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Wendy Shier

Creative Art for the Discerning Eye

Wendy came to live permanently in Cornwall in 1970 after working in the professional theatre in London and Bristol. She designed scenery and costumes for The Duchy Opera Company plus other productions within the county. The absence of a professional theatre in Cornwall at that time, and the responsibility of bringing up a family, led her to use her experiences in teaching, specialising in art and drama. She has now retired from teaching in order to develop her own work.

The medium Wendy uses to produce her paintings comes from a love of the raw materials which were used in scenic art in the theatre. Distressed fabrics and fibres are applied to create three dimensional organic shapes and textures on the canvas. This gives the painting movement and tensions which are present in natural forms. As the work develops the painting takes on a life of its own, growing out of the canvas as the materials are applied. Colour is then used to complete a richly textural and organic image, giving the illusion of depth and movement - a 'theatrical' representation of natural forms as they 'dance' or flow through time and space. Two of her earlier paintings were for an exhibition based on, and at, Trebah Garden.

She has recently completed a large triptych which was commissioned for a private home. She enjoys working to the confines of a commissioned piece of work which is created for a specific location

Her more recent work has developed from the decorated covers on her handmade books, which have been exhibited at the Cornwall Craft Association galleries. A series of these were designed to celebrate a Festival of the Fal estuary.

Wendy lives on one of the creeks of the Fal estuary and she takes her inspiration from the constant tidal movements of the rivers and creeks in Cornwall. This has lead to some new work entitled Cornish Estuaries, a series of paintings, which include natural materials and threads.



Work is currently exhibited at:

Cornwall Craft Association at Trelissick Gallery , Feock, Truro