Art - Mary Beaney

The Chalk Gallery’s latest hanging, ‘Taking a Line for a Walk’ has resulted in an eclectic response from the 21 artists who form this self-funding collective based at the top of North Street, though there seem to be as many broad-brushed semi-abstract landscapes as line drawings. Notable amongst these are a couple from Phyllis Hall - including the colourful ‘Autumn’, a minimalist seascape by David Eva, and a nicely titled Downs scene by Kate Penoyre called ‘No Sign of Spring Yet’. There are a number of life drawings which take the show title more literally: of these Sue Barnes’ charcoal ‘Naked Fat Man’ is a refreshing eye-opener; we also like Gus Harrison’s rainbow-hued watercolour nude ‘In the Studio’ and Peter Cheek’s lovely ‘Daydreaming’ which makes us wonder what or who the girl is thinking about. Her contented pose and the bright colours suggest she’s in love. Amy Williams, perhaps tired of painting cows, has produced a fine looking goat, called ‘Alice’, who looks stubbornly and rather mischievously into the viewer’s eye.

The featured artist until the 17th November is the founder of the gallery Mary Beaney, who draws inspiration for her texture and colour from Tapies and Rothko. The paintings on show, mainly acrylic on canvas, are split between atmospheric scenes of the Pevensey Castle walls and jars of flowers. “I make my sketches in situ then work on my paintings in the studio… building up with thin subtle layers, often scraping back and reworking. The resultant textural surface reflects nature as I see it," she says. AG