Landscape!
9th February 2023
Textiles, Painting, Printing An Artisans North Exhibition of Work by Local Artists.
Cannon Hall Museum reopens after its winter closure on the 11th of February with a brand new exhibition – Landscape! – in the temporary gallery space.
Landscape! showcases three very different practices – textiles, printmaking and watercolour – by artists Pippa Ashworth, Nikki Parmenter & Lucy Pimpernel Wood. The artists have been inspired by the parkland and gardens of Cannon Hall and by the natural environment.
Artisans North is a collaborative project between Barnsley Museums curatorial and learning services and the Wentworth Castle Gardens partnership. The aim of Artisans North is to support local artists in their practice, and offer high quality, adult only, skills building courses which taking inspiration from the temporary exhibitions programme, the ceramics collection and the De Morgan collection at Cannon Hall Museum.
About the artists:
Pippa Ashworth:
Pippa has always considered drawing and mark-making as basic and important ways of recording and observing the landscape, which is why the use of sketchbooks to record and explore ideas is a vital part of her practice. Used daily during walks and back in her studio as reference, the books capture ‘snap shots’ of landscape.
Having worked in watercolour and mixed media for many years, Pippa has recently begun working in acrylic on canvas and is presently exploring the possibilities that this media has to offer. Every piece of work is a challenge, and each canvas starts with a Gesso ground to create texture and support the building up of layers of colour. Pippa has regularly used Cannon Hall parkland as a source of inspiration at contrasting times of day and throughout the seasons. “There is something about the light and in particular Daker Brook which never seems the same each time I visit; there is so much visual information here. The trees, plants, reflections and water, the reeds and birds have all featured one way or another in my work.”
Alongside her love of painting Pippa has had a career in education as an Art College lecturer, inspiring and teaching photography and printmaking. Both have influenced her approach to the use of materials, as well as how light helps to create the evocative and atmospheric landscapes and ones that reflect the relationship to her surroundings.
https://www.pippaashworth.co.uk
Nikki Parmenter:
Nikki specialises in mixed media, textile-based pieces, taking inspiration from a variety of sources including mythology, symbolism, stories, history, diverse cultures and the natural world. Her pieces are thoroughly researched and are often large in scale incorporating a wide variety of media including fabrics, plastics, embellishments, wire, and upcycled elements. Drawing is integral to her practice, and she specialises in free machine embroidery.
She has exhibited widely in group and solo shows, both nationally and abroad, including Chester Cathedral and the Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead. She has a solo show at Buxton Art Gallery in November 2024. She has had articles published in books, magazines and online.
Nikki provides talks, workshops and short courses at venues across the country.
Nikki is a member of North West based group Textile 21 and is Chair of Textile Connections.
https://www.nikkiparmenterartworks.com/
Lucy Pimpernel Wood
Born in Oxford and growing up on a flower farm in North Wales, Lucy Pimpernel Wood’s life has always been visual and creative. She studied Fine Art at Liverpool John Moores University, graduating in 2002.
Early works were abstract, a hybrid of painting and sculpture. This work gained recognition and was displayed nationally at The Biscuit Factory Gallery in Newcastle to Flowers on Cork Street, London. Work was purchased for public and private collections including the Grosvenor Museum.
Lucy now lives and paints in Penistone, a place that her father’s side of the family farmed until 1914 and says “provides never ending inspiration”.
When you look at the work you may think Wood is a landscape painter, but the ultimate theme is memory, time and sound. Her focus being the use of visual language to explore our sense of place and the passing of time.
To accompany the exhibition, there are artist workshops being held in March. For further information and to book a place, visit What’s On | Cannon Hall (cannon-hall.com)
