Amanda Aldous Fine Art is launching her first entirely online group exhibition including 15 different artists. It will run from 1st May until 31st May 2020. Restricted by lockdown, Amanda Aldous decided to ask her artists to contribute works to a 'Water' themed online exhibition with 10% percent of each sale going to support plasticoceans.co.uk.

Amanda says: ”At this time of year, we are usually all looking forward to a summer holiday, and inevitably we gravitate towards the sea or water in some form or other. So it seems that in 2020, when most of us are forced to self-isolate inland, the theme of water will resonate. A fundamental of life, it is both a necessity and a pleasure and we encounter it in so many different ways.” Amanda works with a wide range of artists, from the more traditional painters, sculptors, watercolourists and draftsmen to artists working in glass and earthenware. The response to this exhibition during lockdown has been excellent and as you would expect has resulted in a huge variety of interpretations of water and what it means to each artist.

The highlights include John Harmer's acrylic on canvas garden scene 'Empty Chair', which gives us a fine example of the perfect 'stay at home' holiday. John’s painting practice is concerned with the formal elements of his chosen medium: form, colour and texture and he particularly enjoys experimenting with textural effects. It won't surprise that John started out as a graphic designer, which he found too restricting. John's work was inspired by the work of the architect, Albert Frey and he say: “A larger canvas allows me to demonstrate a wide range of painterly effects. This work also reflects my admiration for the paintings of Edward Hopper and Peter Doig, wherein an absence of human prescience suggests any number of narrative possibilities for the viewer.”

The unique character of Paul Jackson’s work derives from two interrelated processes: each piece is first thrown on the wheel, then subtly altered in form – giving every pot an individual character and strength defining the journey of discovery by which Paul conceived it. The journey continues during decoration, where the pot’s elegance and sense of balance grow directly out of his concern for harmony between form, colour, and the painted surface. Influences can been seen from the great tradition of painting that comes from St. Ives school of art, with a nod to Nicholson, Frost and even Wallis. Paul is delighted to have recently been elected as an associate of the Penwith Society in St. Ives.

Philip Hearsey's contemporary sculptures are influenced by the urban environment. He is also powerfully driven and inspired by natural forms and the British Landscape - and most notably the immensely strong sense of place where he lives and works, which is on the edge of England where it is interwoven and blurred with the Welsh borders.

Much of Philip's early career has been spent working as an architectural, interior and furniture designer. Philip now spends much of his time on hands-on work creating individual furniture pieces and small-scale contemporary sculpture, including an ongoing exploration of the vessel form, cast in solid bronze.

From their glass-blowing studio in the Cotswolds, Colin and Louise Hawkins use a combination of traditional glassblowing techniques and contemporary craftsmanship to create their handblown glass. Their work is inspired by the qualities of glass itself and the forms and rhythms of nature. Partners in life and work, Colin and Louise have been involved in glass making for over 20 years. They gained much of their understanding of the medium of glass early in their careers whilst working alongside some of the British Glassmaking industry’s traditional and contemporary artisans.

Amanda says about some of her artists: “I love representing Colin and Louise Hawkins, they are both artisans and artists, with an incredible attention to detail. Colin blows the glass and Louise decorates it. Combining beautiful shapes and forms with wonderfully detailed decoration, Louise gets her inspiration from the natural world.”

Amanda also helps people curate and start collections and glass and earthenware are an ideal starting point: “Paul Jackson’s work is extremely collectable, he is a renowned studio potter and a Fellow of the Craft Potters Association and a member of the Penwith Art Society. I love representing Paul’s work. His smaller work is very affordable and is often a way in for collectors who don’t know much about pottery as his work is really appealing with its unique shapes and exuberant colours.”