Dynamic pair return

AN EXHIBITION of paintings and sculpture at Clayton Whites Hotel brings together the painter Mary Wallace and sculptor Gilly Thomas who both enjoy exploring the beauty and colour found in nature.

Intrigued by Japanese culture and ideas, Mary Wallace finds beauty in imperfection and the extraordinary in the everyday. Her creative style is immediate and contemporary and her use of colour suspended in beeswax, paired with pure gold, makes for an opulent visual experience.

‘Working with gold leaf is a delicate business. It requires patience and practice to place that filigre just as you want it,’ said Mary. ‘Sometimes I feel it has a mind of its own as the gentlest breath of air can cause it to flicker and fly away!’. Her inspiration comes from ordinary things, a simple tea bowl, a flower, a hen, a fish... to create exquisite tea bowls with golden cracks, magestic moon jars with golden seams, exotic fruit, flamboyant hens, cockerels and other creatures’. Gilly Thomas shows her bronze sculptures influenced by the wildlife seen sauntering past her studio window in Carnagh Woods, Gusserane. With the minimum of detail, she manages to capture the essence of the form with simple clean lines, creating pieces that are visually quiet so you are able to absorb the natural contours with eye and hand.

The dynamic pair have exhibited together on many occasions and are well known at the Festival Fringe. The exhibition will run from Friday, October 20, to Sunday, November 5.