Yay! Welcome to the weekend!
Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Prize finalist exhibition
Will this be the last blast of summer? Who knows, but it IS the last chance to see the Self Portrait Prize 2025 Exhibition in person.
The Russell Cotes Gallery is open from 10-5pm... the forecast is wonderful, their cafe has outdoor seating in the garden and a terrace overlooking the golden sands of Bournemouth beach.
Click this image for the gallery website:
Or... click this image to visit the interactive 3D virtual gallery:
Both my large and small Rafts are available to buy - one is 2.3m wide, the other 1.5m. Please contact me if you are interested, or have contacts in an institution that might rock a giant feminist talking piece in their atrium!
Dungscape
I've been busy behind the scenes securing endorsements for my next big project, and can at last share the details. Dungscape connects art, natural science, and conservation to showcase the ecological importance of dung, and the invertebrates who thrive on it. For example these Purple emperor butterflies. Fun facts: Only the males have the purple irridescence, and only the males go onto dung, feeding on salts and minerals which are crucial for reproduction... the butterfly equivalent of a Tequila Slammer 😈
Inspired by the world famous Knepp Conservation Project, described in Isabella Tree's fantastic book Wilding, I have received enthusiastic help and access to the Bristol Museum entomology collection, and the Knepp estate.
A celebration of dung as a sculptural, ecological, and aesthetically beautiful subject, Dungscape will culminate in a large oil painting of dungpats, insects, molluscs, bird, bat, and other members of this vital, fragile ecosystem. The magnification will allow detailed depiction of the invertebrate life that thrives around dung in the UK -- particularly dung beetles, a keystone species.
I have gathered input and references from leading entomologists, who are guiding me on species choices and authentic representation. They have shared many incredible facts about insects, even an actual good thing about wasps! Follow my social media for regular updates.
Here for your delectation are a couple of pages from my sketchbook, featuring the Minotaur beetle, Digger wasp, and Lesser housefly... all from the Bristol Museum collection.
Selection for The Natural Eye exhibition
Finally, I'm delighted to say this inquisitive snail (and stowaway woodlouse) has been accepted into the Society of Wildlife Artists' Annual Exhibition 'The Natural Eye' in October.
Next year I hope to submit Dungscape to this show, and am delighted to say it already has a couple of exhibition opportunities lined up.
I have a portrait sitter coming today, then off to enjoy some creative inspiration tomorrow: lots of East Bristol artists are holding open studios, including InBristol studios and the brilliant portrait artist Geoffrey Harrison. For details see BS5 Art Trail 2025.
Wishing you a lovely weekend whatever you're up to,
Gxxx