Richard Adams and Jane Beecham moved into the Roche gallery on the High street just for two weekends. It was well worth visiting and though finished now they do exhibit in other galleries, and occasionally in Rye Art Gallery. They also open the studio in their home, once a year, and put on a family exhibit as both daughters, Evie and Fern, are artists.
Jane explains that she is a process-led multi-disciplinary artist, creating work through drawing and printmaking methods. “My repetitive mark-making is intuitive and organic, exploring breath, location and time.” She often draws with material from the environment around her.
Jane is interested in the physicality of her walks – the departure and arrival and what is happening in between, discovering the spiritual connection of the land. She recently has experimented with wind drawings, finding a new methodology, which excited her. Jane prefers monotype and the free-flow as it progresses. Jane also takes older pieces of work to create new pieces that might lie beneath wax, natural and metallic pigments. She feels these images have a luminosity unique to the method and perfect for her subject matter. Usually black and white work, here she exhibited work with simple colour which enhanced some of it.
Richard Adams is well known for his quirky and amusing paintings. He and Jane are members of the Rye Society of Artists, and Richard is their chair for 2024-2026, both he and Jane have exhibited in their shows for many years. He is also proud to be vice president of the Tuesday Painters.
Richard has lived in Rye for 30 years, after spending 12 years in London, as an
illustrator and doing animations. He uses a unique process with chalk pastels on paper which he varnishes to get a rich oil-like effect. His work expresses his love of the English country side, its beauty including gardens and variety of agricultural life. Heritage and culture, including poetry, literature, art, drama and music plays a part in his work,
inspiring him to produce his art. Richard’s style is immediately recognisable for depicting his characters amusingly.
Richard at his exhibitions prefers to stay in the background but if approached, is happy to talk about where his creativity and sense of humour comes from. He says he does worry about various things but as long as being creative he is happy.
The exhibition also featured interesting ceramics by Evie May Adams.
If interested in more information about the artists and when they might show in another Galley, contact: janebeecham@live.com, richardfrye@gmail.com
Image Credits: Heidi Foster .
How lovely that Richard mentioned being VP of the Tuesday Painters Club of Rye! For each of the last couple of exhibitions the club ran at St. Mary’s Centre in Rye, Richard generously donated a piece of his art for raffle. We are SO fortunate!
The Open Studio at the Roche Gallery was an absolute delight! Bought one of Jane’s small abstracts and a tiny off-cut – signed! – of one of Richard’s pastels, now framed! That was well within my budget!
Delightful article about two innovative artists who also happen to be really nice people who have made tremendous contributions to Rye. We are fortunate to have one of Richard’s portraits and 9 different pieces by Jane.