Curated by Malcolm Ashman RWA and Stephen Jacobson RWA 

This exhibition brings together works by four RWA Academicians that trace deep and individual responses to the natural world. Each work holds fragments of place that move beyond representation to connect with elements that are both intimate and universal. In the artists’ words: 

“The world depicted in this work has a sense of fluidity, and a commonality, where everything could be made of the same substance. There is always a feeling that matter; while temporarily taking on certain forms, could be transient and capable of morphing into something else”. - Dallas Collins RWA 

“These works explore what it is to be a volcano. Feeling the sulphurous breath of the earth, watching her move; these paintings adopt the animist view of the volcano as a living being. Trekking the winding paths to the craters, we can never surmount a volcano but feel the awe of her role in reshaping the land”. - Sara Dudman RWA 

“I often paint places that might be lost or forgotten. For instance, Wastelands soon to be developed. A lot of my paintings come from memories of growing up by the Bristol Channel. I create images using thick texture and left over materials. Occasionally different inspirations come into the paint, such as an Iceberg in the Estuary!” - Andrew Hardwick RWA 

“My practice is in harmony with the Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi, the beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. I work intuitively with media and struggle until a way forward leads to either an image of 'completion' or of 'abandonment. Things are either devolving toward or evolving from nothingness. The notion of completeness has no basis in Wabi-Sabi". - Susan Foord RWA