Paperwork: An Exhibition of Contemporary Collage

PAPERWORK

An Exhibition of Contemporary Collage

25 th - 28 th May 2023

The Space At Caro Grove Alley, Bruton, BA10 0ET

Open Daily 10am - 3pm

Ele Grafton

Amy Rhian

Alex Robinson

Lara Pilkington

Beatrice von Preussen

‘Paperwork’ is a group exhibition of contemporary collage. It brings together works made by five female artists who each work with collage in various capacities, paper cutting being their one shared medium.

The exhibiting artists are Ele Grafton, Amy Rhian, Alex Robinson, Lara Pilkington and Beatrice von Preussen. This is the first time these five artists have come together to show their works. Their process-led disciplines breathe new life into and transform the simplest materials.

The exhibition demonstrates a variety of styles and approaches to collage, each woven with layers of meaning, combining paper with painted, drawn and cut layers, realising the creative potential of each part and showing the endless possibilities that collage can create.

ELE GRAFTON

Ele’s work is inspired by historical documents and vintage books and the memories and narratives created alongside them. Her distinctive abstract compositions are made using cut-outs of the original drawings she produces of bird and insect species, which she discovers in the field guide books that her father and grandfather both enjoyed during their own childhoods. The cut-out drawings are then juxtaposed with layers of papers and old book covers and pages; a process that involves a balance of serendipity and control.

Ele Grafton

Warbler Composition

27.5cm x 40.5cm

Watercolour, Vintage Books & Ephemera

Ele Grafton

Bunting Composition

26cm x 19cm

Watercolour, Vintage Books & Ephemera

Ele Grafton

Kentish Glory Composition

14cm x 20cm

Watercolour, Vintage Books & Ephemera

Ele Grafton

Elephant Hawk Composition

14.5cm x 18cm

Watercolour, Vintage Books & Ephemera

Ele Grafton

Spurge Hawk Composition

20.5cm x 15cm

Watercolour, Vintage Books & Ephemera

Ele Grafton

Striped Hawk Composition

17.5cm x 22.5cm

Watercolour, Vintage Books & Ephemera

Ele Grafton

Eyed Hawk Composition

40.5cm x 28.5cm

Watercolour, Vintage Books & Ephemera

Ele Grafton

Emperor Composition

13cm x 18cm

Watercolour, Vintage Books & Ephemera

AMY RHIAN

Amy is an artist and illustrator who works predominantly with paper. Her work is constantly evolving but always contains collage and layering techniques alongside the use of bold colour and strong shapes. Amy takes inspiration from found objects and focuses a lot on composition when creating her abstract layered collages. The miniature specimens are all hand cut and built with great care, resulting in tiny, intricate works.

Amy Rhian Composition I

20cm x 15cm Paper

Amy Rhian Composition II

20cm x 15cm Paper

Amy Rhian Composition III

20cm x 15cm Paper

Amy Rhian Composition IV

20cm x 15cm Paper

Amy Rhian Composition V

20cm x 15cm Paper

Amy Rhian Composition VI

20cm x 15cm Paper

Amy Rhian

Specimen I

8cm x 8cm Paper

Amy Rhian Specimen II

8cm x 8cm Paper

Amy Rhian

Specimen III

8cm x 8cm Paper

Amy Rhian Specimen IV

8cm x 8cm Paper

Amy Rhian

Specimen V

8cm x 8cm Paper

Amy Rhian Specimen VI

8cm x 8cm Paper

Amy Rhian

Specimen VII

8cm x 8cm Paper

Amy Rhian Specimen VIII

8cm x 8cm Paper

Amy Rhian Specimen IX

8cm x 8cm Paper

Amy Rhian Specimen X 8cm x 8cm Paper

Amy Rhian

Specimen XI

8cm x 8cm Paper

Amy Rhian Specimen XII

8cm x 8cm Paper

ALEX ROBINSON

Alex explores the relationship between shapes and colours, playing with scale and movement.

Her work usually takes an abstract form but with figurative or recognisable elements on the page. An almost dream like visual of domestic scenes with nonsensical household items.

‘I tend not to plan too much, placing a previously cut piece of card will usually inform which direction the collage will take. A bit like the old doodle game, scribbling on a page with eyes shut, opening them to make sense of the random lines and curves. The colleges tend to start in a similar way.’

Alex has previously shown in Berdoulat, Bath in 2021.

Alexandra Robinson

Greek Moon

42 x 29.5cm

Collage

Alexandra Robinson Takes Two

29.5 x 42cm Collage

Alexandra Robinson

The Dancer

A Fish Called Dinner

42 x 29.5cm

Collage

Alexandra Robinson

Three Bananas

29.5 x 42cm

Collage

Alexandra Robinson

Alexandra Robinson

The Goldfish Bowl

42 x 29.5cm Collage

Alexandra Robinson

Flowers Under The Skylight

29.5 x 42cm

Collage

Alexandra Robinson In The Middle

42 x 29.5cm Collage

Alexandra Robinson

A Fish Called Dinner, Blue

29x42cm Collage

Alexandra Robinson

Above the Sea

29x42cm Collage

Alexandra Robinson Seated Nude

42 x 29.5cm Collage

LARA PILKINGTON

Lara spent her childhood immersed in her mother’s garden deep in the Suffolk countryside, where her passion for flora, fauna, and botanicals was ignited. This affinity to nature is a common thread through her life: it was while pressing flowers with her children that the idea of creating paper flowers cut out of beautiful marbled paper and old watercolour drawings came to her. Now living in Dorset, her maximalist aesthetic is informed by her years as an illustrator, her love for antique fabrics and ceramics, and the wildflowers and foliage surrounding her home.

Lara Pilkington

Old man’s beard and dried foliage in a splatterware verona vase

36.4 x 30.9 cm

mixed media collage

Lara Pilkington

Rosehips, beech, oak and hawthorne in a splatterware tureen

40.5 x 30.9 cm

mixed media collage

Lara Pilkington

Nasturtiums in a woven jug

26.5 x 18.5 cm

mixed media collage

Lara Pilkington

Summer wildflowers in a woven urn

34.4 x 21.2 cm

mixed media collage

Lara Pilkington

Snakeshead fritillary, snow drop and hellebore in a blue gluggle jug

26.5 x 23 cm

mixed media collage

Lara Pilkington

Woodland wildflowers in a blue and white Chinoiserie bowl

35.7 x 27 cm

mixed media collage

BEATRICE VON PREUSSEN

Inspired by a love for the outdoors and a passionate curiosity, Beatrice’s work is informed by adventures in nature; sailing the seas of the Arctic Circle, climbing frozen volcanoes in Antarctica and searching for minute fossils under the microscope.

Working alongside scientists, naturalists and explorers gives Beatrice a unique perspective on the natural world as she brings together art, science and story-telling. Her knack for spotting intriguing and often overlooked details, investigating and sharing them, encourages others to go out together and explore the world around them.

Beatrice von Preussen

No. 43 Egg wrack herbarium specimen pastel, ink and pigment on collaged cartridge paper

33cm x 25cm

Beatrice von Preussen

N0. 42 Two collaged fan weeds - pink and green – in a shadow mounted box frame ink and pigment on collaged cartridge paper

36cm x 28cm

Beatrice von Preussen

No. 29 Purple pressed seaweed specimen

29cm x 23cm

ink, pigment, pastel crayon on collaged cartridge paper

Beatrice von Preussen

No. 31 Green pressed seaweed specimens

29cm x 23cm

ink, pigment, pastel crayon on collaged cartridge paper

Beatrice von Preussen

No. 30 Purple pressed seaweed specimen

29cm x 23cm

ink, pigment, pastel crayon on collaged cartridge paper

Beatrice von Preussen

Humpback whale

39cm x 66cm

ink and watercolour on giclee printed paper

PAPERWORK

An Exhibition of Contemporary Collage

This catalogue features a selection of the work available from the artists exhibiting at Paperwork: An Exhibition of Contemporary Collage. There will be further framed and unframed work available at The Space At Caro, Grove Alley, Bruton, BA10 0ET.

All work is for sale, prices range from £175 - £950.

Please get in touch with any of the artists for further information, individual prices or to discuss commissions.

Please note all works are available on a first come first serve basis at the opening on Wednesday 24th May at 6pm. If you are unable to attend the opening and would like to purchase a work, please get in touch with the artist directly.

Ele Grafton: elegrafton@gmail.com @ele_grafton_studio www.elegrafton.com

Amy Rhian: amyrhian@googlemail.com @amyrhian

Alex Robinson: alex@alexandra-robinson.com @alexrobinsondesign

Lara Pilkington:larapilkington@gmail.com @larapilkingtondesign

Beatrice Von Preussen:beatricevonp@gmail.com @beatricevonpreussen www.beatricevonpreussen.co.uk