A new exhibition has opened an art gallery in Port St Mary.

The exhibition ‘BLINK’ is being held at Studio 42 and brings together the work of artists Helen Faragher and Ella Magee inspired by their shared obsession with nature’s shifting forms.

Both artists explore Manx skies and evocative craggy landscape with even some of Portugal’s famous golden light sharing the space as this is where Ella is currently based.

First reuniting in 2024 for the ‘6 Ways of Seeing’ exhibition at the House of Manannan, Helen and Ella uncovered a long-standing childhood connection that rapidly evolved into a creative partnership.

As well as the Iberian inspiration, Ella also harks back to rich childhood memories of Port St Mary with the harbour and lobster pots.

In one study there is an almost haunted sparse feeling of Port St Mary harbour with the Calf Boat ‘Scraayl’ hovering awaiting its next journey and in another she successfully draws focus to the haphazard magic of a collection lobster pots and fishing detritus.

Ella said: ‘I enjoyed the most incredible childhood with my grandparents, uncle and sisters - we came home when we were hungry or it was dark. We’d spend all day in the sea, in the rain and any season.’

Helen’s work is very imposing, working increasingly in collage in an attempt to capture the freeness of her earlier more sketched and smaller works.

Interestingly Helen feels that the ‘where’ of her work has actually become much less important the more she has progressed and in absorbing the landscape in all its wildfulness.

The exhibition is a visual conversation between two artists whose histories are interwoven in personal stories, places and cultural knowledge.

It will run through November to the end of December. Studio 42, on Bayview Road, is open Wednesday to Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday, 10am-4pm.