Director’s Picks

For this week’s Director’s Picks, Sarah reflects on how environment can imbue you taste. In this case, it’s sun, sea, and a different tempo that have caught her eye.   

This week’s artwork selection has been informed by my recent week away in the sunshine on the beach: experiencing a certain saturation of colour and light, as well as distinct shadow and silhouette. Being outdoors all day long, the change in tones of light and shade as the day evolves: all these atmospheres and visual elements have informed this selection of artworks. 

Their context is also the personal transformations that can more easily occur in a new location with space and time, away from all the familiar sights and sounds, to reflect on life. Jessie Taylor’s ‘Ego Death’ is a strong piece. I think we might see exciting things from Jessie, and I’m also really enjoying Catherine Morgan’s ‘Re-Read’: you can see her trademark clear boundaries have taken on a playful, deliberately missed registration. 

Saturated colour and optical illusions are drawing my eye – like with Sara Willett’s ‘Rolling Blues,’ which of course is resonant of the sea. The warm water of a swimming pool outdoors – so inviting, perhaps even more so in the rain – as in Charlie Yates’ ‘Kalk Bay’ and Rhianna Mone’s ‘Blorenge H’. The latter reminds me of the surfboard aesthetic. 

And finally, the one reference to being indoors: Tyler Watson’s ‘A Change in Light.’ This painting encapsulates the contrast of coming inside at the end of a full day outdoors in bright light. I hope you enjoy experiencing these summer-inflected works by New Blood emerging artists.