Notice: Discover Affordable Art At Watts Gallery

Published on: 18 Dec, 2018
Updated on: 15 Dec, 2018

From Saturday, January 12, to Sunday, February 24, Surrey-based artist Celia Lewis will present over 100 artworks, many new and previously unseen, in a sweeping solo exhibition at Watts Contemporary Gallery.

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to see and buy original art by this acclaimed Surrey artist. All works are for sale and support Watts Gallery Trust’s Art for All learning and outreach programmes. Prices start at £50 unframed.

Barn Owl – Linocut on block print, by Celia Lewis.

Celia Lewis takes inspiration from her surroundings – whether it’s the tranquil beauty of the Surrey Hills, a chance arrangement of fruit in a supermarket, or her own garden, where she has kept chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl and the occasional Gloucester Old Spot pig – Lewis creates work infused with the colour and vitality of the natural world.

This playful depiction of nature is mirrored in Lewis’s unusual combination of media, mixing watercolour, linocut, gold leaf and gouache to capture a flock of chickens or an elegant still life. Seen together, Lewis’s artworks will give visitors a sense for what she calls ‘the total absorption of painting’, a part of her artistic process made evident in the richness and variation of her work – something for which she has earned critical acclaim as well as a base of loyal followers.

The exhibition continues the Watts Contemporary Gallery exhibition programme, which provides an opportunity for visitors to discover and buy affordable contemporary art that resonates with the Arts and Crafts heritage of Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village. The programme promotes local artists, recalling the opportunities created by G F and Mary Watts for local artists and artisans through the Compton Pottery.

Proceeds from the sale of work directly benefit Watts Gallery Trust’s learning and outreach programme.

Celia Lewis studied life and portrait charcoal drawing in Florence at the age of 16 and continues to study, recently completing a diploma in Botanical Art. She was awarded the 2005 Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour (RI) medal and the Winsor & Newton Prize at the RWS Open Exhibition 2010. Lewis is a member of several local art societies; in 2018, she was awarded the Guildford Art Society Alliott Award.

Artist Celia Lewis.

On Saturday, January 26, she will lead a lino printing workshop at Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village. Inspired by Lewis’s drawings of fruit bowls, participants will design, carve and print an original artwork for framing. Workshops take place from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm and will cost £45 (Friends £40.50).

For further information visit wattsgallery.org.uk.