Westward Ho! And Bideford Arts Society 88th Annual Open Exhibition

Burton Art Gallery

Review: Richard Westcott

HAPPILY in these straitened times, some things just get better and better.

The latest premier art show in North Devon is a cracker. Ranging from the minute (tiny amulet purses) to the huge (see the strange painting of thirteen Victorian gentlemen posing lugubriously), just about every media is represented, in every conceivable style and mood.

We are swept from the precise work of Hilary Paynter and Malcolm Bestwick, to the bold gestures of William Dewhurst. And we travel from the meticulously accurate (Richard Southon and Beatrix Thornley, to name but two), to Ruth Benning's magnificent Quantastico Mechanifico.

Naturally, old friends are all here: characteristic landscapes from Robin Wiggins, evocative North Devon scenes of Colin Allbrook and Tony Williams, Michael Darling's challenging acrylics, and Marianne Edwards' soft sand and sea are a few examples of favourite artists.

Now although this is an open show, it's interesting to note how one or two themes emerge.

Appropriately for North Devon, the sea figures strongly. The sea and all that therein is, is represented through wood carving (Sandra Adams), ceramics (Jan Lye), mixed media, woodcuts (Judith Westcott), textile, batik and collage (mermaids from Penny Laird), papier mâché (more mermaids from Ros Bradford), not to mention every sort of paint.

We encounter gentle beach scenes (a nice example is Lucy Wakefield's Croyde), with many a vessel, quay, harbour, lighthouse, and boat at anchor, as in Peter Steart's studies.

Rivers run down to the sea — Bideford old bridge appears several times (I enjoyed Mary Sumner's Bideford birds, and Rachel Sumner's linocut arches) — while the land juts out into the water, superbly painted by Mark Rochester.

Another, perhaps also North Devonian, theme is gentle humour — serious art need not always be serious, nor artists take themselves too seriously. John Butler always amuses, Victoria Lindo and Pam Gilhespy had me smiling, while William Isaac made me laugh out loud. Danny Oke has fun with stumps, and Gillian Heal's shrewd observation is just joyful.

There is, of course, a dark side to life as well. Gillian Stevens hints at this, as does John Hurford in his unstinting portrait. But for me the most striking and memorable piece is Carol Rhodes' portrait of her husband: her overcoming of what life can throw at you to produce this typically accomplished, brave and honest painting is moving indeed.

The society as a whole can be very proud of its encouragement of the new generation of artists. Five Diploma Art and Design students from Petroc's School of Art, Pottington, were chosen to show work at this exhibition. The variety and quality of the students' work is superb. Which just about sums up the whole show.

● The exhibition runs until Sunday, August 8 at the Burton Art Gallery. Details: 01237 471455.