Food for thought: Bucklebury coffee shop, situated in rural West Berks, supports local artists

The Blackbird Café in Chapel Row is supporting local artists by featuring exhibitions of their work. Currently showing until the end of June is The Shape of Thought by Oxfordshire abstract artist Jess K Elliott.

Her painting is deeply intuitive driven by a spirit of discovery and exploration.

Embracing a process-led approach, she begins each piece with spontaneous gestural mark-making and bold colour washes. She then refines and reworks the surface, scraping back layers to reveal hidden elements beneath, exploring tension between order and chaos.

Jess works with a variety of mediums including plaster, sand, acrylic, oil and cold wax, creating richly textured tactile pieces that invite close engagement. Colour is central to her practice, serving as an emotional language to covey her inner landscapes.

She had an online exhibition with Dacre Art @dacre_art in April. She will be participating in an exhibition organised by Leverton Framers near Hungerford in October.

There will be an open art evening with Jess, with drinks and nibbles, on June 27, at 7pm-9pm.

“Each piece is a reflection of emotion, movement and depth, inviting you to engage with art in a sensory and contemplative way,” says Jess. “I would love for you to visit, take your time to explore, and immerse yourself in this journey of thought and form.”

You can view the work during café opening times: Monday-Friday 8.30am to 3pm and Saturday 9am-3pm.