brian sinfield gallery

'A Breath of Fresh Air'

The Gallery is proud to unveil a debut collection by Stroud-based artist, Frances Clark-Stone.

Frances is a visual artist working in either oil and pastel and her aim is to create a narrative in which the viewer may place themselves.

Exhibition opens Saturday 17th May 10am – 5pm and Sunday 18th May 11am – 3pm.

Join us for glass of champagne and meet the artist on the Saturday.

Inspiration comes from dreams, experiences and relationships with both people and places. Everyday places become extraordinary in moments of awareness, feeling and mood. Her work is often described as magical or spellbinding and there is a feeling of vulnerability in the paintings, some of which contain figures, whereas with the place-based paintings there is a stillness. It’s the drama of the moment which she aims to convey.

Frances explains: “I use a combination of oil paint, oil bars, cold wax and oil pastel, usually over a period of weeks so that each layer can dry. With the soft pastels I use a fixative and a liquifying medium which increases flexibility, allowing a build-up of texture and accidental pattern.

Having studied art history, I am influenced by a wide range of art.  However, my style is most strongly influenced by impressionism, post impressionism and fauvism, as well as some illustrative artists working today.”

This will be Frances’ first solo exhibition with the gallery.

To view the full exhibition please click here

To view the digital catalogue please cl

'Right Hemisphere'

Simplistic in structure, Anthony Murphy’s paintings allow the two-dimensional canvas to dominate the forms of the composition, reflecting an exploration of space. With a strong tonal palette, the artist chooses an array of subjects from townscapes to still life to people engaging in everyday activity.

Anthony mainly paints in oil and pastel and is known predominantly for his French and Irish scenes. His colourful Gauginesque paintings have become highly desirable.

The artist explains: “I paint with my right hemisphere. It cannot speak or use words in any way. It is humble and silent. When I am asked about my painting my left hemisphere blurts out all kinds of nonsense trying to answer for the right. But the left hemisphere knows nothing and makes it all up fuelled by vanity.

The right is just still (hardly perceptible) promptings of calm. I like its company and therefore painting.“

To view available work by Anthony please click here

Elsa Taylor

Elsa is well known for being a colourist, and her use of intense colour is immediately apparent in both her still-life flower paintings and landscapes.

Flowers feature strongly in this exhibition and are so visually pleasing, whether it be with a simple brush stroke, or with a free hand, or a palette knife, she is able to experiment with shapes, and then with that defining touch of colour, the subject is illuminated against its background. Elsa’s flower paintings, at times semi-abstract, are more celebrations of colour, design and texture, capturing the intrinsic character of the subject rather than a slavish depiction of the flowers themselves.

In Elsa’s landscape paintings we find layers of rich colour and texture which combine to depict the natural landscape and with the occasional village or hill house her impressionistic compositions evoke an emotional response. The Cotswolds have been a strong influence, as has the different landscapes of Cornwall, Scotland and Italy.

Though she prefers to paint from her studio in the Cotswolds from drawings and sketches, Elsa gathers inspiration from wide open spaces as well the solitary object or a single flower standing on its own, but in all cases she expresses her subject matter in colour and with a range of shapes that verge on the abstract.

To view available work by Elsa please click here