Outdoor photography collective bring the splendours of nature to Chichester’s Oxmarket Gallery
Parhelion, a collective of outdoor photographers, will be exhibiting at Chichester’s Oxmarket Gallery from April 30-May 12. They comprise Jenifer Bunnett, Matt Cattell, Lorraine Heaysman, Mark Horton, Sarah Medway,
David Southern and Rachael Talibart, photographers based in and around the North and South Downs.
Jenifer, who offers seascapes with a painterly feel, said: “This is our first exhibition as a group and we are really looking forward to presenting our work together. Between us we have a diverse range of styles and subject matter and hope that there will be something to appeal to everyone.
“Matt Cattell is known for his spectacular images of birds, imaginatively shown in their environment; he also enjoys land and seascapes. Lorraine Heaysman seems to be able to conjure up mist wherever she goes!
She spends early mornings around her beloved South Downs capturing the magic of dawn.
“Mark Horton, despite being a bit of a giant, photographs the smallest creatures in existence. His macro images show us details of a world that passes most of us by. Sarah Medway will be showing a selection of striking black and white portraits made of the residents of the Big Cat Sanctuary, Kent; she knows the animals well, being part of their photography team and has a special knack of bringing out their characters.
“David Southern has recently moved to Northumberland and divides his time between there and his old stomping ground of Surrey. His images of land, sea and wildlife reflect his love of the great outdoors. Rachael Talibart is a coastal fine-art photographer and is known for her critically-acclaimed series of dramatic wave images, known as Sirens. She is captivated by the sea which is very evident in her work.”
Jenifer added: “We will be holding a Meet The Artists event on Saturday, May 4 between 2pm and 4.30pm when we will be on hand to chat about our work, our group and our inspiration. Everyone is welcome to drop by. We would love to meet them. There will be at least one of us on hand throughout the exhibition to chat and answer queries.
“Each member of the group is an established photographer in his or her own right. We are all committed to excellence, whether by undertaking prestigious commissions, regular publication in books and magazines, as educators leading workshops and giving presentations, by achieving awards in national and international competitions, or exhibiting and selling fineart prints. You can read about our collective on our website www.parheliongroup.co.uk and from there you will find links to our individual websites. In the meantime, we look forward to exhibiting at the Oxmarket and meeting lots of art lovers!”
As for the name, Jenifer explains: “Parhelion is the meteorological term for Sundog when bright spots appear either side of the sun due to the refraction of light through ice crystals in certain conditions. Since the word photography means drawing with light, and the sun is key to all our work, Parhelion is an apt name for our group and importantly, it’s a very beautiful word.”