Linda Newington - Shine: Recent Watercolours
Monday, October 23rd 2017 - Sunday, November 26th 2017
Foyer Corridor
Linda first visited Shetland in 2008 later spending time as the artist in residence at The Booth, Scalloway in 2010. Going out walking and drawing during that time became an essential part of her art practice.
Her watercolour painting started as a young art student; “Perhaps as a working method learnt at school, I can still remember the rich colours of powder paint and the large pieces of sugar paper.” As a fine art student at Winchester School of Art, Linda combined watercolour painting with other media and graduated with a 1st class honours degree.
An interest in natural history developed whilst working in the Botany Library at the Natural History Museum, London, curating the collection of botanical paintings, prints and drawings. She later became the Head Librarian at Winchester School of Art developing visual and research resources especially the Artists Books Collection and Knitting Reference Library. Her approach as a librarian included curating exhibitions and organising events, which influenced her art practice.
The watercolours chosen, over the blues and greys, for Shine show the brightness and richness possible with watercolour. Many were painted in Shetland over the past year, some at the Winchester School of Art Watercolour Club which proved surprisingly popular with students. Through personal research, Linda established that watercolour painting has a rich history in many countries with a diversity of artist practitioners.
After nearly 10 years of visits Shetland is now Linda’s home. So, she says, the walking and drawing continues, with the landscape providing endless starting points for new paintings.
Acknowledgements: Selected titles include in brackets words taken from the recently published Orkney and Shetland Weather Words: a comparative dictionary by John W. Scott, Shetland Times, Lerwick, 2017