
contemporary art gallery Arundel West Sussex UK
tel: +44 1903 885323
Open Tues-Sat 11-4. Sun 12-4
Ann Symes - the space within exhibition
Ann's work evolves through exploring different materials and techniques and her intuitive experimentation with them. The process leads to new discoveries and this is what excites her. Once it resonates she will run with it allowing her thoughts, senses, environment and often words to influence the work.
Ann is currently interested in Japanese woodblock combined with other printmaking techniques. She enjoys the gentle effects produced by the use of watercolour and gouache paints in making Japanese woodblock prints (moku hanga). Although traditional tools are used her approach is experimental. Ann pushes the limits of tolerance in fine Japanese papers and the liquidity of the paint to see what will happen. Sometimes when overprinting many times on heavier papers the reverse will interest her more where the paint has been forced through the fibres creating random patterning.
As Ann worked on the Tea bowl collection series she very soon realised that the work was about stillness and presence in space giving the images a quiet strength. The ancient symbol of the vessel was used to express these qualities, at the same time representing containment, emptiness, fullness, offering and sharing.
The sensitvity of Ann's handmade paper vessels expresses a fragile vulnerability accentuated when torn edges are held together by thread as if repairing a wound.

Japanese woodblock with etching SOLD

Japanese woodblock, monoprint, collagraph

Japanese woodblock with etching

Japanese woodblock with etching

Japanese woodblock, chine colle, etching SOLD

Japanese woodblock, chine colle, etching SOLD

Japanese woodblock with etching

Monoprint with etching

Japanese woodblock with etching

Suminagashi printed bowls with sumi-e ink overlay

Suminagashi printed bowls, tea stained Tissuetex background with sumi-e ink overlay

Freestyle Japanese woodblock background, Suminagashi printed bowls with sumi-e ink overlay

Suminagashi printed bowls on green/grey and cream background with sumi-e ink overlay

Handmade paper, linen thread

Handmade paper displayed on gorse nest by Rebecca Sier

Handmade paper, linen thread

Japanese woodblock print Linear expression exhibition

Towards darkness Japanese woodblock Linear expression exhibition SOLD

Earth Monoprint over Japanese woodblock Linear expression exhibition SOLD

Shimmer 2 Japanese woodblock print