Wonderfully eclectic mix at Laxey’s latest art show
Pinocchio by Tom Egan
THE latest exhibition at the Hodgson Loom Gallery, above Laxey Woollen Mills, includes the fairytale illustrations, spiritual abstracts and animal portraits of three island artists.
Tom Egan, Rebecca Odessa and Meriel Lloyd have united for the show which continues until next Saturday (September 29).
An illustrator and artist, Tom has worked alongside publishers, Manx National Heritage and galleries, both on and off-island, producing commissions ranging from portraiture, caricatures and book covers to concept art and story boarding.
Tom is currently studying an MA in 3D computer animation at the University of Bournemouth, with the plan of furthering his career in to the film, media and video gaming industries.
For this exhibition he has concentrated on a subject dear to him, that of classic fairytales.
Tom’s skill in character development is clearly evident in his imaginative depiction of the familiar heroes of our childhood fantasies. He brings them to life in his collection of 10 illustrations on display at the gallery.
There are also a number of original pencil drawings at incredibly affordable prices. For more on Tom visit www.eganart.carbonmade.com or www.thomasillustration.blogspot.com
Meanwhile Rebecca Odessa is a self-taught artist from New Zealand. Her work is difficult to define as it is quite unique, but is invariably intricate, painstakingly executed and imbued with multi-layers of meaning.
Most of her work on display in Laxey comes from her Procession series, which Rebecca defines in the form of ‘moving on in an orderly, formal manner’.
She explained: ‘Since time immemorial, human beings, from all cultures, have moved in procession as way to celebrate and commemorate important public events, traditionally religious in nature.
‘It is this idea of procession that is represented pictorially in these paintings. However, they also have deeper layers of meaning. In theology, procession means the emanation of the Holy Spirit.
‘The figures in the paintings are not intended to represent the Holy Spirit, rather they are little spirit emanations of the generic kind.
She added: ‘Procession also means the beginning of that which continues, as such these paintings have a talismanic quality relating to new beginnings.
‘Further, the emanations in a particular procession line, while appearing similar are actually unique.
‘This is to signify the nature of growth: when growth is slow and change appears imperceptible, it is easy to become disheartened and feel stuck, at such times it is important to remember the basic law of physics – everything changes.’
Based in Peel, Meriel Lloyd is a fine artist who specialises in animal portraiture.
In her acrylic and watercolour portraits she manages to capture the character of her studies so well that her love of animals is obvious.
Indeed, Meriel trained as a veterinary nurse before illness forced a career change. One of her most memorable commissions was of two pigs belonging to the comedian Vic Reeves.
She was also commissioned to illustrate a book about the Swedish Valhund (a small breed of cattle hound). Her work continues to receive excellent reviews in the dog press and show world. For more information about Meriel’s work visit www.merielspetportraits.co.uk
The gallery is open between 9am and 5pm, Monday – Saturday. Admission is free.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Wednesday 22 May 2013
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