‘Headland II’ by Jenny Smy has won the Ken Doughty Prize 2024, awarded to an outstanding artwork in the Westward Ho! & Bideford Art Society’s Annual Open Exhibition at The Burton.
Jenny works from her studio in Barnstaple, and the nature of North Devon has inspired much of her artwork over the years.
While a holiday in the Caribbean played a large part in determining the colours used in this particular piece, the headlands at Hartland Quay and the Valley of the Rocks were also involved in creating the imagery.
“This painting was started in 2022, but was completed in late 2023,” Jenny says. “It began with me sticking collaged, wet strength tissue in a random way over a gessoed board. There are many layers of acrylic and mixed media on top of the initial collages, and a number of transitions take place, before the finished painting emerges.”
Creating a new artwork can be a long process. “With most of my work, I tend to start from an intuitive basis – I have no idea what I want to produce, or even if the piece I am working on will ever satisfy me. That is my ‘playtime’. My next stage may be tentative – especially if I am beginning to like the piece,” Jenny explains.
“I then have to walk away for a few weeks do something else, until the painting starts to speak to me. I can then come back with more vigour, maybe even erasing what has gone before; perhaps using sketches, or photos to determine an image. Then if it begins to work, I use more drawing, scratching, colour and try to complete the painting.”
You can see more of Jenny’s work at www.smycontemporaryart.com
The WHOBIDARTS Annual Open Exhibition runs until 13 October at The Burton. All artworks are for sale, so while ‘Headland II’ has already found a new home, there are still lots of other beautiful artworks available to buy.
For more information about WHOBIDARTS see whobidarts.co.uk
