20 May - 1 June 2008

10am - 5pm

Emma Carter

Nicky Stevenson

Emma Carter's tranquil land and seascapes evoke a feeling of timelessness and offer an escape into a serene and ethereal world, with vast and open compositions reflecting the forces of nature. Her inspiration is drawn from the ever changing natural land and seascapes that surround her, expressed on paper or canvas as a reflection of her memory and her vision. Deep within each of her works lies the essence of past travels to some of the world's most sacred and stunning places: the Himalayas and the Andes, the depths of the Amazon, and the coral reefs of the Great Barrier.

The scenes in many recent paintings have been inspired by the noble timeless English coastline, mostly in and around Devon and Cornwall, and Emma has gravitated towards a quiet palette and a large canvas.

Nicky Stevenson's popular, contemporary images of fish, birds and reptiles reflect her firmly held philosophy that we have a moral duty to remain optimistic. While the images raise a smile in their own right, the titles add a further touch of ironic humour.

Alongside her familiar range of originals and reproductions, Nicky has also developed a range of greetings cards, porcelain mugs and printed t-shirts.

Nicky's recent paintings and sculptures have a more theatrical style - hardly surprising, given her background in theatre design and prop making, and in her newer works we see moving from her bright acrylic inks to richer, deeper colours, and an emphasis on pattern and repetition.

Nicky is also enjoying the challenges of working in papier maché, producing some typically quirky pots and bowls.

Both Nicky and Emma will spend time in the gallery working on paintings, and are happy to discuss their work at any time.

Emma and Nicky are well known across Torbay for their work promoting the Arts, having been instrumental in setting up a flourishing artists' collective, The Shoal of Brixham Artists.
More recently Emma has set up a new venture, The Riviera Art House, aiming to promote and celebrate art, artists, creativity and culture, and is Director of The Great Create, promoting the arts through the National Trust at Greenway.

'Art is such an important part of life for me as an artist, and it's great to be able to facilitate the public's interaction with artists and creatives in a positive and unique way.'

www.emmacarter.com

www.nickystevenson.com

Harbour House 2008 ©