exhibits throughout Wales.
Deanne had an exhibition at Plas Glyn-y-Weddw from January to May 2023, entitled:
Five miles from home…
This body of work is part of her ongoing personal research, exploring ways of making art using environmentally sustainable materials and practices. The works centre around the figure and landscape, with the aim of creating a space for conversation about hope, our shared connection with the natural world, and the environmental footprint we leave for future generations.
The paintings in this exhibition focus on natural pigments lovingly created from soil, rocks, rust and plants; all painstakingly gathered by the artist over time from within walking distance of her home.
Working this way requires time outside in nature, working with the seasons and slowing down to notice the natural colours and textures present in the landscape. It has now become an integral part of Deanne’s practice and the materials add to the narrative of her work. Each pigment takes time to gather and form into a workable paint, through the meditative process of grinding, washing, levigating and finally mulling into watercolour. Because of the natural variation of the pigments, each batch is different in colour making every painting unique.
Presented alongside these paintings are the first in a new series of sculptures which mark the next stage of her exploration made using natural and reclaimed materials found locally.
Deanne says ‘Living in North Wales, raw wool is an abundant but sadly undervalued resource. Not only is wool abundant, renewable and natural but requires minimal processing to make a versatile sculptural medium to work with.
For me, the act of felting wool is reminiscent of the bonds we form in communities and through friendship. The closer we become, the stronger we are as a whole. Single strands of wool are soft and shapeless but knit them together and incredible things can form.
I love that when the time comes for them to return to the earth, all the works in this exhibition can be safely recycled or composted without harm to the environment.’
Images of the work to below
