Scratching the Surface

Great Western Studios are delighted to present - Scratching the Surface featuring three American contemporary artist's work, presented by KPK Contemporary Art, a London-based art gallery.

Marguerite Courtney, Libby Mitchell and Avy Claire are each working with different materials; photography, acrylics, and drawings on mylar, and each is scratching the surface and making their mark in their own way.

Marguerite Courtney is an award-winning emerging artist based in Los Angeles who recently won the Grand Prize of the Emerging Focus Competition at Photo LA. “Moments” is an ongoing body of work that uses black and white photographic images to express the power and nature of surfing. Shown for the first time outside of the U.S., Marguerite attempts to share her experience: the surreal, the mystical and the ecstatic moments that cannot be conveyed with words.

Libby Mitchell has been creating art for over fifty years. She works from a studio in the remote town of Blue Hill, Maine. She is influenced by the New York expressionists and inspired by the Italian Renaissance painters. She uses acrylics as it allows her to paint large abstract paintings in complex layers with vibrant colours, building upon colour fields that are sometimes reminiscent of Mark Rothko. Her paintings are in private collections in the United States and Europe.

Avy Claire is an artist who divides her time between a studio in Maine and one in New York City. Her recent work is called Marking Time and features subtle small-scale drawings on mylar and paper. Avy says, “As long as I can remember, I have noted moments in time. When I buy a new book, the first thing I do is put that date on the front page. I have a system for titling my artwork that acts as a chronological code. And, when I am in my studio "marking time" I often date each piece, even if unused and put away in drawers. I feel I am both marking a moment in time, and, marking the passing of time."