Rope Store Gallery, Quay Arts. Sat 18 Jun – Sat 23 Jul 2011. Drinks Reception: Sat 25 Jun 12 - 2pm All Welcome.

Becky Samuelson launches a new, exciting, style, working acrylic on sailcloth. The unique features of the sail are integral to the picture which has open and expressive brushstrokes, accents, lines and bold colour. Becky will also exhibit other paintings in watercolour and acrylics on varied textures.

Island artist Becky Samuelson has been painting professionally for twenty three years with her studio based in St Helens. Inspired by the rich and diverse coastline and countryside and great natural light of the Isle of Wight, Becky has a particular interest in seascape, landscape and architectural subjects. She paints with acrylic, watercolour and pastel and spends a great deal of time sketching in her preferred method of pen and wash, mainly for its immediacy and the impressionistic style that can be achieved.

Becky is a member of The Society of Women Artists and The Hilliard Society of Miniaturists and has exhibited widely in major galleries both on and off the Isle of Wight. She has also taught in adult education since 1994, running courses and workshops, has tutored on painting holidays since 2008 and has been a regular contributor to The Leisure Painter Magazine.

Many of the paintings in 'Island Coastal Landscapes' depict her love of painting seascapes and sailing subjects. Becky is fascinated by the working/painting process and over the past few years has been introducing texture through various modelling mediums; by changing the paint consistency or by varying the surface. Through the manipulation of paint, a new dimension has been added to her work and by painting on gritty grounds such as Fisher 400 or colour fix papers, add extra ‘bite’ to the paint. Over recent years her paintings have become more impressionistic with a lively sense of colour.

More recently Becky has been exploring other unusual surfaces and a substantial part of this collection explores Golden Fluid Acrylics on old sail cloth; a complete contrast to the textured surface. The transparent and sturdy nature of the cloth works well as a reclaimed surface and these paintings create a new sense of energy within her work.

By primarily using fluid paint, the brushstrokes are easy, not laboured and often allows parts of the cloth to show through. Where she has used old Redwing sail cloth, the sails within the painting itself are left to allow the red cloth to come through. The paint is worked negatively around the red sails and incorporates the stitch work into the design. The design plays an important part in all her painting; considering the balance of shapes and harmony of colour and tone.

www.beckysamuelsonfinearts.co.uk This exhibition is sponsored by Glanvilles.