O3 Gallery – The Ship Inn at Porthleven

Posted on 11 April, 2013 by Susan Isaac

The trinity of elements I was keen to include in this composition were the Ship Inn, the old lifeboat house and the fishing boat.

Susan Isaac - The Ship Inn at Porthleven Harbour

Susan Isaac – The Ship Inn at Porthleven Harbour

In the foreground, the boat seems to be as constant as the harbour wall against which it is habitually moored. Beyond it, the old lifeboat house has such a modest feel about it, blended as it is into the outcrop of rock, whilst the brazen whitewashed ‘Ship Inn‘ beams out across the harbour. Interspersed between these elements, the sunlit harbour steps and angled road surfaces zigzag languidly into the distance as the road climbs out of view.

Posted in Cornwall, Galleries & Events, O3 Gallery, Porthleven, Seascapes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

O3 Gallery – Broad Walk & Christ Church Meadow Building, Oxford

Posted on 11 April, 2013 by Susan Isaac

The Meadow Building of Christ Church is one of the most recognisable of Oxford’s college buildings. The space the building inhabits is very different to others in Oxford, set as it is against the open space of Christ Church Meadow, and I was eager to work out an interesting way of capturing its iconic facade and setting.

Susan Isaac - Broad Walk & Christ Church Meadow Building, Oxford

Susan Isaac – Broad Walk & Christ Church Meadow Building, Oxford

The Virginia Creeper in the foreground of this angle, on the boundary wall of Broad Walk, was too seductive an element to be passed up. The red foliage, running onto the Meadow Building, has given the painting a very distinctive dominant colour. This is further picked out by sunlit illumination of the wall and building, which is contrasted by the deeply shadowed trees on the right.  On the building itself, the repeating Gothic windows punctuate the facade continuously along its length – those and the little dormer roofs give the building a Germanic fairy tale look.

Posted in Galleries & Events, Landscapes, O3 Gallery, Oxford | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

O3 Gallery – Porthleven from Institute Hill

Posted on 10 April, 2013 by Susan Isaac

In this second view of Porthleven, looking down Institute Hill, I was initially entranced by the soft blue and mauve shadows on the tall Institute building and the silvery granite stone walls of the lane running directly towards the pier in this ‘contre-jour’ composition.

Susan Isaac - Porthleven from Institute Hill

Susan Isaac – Porthleven from Institute Hill

The brilliant lemon-yellow light bouncing off the white-washed walls facing the sun creates  a two-toned chequerboard of light and dark. The distant horizon is obliterated on one side of the painting by the sun’s scintillations. Meanwhile in the foreground  I liked the way the telegraph poles were reminiscent of masts with lengths of rigging connecting up to the houses on either side.

Posted in Cornwall, Galleries & Events, O3 Gallery, Porthleven, Seascapes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

O3 Gallery – Radcliffe Camera from Brasenose Lane, Oxford

Posted on 7 April, 2013 by Susan Isaac

When most of the crowds had dispersed by a late afternoon in winter, I wandered through the centre of Oxford enjoying watching the sunlight trail its fingertips over some of the buildings, gilding their already warmly coloured limestone walls. At such times, I often find myself stalking the Radcliffe Camera building, which seems particularly effective at catching the sun and draping it over one side or the other.

Susan Isaac - Radcliffe Camera from Brasenose Lane, Oxford

Susan Isaac – Radcliffe Camera from Brasenose Lane, Oxford

In this particular composition, the Radcliffe was lit dramatically from the west and, from the angle I chose, is glimpsed teasingly beyond the shaded building that is the corner of Brasenose College. Visible beyond is the part of the white, Catte Street side of All Souls College, cut off by the high boundary wall of Exeter College on the left. Not only is the Radcliffe a signature of Oxford, but so also are the ever-present bicycles. Here they form a guard of honour leading up to this hub of academic life.

Posted in Galleries & Events, Landscapes, O3 Gallery, Oxford | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

O3 Gallery – Bay View Terrace, Porthleven

Posted on 6 April, 2013 by Susan Isaac
Susan Isaac - Bay View Terrace, Porthleven

Susan Isaac – Bay View Terrace, Porthleven

In preparing for the O3 exhibition, I worked first on the 10 Oxford paintings that I had planned out. When these were complete I started on the Cornwall compositions.  Having been completely immersed in the Oxford landscape I was anticipating the change of scenery. I chose to use essentially the same palette of colours but I knew the light and building materials would push the colour mixes in different directions. The seascapes also invited the opportunity of new forms, new shapes. This painting of Bay View Terrace in Porthleven resulted from a walk on a particularly sunny afternoon. I came to a halt at this strong shadow cast by pierced sculptural forms in the iron railings. Railings and shadow became the focus for the painting. The harbour on the right and the iconic row of Edwardian villas on the left emphasise context – the railings form a protective boundary that is something to look over, into the view beyond.

Posted in Cornwall, Galleries & Events, O3 Gallery, Porthleven, Seascapes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

City & Shoreline at Oxford O3 Gallery

Posted on 3 April, 2013 by Susan Isaac

Yesterday, I went down to Oxford to deliver 20 large canvases for my forthcoming exhibition at the O3 Gallery. There I found Helen and team busy preparing the space. I am really looking forward to the preview on Friday evening (the flyer has details).  Oxford is an extraordinary city full of stunning architecture. It was a welcome sunny day and I spent the afternoon wandering about the colleges, finding more inspiration for future canvases.O3 Gallery Susan Isaac flyer

My time recently has been consumed in preparations for the exhibition (in between dealing with crises in the care of my ageing parents) and I haven’t been able to write very much in this blog for a while.  In trying to amend for that now, my intention is to write a few lines about each of the exhibited paintings over the course of that exhibition.

Susan Isaac - Bodleian Old Library on Catte Street, Oxford

Susan Isaac – Bodleian Old Library on Catte Street, Oxford

I’ll start with this view of  the Bodleian Old Library on Catte Street.  In forming this composition, I very much liked the effect of the rusticated bands on the building to the left (part of Hertford College), enhancing the sense of perspective.  I also wanted to incorporate the curve of the pavement in order to soften the lines of the composition.  This is further developed by the low boundary wall with its railings delicately laced over the foreground area and overlain by the collection of bicycles. On the right, the Bodleian leads imposingly into the distance ending in a glimpse of the Radcliffe Camera, finally punctuated by the tower of the St Marys.

Posted in Galleries & Events, Landscapes, O3 Gallery, Oxford | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Harley Gallery 2013 Open Exhibition

Posted on 19 January, 2013 by Susan Isaac

Pleased to have my most recent Staithes painting selected for the 2013 Harley Open. The painting is, once again, focused around the beck and the footbridge. The work emerged from a late afternoon walk during a weekend visit to the town. The mother of pearl colours of the foreshore and water made a good foil to the dark tones of the sea wall and the  reflections on the beck. The two boats slightly tilted towards each other are cradled in a becalmed estuary.

Susan Isaac - The Footbridge over Staithes Beck

Posted in Galleries & Events, Harley Gallery, North Yorkshire Coast, Staithes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

‘Newark Townscapes’ exhibition at Spotlight Gallery

Posted on 27 October, 2012 by Susan Isaac
Susan Isaac - Market Place, Newark-on-Trent

Susan Isaac – Market Place, Newark-on-Trent

My solo exhibition, ‘Newark Townscapes’ is now on at the Spotlight Gallery in Newark Town Hall – until 13 Nov. For this exhibition, I set about creating a series of contemporary views of Newark inspired by the structures and textures of the town as it radiates outward from the Church of St Mary Magdalene.

Susan Isaac - Kirk Gate, Newark-on-Trent

Susan Isaac – Kirk Gate, Newark-on-Trent

In my compositions, I sought out street furniture and market stalls to be as much a feature of the paintings as the stonework of castle and church and the red brick and timber frame of town buildings.

The elongated portrait canvases in particular are intended to convey a sense of the eye being drawn along narrow streets and alleys or through market stalls, leading on towards the Church spire, rising commandingly above and between the Medieval and Georgian townscape.

By contrast, Newark Castle unfurls its pierced elevations in elongated landscapes, whether seen from the modern gardens interior or from the banks of the river Trent, flowing as timelessly now as it did when the castle was first constructed.

Susan Isaac  - Newark Castle

Susan Isaac – Newark Castle

There is a long history of artists depicting the town and alongside the exhibition is a series of panels (by Michael Trueman) examining and highlighting aspects of that history.

Posted in Galleries & Events, Landscapes, Newark-on-Trent, Spotlight Gallery, Newark | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Art for Youth, Sheffield

Posted on 26 October, 2012 by Susan Isaac

I have five works as part of a ‘pop up’ exhibition  entitled ‘Art for Youth Sheffield‘ at the Millenium Gallery in Sheffield. Its on just until this Sunday and sales commission goes to UK Youth – a youth development charity. The five pieces are all seascapes, three Cornish paintings and two of Wells-by-the-Sea. The Cornish paintings include my most recent St Ives work.

Susan Isaac - Smeatons Pier & Harbour Beach, St Ives

Susan Isaac – Smeaton’s Pier & Harbour Beach, St Ives

Posted in Cornwall, Norfolk Coast, Seascapes, St Ives, Wells-Next-The-Sea | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Thoresby Exhibition – sneak preview

Posted on 19 June, 2012 by Susan Isaac

Here is one corner of the Thoresby gallery exhibition yesterday afternoon, with paintings and one of the sculptures in position and awaiting labels …

Thoresby Gallery - Susan Isaac

Thoresby Gallery – Susan Isaac exhibition awaiting labels

… and these are some of my ceramic slumbering heads waiting to be positioned.

Susan Isaac - Slumbering head sculptures

Slumbering head sculptures waiting to be positioned

Posted in Ceramics, Galleries & Events, Landscapes, Sculpture, Seascapes, Thoresby Gallery | Tagged , | 2 Comments