Shoreham Art Exhibition: 40 Sophie Garwood Works From 21 Nov

More than 40 abstract paintings by Shoreham artist Sophie Garwood go on show at the Skyway Gallery in the Shoreham Centre on Saturday 21 November, including a series of large seascapes that have never been exhibited before.

The exhibition, Beyond Colour: exploring nature, runs until Saturday 12 December. It is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm, and entry is free. Every work on the walls is for sale, from small framed pieces to big canvases.

The coast outside the studio

Sophie Garwood works in mixed media from a studio near the beach, and the show is built from what she sees around it: the shingle, the sea, the wide skies over the coast and the line of the South Downs behind. Alongside the new seascapes are her bold meadow and flower paintings, in the bright, layered colour of Whispering Meadow, the tall canvas she is pictured with above.

She trained in fine art and taught art in a secondary school before stepping back from full-time teaching to raise her family. She has kept painting throughout, and says her surroundings have been her greatest inspiration for more than twenty years.

“My paintings are a kind of visual diary, capturing fleeting moments, emotions and the sense of wonder I find in everyday life,” she said. “Recently I’ve been especially drawn to the seascapes and big skies here on the coast, and I wanted this exhibition to bring a sense of calm and wonder to people. It’s wonderful to be showing the work right here in Shoreham, where so much of it began.”

On her website the new large canvases are listed with their sizes and “title to come”: one at 100 by 120cm, one at 100 by 80cm and one at 80 by 100cm, all mixed media.

Meet the artist on 26 November

There is a private view on Thursday 26 November from 6pm to 9pm, and despite the name it is open to everyone. It is the evening to come if you want to talk to Sophie Garwood about the work. The event is also listed on Facebook.

With the show running into mid-December, she is pitching it partly at people looking for an original Christmas present by a local painter.

Getting there

The Skyway Gallery is inside the Shoreham Centre at 2 Pond Road, Shoreham-by-Sea BN43 5WU, opposite Shoreham Library and a short walk from St Mary de Haura church. According to the artist’s website, there is a pay-and-display car park at the back of the centre and free short-stay bays at the front for up to an hour. Shoreham-by-Sea station is a couple of minutes’ walk away, and the Pond Coffee Shop is in the same building.

More of her work, and the shop, is at sophiegarwoodart.uk, and she posts new paintings on Instagram as @sophiegarwoodart.

Sponsored feature for Sophie Garwood Art, abstract mixed-media paintings from Shoreham-by-Sea.