NEW FOREST AND EAST DORSET BRANCH of the MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE ASSOCIATION ART EXHIBITION, UPTON HOUSE, MARCH 2008.
By the time His Worshipful the Mayor of Poole and MP Annette Brooke formally opened the Art Exhibition, it was already a success. Many works of art, prints and cards had already been sold necessitating a dash to the printer for more.
The Mayor was worshipfully short in his opening speech but paid the ultimate compliment in speaking to every artist and requesting copies of the artist’s profiles to be forwarded to him. Annette Brooke spoke warmly of the achievement of everyone involved in producing such a professional show and her sincerity to the cause of eradicating MND shone in her work locally and on the National stage to raise the profile of the MNDA and to gain more funds for research. She tantalisingly fell short of telling the full story of our President Lembit Opik but suggested enough to keep us “cheekily” interested.
This is not the place to thank everyone involved as the list would be too long: I shall restrict myself to a role as self appointed art critic for the eclectic collection of work on show. An Awards for All lottery grant of £1700 was received to cover all the expenses of the exhibition.
Still waters run deep they say and our Sonje Coldwell, profile below, says little but her witty and pithy poems were in some ways the surprise hit of the show requiring emergency reprints and a host of people on a mailing list. In contrast, her imaginative interpretations of scenes from the Lord of the Rings are worthy of gracing a Portfolio edition of the epic books.
At the other end of the scale, Pam Vack, profile below, displayed tranquil pastoral scenes that captured the eye and conveyed the inner tranquillity of the gracious and fragrant lady she is.
Anne Garrett’s, profile below, black and white pictures showed a delicacy of style and a desire for precision and balance; in particular her Harvest Mouse nesting in a corn field well deserves the success it has gained as a popular issue of notelets.
Jack Burkitt, profile below, exhibited examples of his photographic work. Although there were human interest subjects, his deep love of things mechanical and technology showed through. His profile talked of rebuilding his MGB GT but made no mention of Waveney’s early life as a model, a salesman’s dream, enhancing the car’s image.
Another medium on display was the immaculate needlework of Barbara Proctor, profile below. Her craftsmanship was outstanding and in particular her Birds of Paradise drew many admiring comments on both the skill level and the visual impact of her work.
What can we say about our modern renaissance man “The Web Master” Gil Rice, profile below. For someone who is self taught and took up the art after diagnosis, he has developed a very distinctive style. His clear lines and bold use of colour produced pieces that could have sold over and over if available. We have admired his work on notelets and cards but the originals show the true range and vibrancy of his work.
I never met Alan Sulman or Ken Dent, profiles below, but their art work shared a common determination that as the MND closed down their chosen creative avenues and hobbies, they were not giving in that easily and adopted the medium of paint as an outlet for the energies and to extend their creative life.
That leaves Pat Marven, profile below, one of the creative forces behind the whole show. At one end of the Hall her decorated ceramics created the sort of fevered rush to buy normally not seen outside the China department of Harrods during Sales week, while at the other end two stunning oil on canvas works drew every eye and could have been sold many times everyday if available. Her water colours encapsulated the changes of season and light and showed why she has been so successful in this field.
This surely must rank as one of the most successful activities the Branch has organised and put on to date. We must thank Richard and Norman for all their hard work in actually mounting the art work. Physically and creatively they produced a gallery of professional standard that set off the display items to their best advantage.
On one hand the profile of the branch has never been higher with the coffers boosted and awareness of MND at an all time high locally. On a human note, it clearly showed how cruel the disease is in damaging the physical abilities but, to end on a positive point, it shows that MND cannot kill the spirit and, with the support of friends and family, focussed through our excellent local branch, we can continue to achieve and enjoy useful and purposeful lives.
Mike Hardy
31 March 2008
