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Painting her own picture Cupola Gallery’s owner turns artist this month with a new exhibition of her work titled ‘Of No Places in Particular’ on display until 17 July. Whilst many people know Karen Sherwood as founder and director of Cupola Gallery on Middlewood Road, fewer know her as a painter in her own right. But before setting up the gallery between a betting shop and a launderette round the corner from the Sheffield Wednesday football ground in 1991, Karen graduated from Psalter Lane Art College. Running the gallery occupied much of Karen’s time and energy, and as a result her own painting endeavours were put on the back burner for several years. That is, until an opportunity arose through a generous customer. Karen recalls: “In 2014 one of my customers kindly lent me and my family their caravan in Seahouses on the North East coast for a holiday and I was blown away by the fabulous coastline
and atmosphere of the place. “Inspired by this experience I started painting again in earnest and I have not looked back.” Whilst Karen’s paintings were initially inspired by the coastline, they have recently become more of a reflection of her own lived experience, taking a deeper interest in the connection between ourselves and the landscape. The name of the exhibition, ‘Of No Places In Particular’, references the way her paintings draw on elements of her experiences in the landscape, coupled with a desire to evoke a specific mood or feeling not rooted in a particular place. The landscape painting has become a vehicle for communicating the artist’s every day, primarily subconscious, emotional journeys. Especially now, when life is full of change and uncertain emotions; and these paintings depict a small aspect of this artist’s response to
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the last 12 months. “I make no plans when I begin a painting and simply apply paint to board, card, paper or canvas and see where the muse takes me.” adds Karen, “I work quickly and intuitively and work and re-work paintings many, many times over before finally finding a finished piece.” “The many layered process is part of the piece: traces, mistakes, early marks, scratches mark the journey and the changes, and without them the painting lacks character and struggle.” “I am rarely satisfied and find it often difficult to leave a painting, but when the process reaches a conclusion there is often a sense of relief or catharsis. Painting is both a huge pleasure and a difficult and frustrating activity, but one I would no longer be without.” The exhibition is on display now until 17 July in Cupola Gallery, 178a Middlewood Road, S6 1SB
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