The Minories, Colchester

Recently, I went with my sister to The Minories Gallery in Colchester.  We had heard about the Open Studios which have been taking place around the local area and, having read that some of the work produced by the artists was on display at The Minories, we decided to go an have a look.  

We ended up looking around the whole gallery.  I had never been inside before and I thought the location was fantastic.  Wonderful natural light lit the works of art and the view over the gardens was peaceful and relaxing.

In The Minories' Collection, there were a number of works, which I liked.  

The 1926 portrait of Victor Batte Lay by Frank Daniell captured me from the other side of the room.  The subject beams out from a black background, which, to me, was reminiscent of some of Leonardo Da Vinci's work.  I was really taken with it.

The 1965 'Gull Head' by Bernard Reynolds in bronze looked brilliant.  I liked that he had the beak pointing upwards, lending an abstract quality to the piece.

Other pieces I enjoyed looking at were:

• Michael Rothenstein's 'Night City' (1977)
• (Copied from) Joseph White of Derby's 'Boy blowing up a bladder by candle light'
• John Sell Cotman's ink drawing of St Botolph's Priory.

The 'Open Studios' exhibition was lovely.  It was great to see such a diverse selection of work from local artists.  I was particularly taken with the work of three of the artists.  

Firstly, a series of photographs called 'From the Monument Project' by Chris Meigh Andrews.  The series consisted of four photographs, showing a panoramic view of London at dawn, morning, dusk and night.  The way the view altered with different light was very interesting.  This was of particular interest to me, as I have been thinking about using a similar approach to create a series of images around Charlotte's pool.  It certainly gave me food for thought.

Secondly, there were two pictures depicting local scenes.  'Karl and Onions' and 'Crate - Manningtree Market' by Michael Checketts were well executed and vibrant.  I particularly liked the view of Manningtree Market.  The colours used really brought both scenes to life.

Finally, I was impressed and inspired by Anne Barclay's piece.  There was no name on it, but it showed a small, child's dress, hanging in a frame, embroidered with a piece of writing.  It was wonderful and, again, I was inspired for my work about Charlotte.

This weekend is the last weekend of the Open Studios but the exhibition in the Minories goes on until Tuesday 2nd October.  Do go and have a look!

For more information, look at the website for Colchester Open Studios - www.colchesteropenstudios.org