WINTER Group Shoe by Railway Street Artists

Paintings from contemporary artists inspired by the seasonal changes - expressions of nature or more abstract concepts representing winter.

A painting may convey a sense of stillness and peace or a visual rendering of a psychological state reminiscent of a winter scene. Seasons have always inspired artists. Some choose to reflect human emotions in the ice, snow and mist. Others show a realistic view of winter, the early morning light on frost-covered trees. A winter landscape painting’s intent may depict ecological concerns; less regard to the exact appearance of the bare oaks of the forest than with our place in nature and the emotions that nature inspires.

There is a strange affinity between art and winter. Maybe there is more time spent inside - in front of the easel while blizzards howl outside. Perhaps a nostalgic view of an artist adopting plein air painting conjures up images of her out in the open, braving the elements despite winter conditions. He may utilise the rain as it drips over the work, or leaves gust over scarring the surface. Winter has inspired artists to create artworks that use colours, shapes and marks to evoke the season. There are abstract works but influenced by real scenes or experiences.

Lucy Barker practises in pencil and paint. She has been making work since 2006 and has been a finalist in the Adam Portraiture Awards, the Parkin Drawing Prize and the New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Awards. While Lucy’s work is anchored in representation, she often explores the use of visual devices to lend another dimension to her subjects. Contemplation brings together her ongoing interest in the figure and her more recent preoccupation with depicting paper banderoles, creating an ethereal scene to frame the subject. She chose to include this work in the Winter group show because of the sense of repose and introspection in the sitter.

Maree Brogden’s interests are in visual renderings of other psychological states. Anima and Animus is both a representational and non-representational drawing. Brogden uses the processes of the arts to sound out interpretations of a less visible life world; for her, art is not necessarily about a finished artwork, it is instead a living documentation that allows us to consider the workings of an arts process for the potential art form. She reconsiders the Anima and Animus popularised after Carl Jung's school of analytical psychology for the less integrated states, that is, non-binary and more deeply considered.

Railway Street Gallery presents a selection of artworks that shows the different ways artists have chosen to depict Winter. Winter is a time of short days, cold winds, frosty walks and heavy knitwear. It's a season hibernation and rejuvenation. A chance to refresh your indoor space while you’re hibernating until Spring. Join us for a warming opening event on Saturday 10 July, 11am – 3pm. All welcome.