Creative Pathway Bursaries Awarded

Image courtesy of Isobel Adderley.

Creative Pathways is Somerset Art Works’ professional development programme that aims to provide tailor-made support for artist members in Somerset to develop their practice and to deliver high-quality work. somersetartworks.org.uk/saw-members/professional-development

Isobel Adderley, Judy Crosher, Sue Gilmore and Ellie Mawby received bursaries this year to explore the prospect of progressing their artistic practice and widening their audiences, through creating new work in their chosen medium and showcase during the festival in the venue of their choice.

Isobel Adderley www.isobeladderley.com has recently gained a BA (Hons) Fine Art at Goldsmiths, University of London. She is fascinated by our preconception of the body and physical space as separate and opposing forces. Isobel attempts to blur or trouble these preconceptions in her work and uses film, sculpture, live performance and music production to directly impinge on her audience in different physical ways. She will be creating one-off performance installation at Eastville Project Space in Yeovil (Venue 99).

Judy Crosher gained a BA (Hons) Fine Arts at Somerset College in 2014. She works with porcelain, interested in the tension between its fragility and strength, and in documentary film-making. The bursary provides her the opportunity to experiment with the possibilities of combining seemingly unrelated materials to explore deeper themes, in particular the way in which ordinary objects and simple gestures can carry powerful emotions. She will present the new film installation at The Old Brick Workshop in Wellington (Venue 71).

Image courtesy of Judy Crosher

Sue Gilmore sue-gilmore.com has recently graduated with a BA (Hons) in Painting. Her practice has evolved in a way that focuses on the work she has done with Willow Trees. She is interested in the material aspects in willow and charcoal she made herself, whilst maintaining links to the living willow sculptures that she has nurtured. She will create an artist book as part of the collection in the Tree House Library of ‘Amazing Space II: Spirit of Place’ at Dove Studios at Butleigh (Venue 21), reflecting the creative and environmentally sensitive nature of the studios and adjoining space.

Sue Gilmore, That’s just how it is… (2) Charcoal and acrylic medium on canvas board prepared with gesso. 60 x 60 cms.

Ellie Mawby elliemawby.wordpress.com graduated with a BA (Hons) Contemporary Arts Practice from Bath Spa University in 2015. She works with ink, pigments and paper. Her work draws attention to the public’s unawareness of the serious issue of pollution and its affects on both a local and global scale. Like a riddle, her work is about the uncomfortable balance of air pollution – what cannot be seen by eye in the present moment, but will be starkly visible in the future. She will create an exhibition to showcase her new work at the Cafe gallery space at Black Swan Arts in Frome (Venue 5).