The Rye Art Gallery opened a new show on Saturday October 14, the main exhibit being animal portraits by Will Taylor. Locals and new faces mingled with a glass of wine, admiring the details of the charcoal drawings of the variety of animals. (pigs, sheep, monkey, badger and more) each with its unique expressions of irony, fun or thoughtfulness. As one visitor said: “It feels as if all the eyes are following you”. Will said he draws from photographs and used the cows outside his studio as models. Now living in Rye, sheep are frequent subjects. For this collection Will has also included other animals which he had met on his travels in Africa and India. The large charcoal drawings explore tone and texture taking the usually-immediate and loose medium to another level.
Will is a full-time artist and print maker based locally and an accomplished draughtsman, revealing his engineering background. He is a member of the Society of Graphic Artists and has exhibited at the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea and Saatchi gallery.
Apart from Will’s interesting drawings there are many other gems in Galleries 1, 2 and 4 to be seen, as well as beautiful cards for sale. Just a few examples below I liked.
Polly Horne, an award winning children’s writer and illustrator is my favourite. She expresses in the picture with gentle colours the child’s story whether it is fun playing in the meadows or sitting on the moon dreaming.
Ed Ball also tells stories for children but they are lino etchings and very different but affecting. Something unexpected were the hand crafted/painted door wedges from Sri Lanka.
Rye Art Gallery has gone from strength to strength over the years I have been in the town, bringing new younger artists into Rye but also staying loyal to the local ones who helped the gallery grow.
Photos: Heidi Foster