Progress of Mankind – New Show

The Progress of Mankind

Good morning everyone. This is my new show. And I was delighted to see my five part series ‘ The Progress of Mankind’ displayed at Urban Commune gallery in Wakefield. In fact, I had dreamed of seeing it like this all through the pandemic when I painted it. Of course, I didn’t see it as a story when I painted the first piece ‘Paradise’.

Paradise

As I painted this intuitive abstract, I realised it was an attempt to portray an idyllic world, completely unspoiled by man. If you look closely, you can spot hints of a bird, an insect, foliage and flowers.

Hell on Earth

Maybe this piece needs no explanation, it’s a scene of pollution and destruction on an overheated planet. Perhaps you can feel the heat from the monstrous red sun and smell the toxic smoke.

Flying Away in my New Show

Free Spirit

Actually, I created this acrylic painting ‘Free Spirit’ out of my subconscious. Because I finished it completely and then afterwards understood its significance. If I can explain, I painted my dream of floating away from all the worry and trouble, just like a kite in the sky.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Now this one is the only one of the series that was partly planned. Really a bit later on when we were aware of vaccines being developed. So I thought of a painting trying to show the feeling of seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. And I decided to use the figure of a young man to represent the human race, naked and vulnerable.

Connections

Finally, the last part of my story of my new show – Connections and it’s all about family and friends. Because, this is what I learned during the pandemic, the importance of connections with people. In effect, I painted this without a plan. And, I see here an abstract portrait of me and my nearest and dearest. So, that’s how this work came about and what it means to me. If you like, you could see more of my Story Pictures here.

Looking at Free Spirit

Bright Lights – Acrylic Painting

Barnsley Town Hall at Christmas 2019 – Bright Lights

A bright , bold acrylic painting on canvas of Barnsley Town Hall at night,  illuminated by blue , red and pink light  with War Memorial and a blue and silver Christmas tree
Bright Nights – Barnsley Town Hall . Acrylic painting on canvas 24 by 24 inch £80 plus shipping

At last , I’ve managed to paint my acrylic painting of one of the fabulous light installations we enjoyed in our town at Christmas. Obviously , really bright lights ! This one lit up the iconic building by illuminating all the windows. As you can see , they were sometimes red and sometimes pink. At the same time the stonework was washed over with shades of blue . To be honest , it was very inspiring and moving. And , at times it showed the War Memorial silhouetted in black against the bright colours. Also , during the sequence , it was drenched in blood red . There’s a full account , plus the photos I used for inspiration in my blogpost here back in December 2019 . Ever since then , I was longing to paint the scene. Really , the lockdown has , ironically , given me the opportunity. However , I know I haven’t finished with this idea yet and I’d like to try another abstract painting .

Harbour Lights – Reflections on the Sea

A harbour scene at night - semi-abstract acrylic painting with the town buildings and bridge reflected in the water . A riot of electric blue  , vibrant red and yellow.  A World of Colour!
Harbour Lights – acrylic painting on paper framed

This acrylic painting is a completely different interpretation of the idea of electric light dominating the scene. As you can see, in this case it’s a harbour scene . It was inspired by a photo which I altered a great deal. Because I gradually became engrossed in the abstract shapes of the buildings and the reflections of the light on the water . I also managed to indulge my love of bright blues , red and yellow . Any excuse to show my World of Colour ! It’s a good job we can all go virtually travelling like this , in this time of lockdown . Stay safe .

You can see this painting in my Exhibitions page here – it was on show in the Art Cafe

Purple Flowers in Acrylic

Acrylic on Canvas – Purple Flowers

A close up of beautiful purple flowers  against a background of vibrant green leaves
Purple Flowers in Acrylic

I just finished the fourth in my flowers in acrylic on small canvases – so I can’t call it a triptych anymore ! Do you know , I always find such a lot of inspiration in flowers . And I think that these purple flowers are some kind of ornamental thistle . Anyway , I’ve just bought three 8 by 8 inch canvases so I can paint some more . Happy Days !

See ” Floral Art – a Triptych “ here to see the other three pictures.

My First Solo Exhibition of Acrylic Paintings

A Walk Round My First Solo Exhibition of Acrylic Paintings

A semi-abstract acrylic painting in red and green showing apples falling from the tree at harvest time.
Apples Falling
Browsing
A photo of plates of biscuits and delicious homemade cakes
The Refreshments

Well – we had a blast at the opening of my first solo exhibition this morning at Skelmanthorpe Library Gallery.

Hanging the Exhibition

Labelling the Paintings
The curator hanging up my exhibition in gallery style
Gallery style hanging

It didn’t take us too long to put the exhibition up yesterday . Really, we were quite well organised and Mike Roberts [organiser and curator] was pretty nifty up and down the ladders.

Update – Spring Blossom in Wales – SOLD !

Spring Blossom in Wales
Elephant Festival

The Abstract Paintings at my Solo Exhibition

A big bright pink Spiral on a vibrant deep blue background  - an abstract in my first solo exhibition  .
The Spiral
A semi abstracted acrylic of a vase of sweet peas in pink , purple and green .This was the image for the poster of my solo exhibition  .
Sweetpeas

I was thrilled when Mike invited me to exhibit at this fabulous gallery for the month of January. At last – an exhibition all to myself ! I was also really pleased because Mike had seen my paintings on this new website – so , quick result ! In fact , this gallery is a new idea for the Community Library and it is really well worth supporting. Just remember , the library closes on Tuesday, Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

A semi abstracted composition portraying Jamaica and Reggae music . The best painting in  my solo exhibition.
Reggae Reggae

I would really like to say a big thank you to all my family and friends for their support this morning. You know , it really means a lot. And it was great showing off my work to you all.

2 acrylic paintings from the Landscape section - Still Standing  and Ladybower Reservoir
Boat People and Hadrian’s Wall
Ladybower Reservoir

All for Sale at my Solo Exhibition

The exhibition is open till February 1st.

These are all original artworks , painted in acrylic on paper or canvas, with the occasional watercolour and mixed media piece. And they are all for sale, with prices ranging from £30 – £150 . Please contact me if you are interested. I’m based in the UK.

Do have a look in my gallery to see more of my acrylic paintings. There’s also a more in-depth report on my exhibition in the Exhibition section on the main menu .

I hope you have enjoyed my exhibition review .

The Exhibition Poster

Margaret Hall World of Colour exhibition poster
A World of Colour