South By South West show at White Space Art, gallery, Totnes

White Space Art in Totnes is exhibiting pictures from the world of Wendy McBridge and Richard Stanley in the South by South West exhibition which runs from Saturday, June 5 to Saturday, June 19.

Both artists look to the West Country for their inspiration.

Wendy McBridge says: “For much of my life I have lived in the West Country, amid the weather and shifting seasons. Nothing is fixed here, not for a day, not for an hour. But somehow, particular encounters with the natural world get stuck in my mind, and I think this is where the pictures begin.

“Back in the studio, the memory gets mixed up with mood and imagination and the scrape of chalk on board, so that I never quite know what will happen while the picture takes shape.

Richard Stanley grew up in North Devon, where he began drawing and painting his surroundings. This was followed with first class honours degree in Illustration from Falmouth College of Arts.

He says: “The West Country is the essence of my work, this beautiful, ever-changing landscape of rolling hills, valleys and pastureland. Turquoise seas, crashing waves and hedgerows, the fresh air, open space; living in such a diverse part of the world has had a huge impact on me as an artist.

“The landscape is always changing, every day something new to paint, changing weather, light, seasons. You could paint the same scene hundreds of times and no two would be the same. I draw inspiration from the colours around me; I enjoy experimenting with mark making and surface texture, applying paint in a manner that captures the landscape.”