Meet Four Artists and View Their Work

Published on: 16 Jun, 2012
Updated on: 16 Jun, 2012

Four artists have come together to show off their talents at the delightful Shaftesbury Hall in Artillery Terrace, Guildford.

The showing, that opened yesterday (Friday, June 15), runs to Tuesday, June 19. It is one of the Surrey Artists Open Studios 2012 events.

Artists Shauna Stanton, Henriette van der Does, Marion Deacon and Diana Pollock.

Throughout June and July 160 art studios in Surrey and its border are open to the public. Visitors are invited to meet the artists, see demonstrations, enjoy taster exhibitions, and buy artwork.

Some artists open their own studios, often in their own homes. But here, the four female artists have chosen to exhibit and meet their visitors at the recently refurbished Shaftesbury Hall. If you have never heard of it, it can be found by turning off Woodbridge Road into Artillery Road. Go to the end and then turn left into Artillery Terrace. The hall is at the end beside a small playground.

The artists are exhibiting at Shaftesbury Hall, Artillery Terrace, Guildford.

Three of the artists, Shauna Stanton, Diana Pollock and Henriette van der Does live near Shaftesbury Hall, while Marion Deacon lives in Walton-on-Thames.

Work by Shauna Stanton.

Shauna Stanton was born in Cornwall and after studying for a masters degree was awarded the Arts Council Young Artist Award. This allowed her to set up a studio in Cornwall. While her children were growing up, her painting was suspended, although she did some teaching. Now she is back painting and has recently exhibited at galleries in London, Surrey and Cornwall.

Pastels by Diana Pollock.

Diana Pollock studied fine art at Canterbury College of Art and then moved to London and continued her interest in painting. Currently, her preferred medium is pastels, building up layers to create sometimes unexpected effects. She says she has developed a keen interest in the relationship with still life and the artist, believing that the interpretation of the subject matter is often consciously or not autobiographical.

Henriette van der Does’ work is inspired by the human form.

Henriette van der Does took up art about 10 years ago. Starting out as a sculptress, she also expresses herself in 2D media. She says that her art is about emotion, movement and lines. The human figure holds an everlasting fascination for her. She also teaches art to both adults and children and her next venture will be art therapy.

The Surrey countryside often features in Marion Deacon’s work.

Marion Deacon studied art in Bath and has been a primary school teacher. She now paints full time and has exhibited widely in the West Country and Surrey. She says that she loves colour and much of her painting is very vibrant and textural. She has a deep desire to record beautiful and diverse landscapes and natural surroundings. Her paintings are water based and sometimes mixed media.

The open studio exhibition at Shaftesbury Hall is well worth a visit. It runs until Tuesday from 11am to 5pm each day.

More details at the Surrey Artists Open Studios website www.surreyopenstudios.org.uk