Now and Then – exhibition of recent paintings and early prints by Brenda Hartill, RE
Brenda Hartill, RE, is a visual artist with an international reputation in printmaking. She is a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. She has been resident in Udimore, Rye, since 2005.
Brenda was born in London, and in the late 1950s, the family moved to New Zealand. She trained as a theatre designer at the Central School of Art and Design. Brenda returned to the UK eight years later on a New Zealand Arts Council grant. She travelled to the USA with her husband Harold to work in American University theatre. In 1971, they returned to London as Brenda received a UK Arts Council award for young theatre designers to work at the Young Vic.
Becoming a mother moved Brenda to leave theatre design and learn printmaking. Since the 1980s, she has had a productive and successful career as a painter and printmaker, becoming world-renowned for developing the collagraph technique.
For early figurative prints, Brenda drew inspiration from her life in South London with the young family. These etchings create an intimate image of Londoners’ London with monumental cityscapes, street scenes and small shop exteriors. The Mediterranean travels to Spain and Corfu produced a completely different series of etchings and monotypes – with bleaching sun and deep shadows, gnarly olive trees and red earth.
Another significant influence comes from the landscapes of New Zealand, where she visited her husband’s family and exhibited in the galleries in Oakland. The growth and erosion of natural forms inspire many of Brenda’s recent more abstract experiments with embossing and multimedia painting. The broad range of techniques and tricks she acquired in the decades of artistic practice is at her fingertips.
At every stage in Brenda’s career, she created emotionally and technically rich artworks, gaining her a worldwide following. The ROCHE Gallery successfully held a solo show of Brenda’s work in 2008. We proudly host this exhibition and welcome all to visit.
Mon17 April – Sat 29 April 11am – 5pm
The artist will be available most afternoons and by appointment. Contact Brenda for more info and a Private view invitation.
Mob: 07841 521 712.
Email: brenda.hartill@gmail.com