Art - Sue Barnes

Sue Barnes has lived in the village of Falmer for twenty-four years. She has lived in many villages, she tells me, but none of them have the same degree of community spirit that Falmer does. Nor the beautiful surroundings of the Downs. Which makes it all the more difficult that the environment which she loves is under threat by the recent decision to grant Brighton FC permission to build a 22,500 seat stadium there. Her new exhibition, (poignantly entitled One Last Look), which is hanging this month in the Chalk Gallery’s featured-artist slot, is a homage to her reaction to it all. “The village has been getting increasingly edgy about it since the news was first announced”, she tells me, when I meet her at the gallery on Monday morning. “I had started to collect paintings of the area but when the final decision was made I speeded up.” Some of the paintings are still wet as they hang on the walls - a hot-off-the press record of her need to immortalise the landscape as she has always seen it. “And it’s not just the village”, she says, earnestly. “Granting permission to build this in Falmer opens up the door to God knows what. The whole of the Downs feel like they are under threat.” Despite the sadness of the inspiration, Sue’s paintings are lush and alive with colour. “I usually get laughed at for always sticking to monochrome, but this time I couldn’t resist exploring the richness of the colour after all the rain.” To show it off in all its glory? I venture. “Exactly, and also to show it with more realism”, she adds. Sadly, necessary for posterity I suppose. ER