A group of 14 international artists, including seven RPS members, are exhibiting their work following a year-long masterclass.
The group explored art, abstraction and creativity in the workshop led by Valda Bailey FRPS and Doug Chinnery. Now, their creations are being displayed at The Horsebridge arts centre, Kent.
The masterclass covered photographic expressionism, and welcomed participants from the UK, Canada, the US and across Europe. Covid-19 had inadvertently provided a unique opportunity to bring together a group of like-minded photographers from around the world for an online journey of ideas, inspiration and artistic development.
One of the participants, Jocelyn Horsfall ARPS, says, “It was a huge privilege to be part of a creative adventure with such an inspirational and collaborative group. I feel I have learnt so much and benefitted from both the teaching and the support and friendship of my fellow travellers.”
For many of the 14 artists, the launch of the Abstract Rhythm and Blue Notes exhibition will be the first time they meet each other in person. Each has brought their own vision and style to their photography, using a variety of techniques, such as multiple exposure, ICM and creative processing, to create a distinctive voice.
Below, some of the collective’s RPS members describe their work in their own words.
‘Dappled dreams’ from the series Where Flowers Dream by Jocelyn Horsfall ARPS (above)
“Flowers for me have always been a symbol of optimism and hope, particularly the wild flowers that adorn nature’s fields and meadows. Standing tall, reaching for the light, a transient delight in unexpected places. However dark and tangled our world might be, they emerge in all their beauty to bring a little sunshine to lift the soul, and this is the feeling I wanted to capture. Further inspiration came from fragments of a poem – Song of the Flower by Khalil Gibran.”
‘Sunlit hills’ by Jan Beesley ARPS
“The South Downs have long inspired artists and writers with their sinuous curves and ever-changing contours as the shadows paint the hills. Time is different when walking on these hills – a moment can be the time it takes for the shadow of a cloud to pass across the grassy slopes, or a connection to the centuries-old figures carved into the chalk. It is a land painted by light and redolent with mystery. My current and ongoing project is to try and capture some of this essence through my photography.”
‘Being’ from the series Forever is Composed of Nows by Annemarie Hoogwoud
“The series Forever is Composed of Nows is inspired by the poem of the same name by Emily Dickinson. The poem helps me to focus less on the future (and how to move forward) and to live more in the now. What I need for that is the so-called spot on the horizon, to see something in front of me, to keep me moving. And then let it go again. With this inspiration I created a series of five images, which will be, for the first time, exhibited in Whitstable.”
‘Standing the test of time’ from the series Tides and Times Past by Alison Buchanan ARPS
“The series is inspired by the history of the abandoned village of Tidemills on the Sussex coast. Throughout its history, the geography of the area and the tides have made opportunities for many varied and different enterprises. The project embodies the resilience of man versus nature where, in the end, nature won.”
‘Transition’ from the series Kami Intimations by Malcolm Cross
“Over 10 years or more I visited many Shinto shrines in Japan. My visits initially were as a tourist and marvelling at the surface appearance of shrine architecture, furniture and location. Yet in more recent times my engagement in these places became one of connection in a different realm. My thoughts and imaginings entered into a form of contemplation during image capture and subsequently in my studio. This image is derived from a shrine in Kyoto, Japan.”
‘Performed lullabye’ by Honey J Walker ARPS
“This image is from a series about how flowers can express our innermost feelings. The droop of their petals, the perfume that evokes memories and hope when it appears to be in short supply. The fragility and strength in the blooms and how they can be a metaphor for the human condition. We include flowers in our most joyful celebrations of love and at our saddest times of mourning. Between those two events, flowers comfort us and mirror our emotions.”
‘Dreamstate’ from the series The Colour of Memory by Howard Rankin
“This image is part of a project seeking to visually represent some of the impacts of the illness of dementia.”
Abstract Rhythm and Blue Notes is at The Horsebridge, Whitstable, 16-28 November 2022, with talks and workshops throughout