Village is home to 67 people and a fine art show (August 17, 2006)
Leicester Mercury, 17th August 2006
Leslie Goodwin
LIGHT TOUCH: Nicola Pennill's Northumberland Afternoon. Summer colours and gold in the foreground add lightness to a bleak sky.
It is a surprising place for an art exhibition, but in only its second year, the summer exhibition in the tiny village of Owston (population 67), near Oakham, has attracted a diverse collection of paintings and other artwork, reflecting the high calibre of artists in the area writes Leslie Goodwin.
For this open exhibition at the Rural Training Centre, the organisers have targeted local artists, to provide an opportunity to exhibit for professionals and talented amateurs.
The theme of Light, Life and Landscape has ensured a good representation of landscape painters. Among them is popular Oakham artist Alan Oliver. His works include the atmospheric Venice Evening and show bold use of colour, particularly in Evening Light, depicting sunlight streaming through trees.
Evening Light, Alan Oliver, Watercolour and Pastel
Jan Osbond, resident artist at the Centre, shows an exciting selection of lively oil paintings, including striking abstract landscape inspired by Rutland Water, alongside bold seascapes.
Misty Morning at Owston, Jan Osbond, Oil on board
Nicola Pennill includes a group of Northumbrian landscapes in watercolour and acrylic. The include a depiction of a shoreline, Winter Dawn II, evoking the bleak beauty of the coast.
Other work includes Roger Lancaster's distinctive landscapes, Lindsay Jelly's bold abstracts and fine watercolours by Tim Hughes, Audrey Paddock, Chris Goodson and Stuart Ball.
As well as the paintings, there is a wide range of other submissions, making for a truly multi-media event. Ceramics, photographs, jewellery, silk paintings, batik, wood carvings and needlecraft are all represented. A rolling slideshow of images from digital photography course students in an adjacent room adds a pleasing further dimension to the display.
This is an exhibition of wide appeal. It is open for 10 days.
Information
The Owston Summer Exhibition, supported by Leicestershire County Council, is open every day from Monday 21st to Tuesday 29th August. 11am to 4pm, including the Bank Holiday weekend.
The Rural Training Centre delivers courses in a range of topics, including painting, photography and other creative arts, as well as computing. It can be found on Green Lane, Owston. See the website for more details www.ruraltrainingcentre.co.uk.
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