The Sea at KMA Gallery

About

From gentle rolling waves to reflected fiery skies, KMA Gallery's September exhibition is exploring the depths of the sea with a collection of artworks that seek to represent its many intrigues. Featuring new collections from painters Sam Peacock and Jonathan Smith, and ceramicist Paul Wearing.

Painting landscapes that are connected to the coastal areas across the south east is Sam Peacock's primary focus. With this new collection he particularly sought to challenge the norm of how we interpret landscape painting and coastal painting both in the terms of colour and feeling. Deep reds and luscious pinks meet sapphire blues and emerald greens, with paint scraped and manipulated across the panel as if eroded like the land.

Jonathan Smith’s new collection of paintings continues a lifelong exploration of the seas of the Hebrides. A rich landscape with diverse seasons, he seeks to distil this sense of movement through space and time using colour and brush stroke. The final collection in this instance is awash with the sense of wave and wind, of the change of seasons and the hardy North Atlantic weather.

The signature style of Paul Wearing's ceramics takes on new resonance against the theme of the sea, recalling barnacled rocks and foam-topped waves. New shapes introduced reference buoys, or take on the monolithic presence of a lighthouse atop a cliff. His creation process is very meditative, opting for a manual coiling technique to build his vessels. The final pieces achieve this zen-like quality as a result, akin to the impact of being by the sea on our psyche.

Also on show are vibrant landscape paintings by Moira Hazel, textured abstract paintings by Ashley Hanson, contemplative figurative sculptures by Su Jameson, and striking glass vessels from Gregg Anson-Race.

These artworks are on view curated across two floors at Kellie Miller Arts, 20 Market Street.