BURNTWOOD ART GROUP
Recent Paintings, Prints and Ceramics
20th April - 1st May 2021
Open Tuesday - Sunday, 11am – 5pm
Maureen Sweeney
Fiona Reid
Margaret Donaldson
Margo Random
We are a group of local artists mentored by Maureen Sweeney and were originally established in 1995. When we’re together, we work on group projects with a common theme, either in Maureen’s studio or en plein air.
Many of the works in this exhibition have been created during lockdown. We have used the time to reflect and to explore and consolidate our use of different techniques such as drawing, painting, collaging and printmaking. As a group we endeavour to support each other’s development of ideas and experimentation with many approaches, media and techniques. We are happy to be mounting another exhibition at Sprout and delighted that we can welcome the public in (in groups of three!) to see our new work.
Maureen Sweeney
Maureen Sweeney was born in London and studied Fine art and was awarded a post graduate year in printmaking at Wimbledon School of Art and Morley College, amongst her tutors were Maggie Hambling, Frank Auerbach and Prunella Clough. She taught Art and printmaking in secondary schools and adult education.
The city and her travels are a source of inspiration in her paintings and prints. The Thames which she crossed daily to school from Chelsea to Battersea and which was beside Battersea Power Station feature in her etching series “ River Trip” taken from drawings done on river boats travelling the Thames. Her monoprints, paintings and etchings of Battersea Power Station show her attachment to this great building. Travels in Britain and abroad captured in sketchbooks are translated into paintings using vibrant colour and fluid brushstrokes.
Maureen has exhibited widely in Britain, France ,Germany , Norway , Russia and Israel. She exhibits at Southbank Printmakers gallery, Gabriel’s Wharf, Upper Ground SE1 9PP near the Oxo tower and Greenwich Printmakers Gallery, Greenwich Market, Greenwich SE10 9HZ. She is a committee member of The National Society of Painters, Sculptors and Printmakers. She was a committee member and co-curator of The Printmakers Council for many years .Maureen’s prints, paintings and drawings have been collected by private patrons and collections in Britain and abroad. Amongst the group exhibitions she has exhibited are The Summer Exhibition Royal Academy, Stowell Trophy Royal Academy, The Royal Watercolour Open, The Royal painters and Printmakers Open, National Theatre, Natural History Museum.
Recent exhibitions include Greenwich printmakers at UCL, National Society of Painters, Sculptors and Printmakers 2018 The Menier Gallery London, Royal Brompton Hospital. Featured Artist 2019 Greenwich Printmakers Gallery, Forthcoming exhibitions :- Burntwood Art Group at Sprout Gallery, Moyser Rd. Tooting SW16 in March , Greenwich Printmakers at the Watts Gallery July-Sept 2019 , Greenwich Printmakers at Salvation Army HQ, St Paul’s. London. Greenwich Printmakers at The Barbican Library.
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Fiona Reid
A Canadian by birth, a Scot by education and a Londoner by choice Fiona has, from a young age, always been a creative. Whether painting, drawing, printing or sewing her interest lies in form, colour, pattern, texture and construction. In the last year, although still following her first loves of painting and drawing, she has been working in ceramics. Drawing on her knowledge and experience of printing and pattern making she is exploring slab construction and surface decoration.
Margaret Donaldson
Margaret Donaldson studied art at Philippa Fawcett college for her B.Ed degree, specialising in painting. After a long career in teaching she has, in retirement, taken the opportunity to return to art making. She has been a member of the Burntwood Art Group for many years and enjoys working alongside her fellow artists under the guidance of Maureen Sweeney.
She has an enduring interest in printing techniques - etching, woodcut, lino cut and collagraphy, and has studied at BIP Art in Brighton and at the City Lit in London.
During lockdown, with no access to a printing press or acid (for etching), she has been exploring reduction printmaking in both lino and wood, hand printing on the kitchen table.
The prints in this exhibition are from a series of 6, 8 or 12. Each print is unique and may differ in colour due to the experimentation by Margaret in the process of inking up the plates and changes which occur in the hand printing process.
Margaret’s paintings and prints show her enduring interest in colour and she approaches the printmaking process in a similar way to painting, using a palette of colours and responding to the gradual emergence of an image in the reduction print process.
Many of the paintings in this exhibition have been executed ‘en plein air’ and are of her favourite places visited during lockdown. Margaret uses her drawings and photographs as a starting point for her artwork
Margo Random
Margo Random discovered art following a career as a musician, songwriter and actress. She has studied at Putney School of Art and for the past twelve years has been passionate about making art. While oil painting is her first love, Margo is also interested in exploring watercolour, monoprint, woodcut and linocut. Margo has shown her work at Putney School of Art, Sprout Arts, Wandsworth Artists Open House, Jonaquest Art, Urban Art Fair, Uthink Festival, Streatham Art23 and Parsons Green Art Festival. Her ‘Tooting Bec’ limited edition prints were acquired by London Transport Museum and ‘Beach at Carbis Bay’ on display in this exhibition (and above) was longlisted for the Jacksons Painting Prize 2021.
Margo’s work encompasses landscape, still life and portraits with an abstract sensibility and a love of colour derived from her travels, her London home and her origins in New York.
‘I like to make art viewing the composition as a whole and not get too bogged down in detail. In this way, I hope to engage the viewer in a two way conversation that leaves room for their own feelings and interpretations.’
‘Working with the Burntwood Art Group has been instrumental in expanding my practice and I’m happy to be showing with them at Sprout this Spring 2021.’
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