Ailsa Lyn – ‘Finding Inspiration in the Natural World’

Saturday 5 – Saturday 26 October Open : Thursday – Saturday 10am – 4pm Free entry

Ailsa Lyn – ‘Finding Inspiration in the Natural World’ Haddenham Arts Centre ‘Natural forms, repeated patterns, hidden layers and the close detail of our natural environment, are what inspire me the most. Which means my work is a direct and personal, creative response towards what I admire about what I see​. I try to represent the layers within the landscape, with the use of collage From a personal perspective, a traditional 2-dimensional representation, doesn’t truly convey the abstract composition of our surroundings. I have never tired from watching beautiful jewel-like watercolour washes blending and glowing from a textured sheet of white paper. I then add to that, hand-painted fragments of upcycled, found papers, which allows me to produce a more sincere levelled and abstract portrayal.

My collaged gifts are a natural progression away from framed work. However, the principal of building layers to alter a surface is the same. The silver jewellery is also based upon my interpretation of naturally occurring, patterns, and shapes, within the natural world. I use flowers, pods, shells and found ephemera, to create silver jewellery that captures the natural form, in a moment of time. Some silver pieces are made by applying silver slip to a depth which copies the form, others are created by making a mould, and casting a direct copy in silver clay, or by tooling metal into natural forms. Some people feel confident with a glass in their hand. For me, it has always been, paper and a pencil. And my glass was always full of paint water! This area has a special place in my heart. I grew up in Ely and later moved to Sutton, then lived in Ely until 1996, when I moved to Suffolk. I sold my very first painting as a member of the Ely Art society after leaving The City of Ely College in the late 1970s and for several years, I have brought my work to the Art Unequalled craft fair, at Ely Maltings, in November. I am a mostly self-taught watercolourist of over 35 years, only recently, experimenting with mixed media, techniques and mark making, which has brought me to my current exploration into texture. ‘ Ailsa exhibits throughout East Anglia with a number of societies and takes her work to several fairs over the year. She is also an artist demonstrator and runs workshops.

You may contact her via her websites www.ailsalyn.co.uk and www.artleyharedesigns.co.uk or by email: ailsalyn@hotmail.co.uk or phone 07375546108