Shore, Lines and Brush Marks

Friday 28 October 2022

'Shore, Lines and Brush Marks' is an exhibition of more than 25 paintings which celebrate Guernsey's stunning coastline and two female artists' friendship dating back a quarter of a century.

Deborah Grice and Rosanne Guille are graduates of the Royal College of Art, London, and it is there that they met in 1996. They instantly bonded over their shared love of island life.

Debbie, pictured (top, right), a Yorkshire woman, had spent her final year at Glasgow School of Art painting the landscape of the Outer Hebrides. Rosie, pictured (top, left) a 15^th generation Sarkee, was focusing her work on the coastal scenery and marine life of her beloved Sark.

In the years following their graduation, Debbie and Rosie have remained close friends. In 2000, they travelled around the world together, taking their sketchbook and paints with them.

On their return, their friendship continued with Debbie making many visits to the Channel Islands, particularly Sark, Herm and Guernsey. They have continued to work together, en plein air, developing their work in to finished pieces in their studios.

They currently have an exhibition of their work running at the Greenhouse Gallery at Candie between 10:00 and 16:00 until 31 December.

Pictured: Hommet Paradis; 50cm x 60cm. Rosie said: "I love the wait, sometimes in the dark, for the gradual lightening of the sky and sea, and I love trying to capture this in my work. One of the most unforgettable sunrises was this one from Petils Bay near Bordeaux Harbour."

Pictured: Tidal Pool at Long Rock; 75cm x 100cm. Rosie said: "This particular section of Guernsey's west coast around Cobo Bay boasts the most beautiful granite. In the clear, early morning light, a vivid glow of pinks and oranges radiate from the rock."

In this series of works, Debbie has sought visually to interpret Guernsey's rich and diverse history whilst – unusually for her – producing topographically correct paintings of the island's coastline.

Her use of geometric lines and gold elucidate perception, hidden emotion and the physicality of looking, and are aids for her in making the invisible visible. Her experience as a private pilot has proven useful in seeing landscape in this unique manner.

Opening night ‘Shore, Lines and Brush Marks’ at Greenhouse Gallery, such a happy celebration of beautiful Guernsey #artexhibition #guernsey #painting #womenartists #celebratingart #artislove pic.twitter.com/YCK4xQw9zC

— rosanne guille (@sarkwoman) October 26, 2022

Rosie, having moved from Sark to live in Guernsey three years ago, is using her creativity to explore and fall in love with her new surroundings, which have now become her home.

An accomplished watercolourist, Rosie has broken free from the constraints of watercolour as a medium and for this show has produced a series of larger oils. This new medium has taken her on a different journey, allowing her to enter a more expressive and liberating period in her career.

Pictured: Rough sea, Le Gouffre; 40cm x 40cm. Rosie said: "The high tide swells at Le Gouffre can be spectacular. The cliff paths here give a bird's eye view which add to the drama."

Pictured: Homeward: St. Peter Port; oil and gold on canvas; 50cm x 75cm. Debbie said: "It is here, either returning from Sark, Herm or the mainland, that I feel a great sense of being centred and that all shall be well. Navigation is essential here. As a port, it becomes a fulcrum for our continued journeys, both physical and emotional."

This exhibition for Guernsey Arts brings together two dedicated and experienced contemporary landscape painters.

Although different in their individual painting styles, their work conveys a sense of harmony provided by the sea and coastline and to which all islanders will be able to relate.

"We live in such changing and volatile times – yet landscape embraces us and mostly remains the same," said Debbie.

"Landscape, and in particular the sea, has played such a huge part in my life as an islander and an artist," said Rosie.

"It is a reassuring and healing place for me. Somewhere I go to in my life and work when all else seems uncertain."

Pictured: Hope Begins: Across to Bordeaux Harbour; oil and gold on canvas; 80cm x 100cm. Debbie said: "There is romance at Bordeaux Harbour. As the sun rises, hope begins. The moon secures our longings until the morning when another day dawns."

Pictured: Time For Hope: Moulin Huet; oil and gold on canvas; 75cm x 90cm. Debbie said: "Renoir painted this scene in 1883 during a period of huge geopolitical change. Charles Darwin had just died, leaving the church in turmoil, and electrically-based technology was becoming more widespread. In 2022, we continue to live during huge global shifts. It is stabilising to appreciate that our landscape remains mostly the same and can embrace us in times of turmoil."