Rye’s Royal Society of Artists

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On a sunny Saturday, March 19, the Spring Exhibition of the Rye Society of Artists (RSA) opened subtly and quietly at Rye Art Gallery (RAG) with a private view for invitees. Most of the usual crowd were in attendance, I’m informed, it being my first time at an RSA exhibition. Dr Julian E Day, the current Director of Rye Art Gallery has turned things around at the Gallery, with surprising agility. It is never an easy task to encourage new artists and Julian, with his easy manner and networking skill has done so. The Rye Society of Artists itself is chaired until the end of April by Denise Franklin.

Over a glass of fine red I met several local artists, including John North, our wonderful local wood working genius and Georgie Watson, an understated wizard with oils and etching, who were happy to stand on the sidelines of the Society, and yet both bring their support for  invited artists like Clare Mitchell, who are yet to make the cut. The Society has rigorous rules to follow.

Local man Nick Archer is the spinner of woods on canvas in gold and oil. His shining work Beekeeper (oil on copper) and Blue Forest (oil on black sandcloth) are worth owning twice over, in my humble opinion. For art collectors visiting from London, here in Paul Nash’s neck of the woods are artists emerging from the woods around Wittersham. Cliff Howe’s fondness for quirk in local buildings informs his simply stunning watercolours. He lives just outside the catchment of our two eponymous Rivers Tillingham and Brede.

Rye and the Wealden woods produce and support extraordinary artists. If only I could name them all. The invited artists section to this exhibition, which continues till April 24, are a must see. Sally Cole’s dark, energetic swirls show she is an artist who works outdoors like Georgie Watson. Next month she releases a book of art called The Sense of Place, which will be reviewed for our art loving readers. Our local environs encourage the Impressionist School ‘en plein air’ method. Even though Sally’s exhibited work is not of our local area, her influences are clear.

Mary Stormont and Howard Gull Stormont are both still looking down affectionately no doubt on their creation from a vista in Rye Cemetery. Being a local artist Mary’s rooms at ‘Ypres Studio’ yielded up their gathered collection, which became the bequest that is today Rye Art Gallery. There is a haunting quality to the way the rooms, in two integrated heritage buildings, wind through and open onto set pieces, upstairs and down, housing both sculpture and art on walls in a way, which has inspired many.

A group of eight visionary artists who had come to Rye after the second world war called themselves RX8 (after a fishing boat) until in 1952 they merged with a newer group and became the Rye Society of Artists.

Through conversations with regular attendees like Anne Wood, who lives a couple of doors down, as well as supporters visiting from further afield it becomes clear that the Gallery has changed, and is outward looking. Large luridly coloured canvases herald the new, smaller more subtle pieces like Clare Mitchell’s Monet-esque oil on wooden boards which are not lost. Georgie Watson came along to support her fellow-artist, even though she is not featured.

This essence of supporting each other and not competing needlessly is felt throughout our town acutely. Surely Rye reflects a spirit of coming together, than being separate much more.

Julian appreciated the tongue-in-cheek reference to the RSA being the Royal Society of our tiny town, when I referred to it as such. Polly Horner, another local artist and book creator, is currently exhibiting at the Rye Bank Gallery on the High Street, and has worked seamlessly through the Gallery’s many recent tumultuous changes. Hers, and the work of other local artists merits inclusion into the  membership of the RSA. This article will hopefully present food for thoughtful, artful manoeuvring to include more local talent, and soon. Maybe relax the royal elbow a bit? One hopes.

Image Credits: Anwesha Arya , Nick Archer .

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