It's A Wonderful Life!

Paintings to cheer the soul from artists Claire West, Sharon Winter and Rachel McEwan

Friendly Foxes

Claire West

"I am a painter, who paints because it makes me happy and I hope that it does the same for the viewer. I have a strong belief in the power of colour therapy in uplifting the spirit.

I love colour and enjoy exploring its contrasts and its vibrant and intense nature. In working in colour I like using colours that are often believed to not work together, in doing this I hope to break down the boundaries of what we should do and explore the freedom that is so often lost in art when we are no longer children.

I usually work on canvas in acrylic and inks, I produce textured work through layers of paint and random dripping of inks.

As the painting develops I will discover happy accidents which have evolved and help to form the finished painting, often dictating where detail will happen."

Five Eggs

Foxtrotting

Sharon Winter studied at Scarborough College and graduated with a first class Honours degree in 2001. Her inspiration comes from fairy tales, folklore, memory and family. Sharon works by building up layers of paint, collage and gold leaf to create patterns, motifs and texture.

Rachel McEwan

Rachel's work centres around painting, but incorporates aspects of photography and textiles. When she paints she likes to use mixed media such as tile cement, hand made paper, dried leaves, beeswax, textiles and copper leaf. Alongside these materials she uses oil paints, applied with brushes and rags. 

Rachel often incorporates text into her work. A single line from a poem or maybe a verse from a song adds another dimension to the meaning and poignancy evoked by the work.