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Barbara Russon was born in Wednesbury in the heart of the English Black
Country. Her inspiration has greatly been drawn from areas such as Ironbridge,
and the Midland Canals, with a special interest in Bridges, Iron, Brick,
Stone and Concrete.
Barbara studied at Wolverhampton College of Art, taught Art in Sri Lanka,
has illustrated the West Sussex Gazette, has designed silk screen for
decorative glassware, has illustrated and designed for Iliffe Publications,
has worked as a scenic artist at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, and has painted
six pantomimes, at the Connaught Theatre, Worthing, and the Belgrade Theatre,
Coventry.
But Barbara is best known for her explorative and prolific artwork, for
the strength of her canvasses, and for her imaginative interpretation
of romantic and feminine themes.
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"I paint using clear strong colours with extended perspective
and extended vision to push the landscape into paint; using the
bridges as theatrical pieces against the backdrop of the landscape;
introducing figures from the past, present and mythology. Lovers
appear in many paintings - symbols of the future."
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Click
to enter Gallery 1 |
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"For me painting is about revisiting locations on the Black
Country canals and in the Ironbridge gorge. My pictures re-create
the feelings of a previous time, encapsulated in a mental picture
of the ironwork and the canal boats."
"And many times there is a romantic aura, built from a story
of the place. It might be of a jilted lover, or of a new love found.
These are feelings I want to capture in my pictures"
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Click to enter Gallery 2 |
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Click to enter Gallery 3 |
Click to enter Gallery 4 |
Click to enter Gallery 5 |
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You will see in galleries 4 and 5 Barbara has extended her portfolio to
include some interesting and romantic scraperboard work and inkdrawings
inspired by the Greek myths and by Shakespeare's plays.
Unlike the above 'Bridges' themes, which are predominately landscapes
with figures, these pictures are built on figures and human emotion. In
the galleries 4 and 5 you will see ...
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Pure love in 'Romeo and Juliet',
Evil collaboration in 'Macbeth',
Self love in 'Narcissus',
Fear of a soldier in 'King Henry V' holding on to an oak
leaf on the night before the Battle of Agincourt,
Adoration of Venus for Adonis,
Destruction as Phaethon drives his father's Chariot across
the sky,
Hostility as King Henry V whips up army en masse.
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Technical note. With Scraperboard
Barbara works on a black background using sharp metal tools producing
white lines and textures. Inkdrawings are drawn in black ink with
a brush on white board.
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In gallery 6 Barbara takes scenes from Shakespeare's Midsummer-Nights Dream
and has created a special set of romantic prints in which
Titania and Oberon feature.
"Will we sing and bless this place ..."
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Click to enter Gallery 6 |
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Finally, gallery 7 depicts people and places that are close to Barbara's
home in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. She has taken several commissions
- including portraits, landscape and even a dog portrait - and she
has a feeling of wonder for the historic Kenilworth castle.
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Click to enter Gallery 7 |
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| Art Gallery, Lichfield |
Drian Gallery, London |
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Walsall Education Authorities
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Art Gallery, Worcester
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| History of Art, Clare College, Cambridge |
Permanent Collection, Staff House, University of Birmingham |
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Private collections in Germany, Chicago
USA, and Canberra Australia |
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Prior to 1987
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St. Hugh’s College, Oxford; University of Bradford;
Senate House, University of Bristol;
Solihull Arts Centre; Lichfield Art Gallery;
Exhibition of Coalbrookdale paintings at the The Coach House,
Ironbridge.
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| 1987 |
Staff House, University of Birmingham;
Nuneaton Art Gallery |
| 1988 |
Framed Worcester |
| 1989 |
Clare College, Cambridge. Three weeks exhibition extended. |
| 1990 |
Nine months exhibition at the Faculty of Education, University of
Birmingham |
| 1991 |
Reopening of Staff House, University of Birmingham |
| 1992 |
'Art on the Move', Coventry Evening Telegraph |
| 1993 |
Pump Rooms, Royal Leamington Spa;
Visitors Centre, Coventry Cathedral |
| 1995 |
Umbrella Club, Spon End, Coventry;
Coventry Evening Telegraph; Coventry Cathedral. |
| 1997 |
Coventry Canal Basin; Art Supplies, Spon Street, Coventry. |
| 1998 |
'Cause and Effect', The Custard Factory, Birmingham |
| 1999 |
'Festival Beethoven, Blake and Bridges' Round House, Birmingham;
Jane Powell Gallery, Kenilworth; Priory Theatre, Kenilworth |
| 2001 |
Talisman Theatre, Kenilworth;
Asked to exhibit La Galerie Art Present Expose, Paris;
Transport Museum, Coventry, Four paintings Coventry and Warwickshire
Society of Artists;
Coventry Canal Basin. Foleshill Canals Alive.
Canal Basin. Buckingham's.
Radcliffe, University of Warwick.
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| 2002 |
Jane Powell Gallery, Kenilworth (Feb);
Inland Waterways Exhibition 2002, Art and Photography Exhibition,
Olympian Suite, National Indoor Arena, Birmingham(July19-21).
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| 2003 |
Warwick Hospital Chapel (Canals May 8th-23rd; General selection
July 12th-26th).
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| 2004 |
'Canals', Jane Powell Art Studio, Gallery 1 (Fri 3rd - Sat
18th September).
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| 2005 |
'Windows 2005', Jane Powell Art Studio, Open Exhibitiion
(27th May-11th June).
'Rhythms of Nature', Priory Theatre, Kenilworth |
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| Inland Waterways Exhibition, Art and Photography Exhibition, Birmingham |
| Pompidou Centre, Paris (- specially selected exhibits alongside
works of artists from Germany, Romania and China) |
| Townsend Estate Agents, Coventry |
| Quadrant Club, Coventry |
| International Extion, Bourg-La-Reine, France |
| Scarman House, University of Warwick exhibiting
"Kenilworth Castle. Celebrations" and
"Morris Man and Girl. Oxford Canal." |
| Points of Focus. "Mist along the Canal" |
| Priory Theatre, Coventry
(- on view until May 26 2007) |
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Sadly Barbara died on 22nd July 2007.
Enquiries about her pictures should be addressed to
Mike Beilby. |
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