Newbury artists share space in Greenham Common control tower
Greenham Control Tower exhibition room has been handed over to a local group of artists for the show Colour in Common and the exhibition opens today (Saturday) and runs to April 10.
The local artists and makers are Anna Anderson, Sally Bettridge, Claire Knott and Frank Knott and their work will be for sale.
Anna Anderson will be exhibiting acrylic and oil paintings featuring military aircraft over vibrant landscapes. Anna has been lucky enough to have lived in a variety of settings thanks to her husband’s postings with the RAF. Her paintings reflect her experiences moving from garrisons to airbases around the world. Anna is pleased to exhibit her work in a control tower, so fitting for her subject matter.
Sally Bettridge will be showing a range of slip decorated, high-fired ceramic forms.
Sally trained as a production thrower and her passion of using the wheel is always foremost in her work. The decoration is inspired by nature through photographs, found objects and drawings which combine with the language of thrown pots.
Sally employs the traditional techniques of throwing to make her pieces in batches of the same form and was first introduced to this technique by Claire Knott, her first ceramics tutor, so it is great that they are showing work together at Greenham.
Claire Knott will be showing a range of beautiful 2D pieces drawn and painted from the human form.
The paintings being exhibited are not portraits of specific people, but rather a snapshot of the human condition.
Claire is trying to create a moment, a suggestion of human expression. The process of applying acrylic paint, which is built in layers with a brush or palette knife, helps to give this slightly indistinct and transient effect.
Frank Knott will be exhibiting a collection of colourful landscape paintings, of places he has lived near or visited around the North Hampshire countryside. Its numerous footpaths, open fields and hillsides, are a constant source of inspiration for him. A landscape or detail that appeals to him becomes an exercise in invention where he can freely extract from it and develop the picture as he wishes. Recently he has been attempting to refine this process with a move toward greater abstraction from nature with a more limited colour palette and composition.
The Control Tower opened in 2018 as a visitor centre and community hub. As well as the exhibition, it has a café, a permanent display on the Cold War and a terrific view across the common. It is open Wednesday-Friday 10.30am-3.30pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am-4pm.
