Exeter Bloom Community Exhibition 2021

Published May 10, 2021

Part of Bloom: Exeter's Online Festival For Mental Health Awareness

Welcome to the Exeter Bloom Virtual Community Exhibition.

We are delighted to share a selection of art, photographs, sculpture and sketches created by Exeter Phoenix's creative community during lockdown.

We hope you enjoy perusing this year's gallery. Thank you to everyone who got involved to help us spread positivity through art.

If you would like to add any images to the virtual gallery, please email them to dettie.ellerby@exeterphoenix.org.uk

I'Tulip Mix' and 'Springtime', submitted by Alice Hagley.

A drawing of 7 flowers in a square vase. The flowers (from left to right) are coloured turquoise, dark yellow, dark blue, purple, light yellow, burgundy and orange. They each have green stems which are sprouting from a blue vase with black stripes. The white background is populated by many felt-tip squiggles, each a different colour.
A drawing which situates the viewer at the bottom of a tall tree, looking up. From the small black lines on the beige trunk, it could be a birch tree. The leafy part of the tree covers many different shades of green and the background is blue and white.

'Tulips' and 'Zen Seaweed', submitted by Alyson Huntley.

A textile portrait of four red tulips with thick blue-grey leaves and stalks, sprouting from a pink vase. The background is cream-coloured.
A charcoal black and white sketch of some seaweed floating on its left side. On each of its six strands, there is a different shell-like pattern.

We are pleased to welcome Antony Pipe's photographs back to the exhibition for a second year running.

"A walk down the path and back. I took these moonshots near Exeter between 4.09pm and 5.10pm on 22nd January 2021 on my smartphone. I think Covid has turned me on to looking at the sun, the moon and the clouds in the sky for nourishment in the absence of other things."

A series of telegraph cables stretch across a blue sky. In the centre of the photograph between the cables, there is a tiny, distant moon. At the bottom of the image there is the top of a green hedgerow.
A photograph looking up at a night sky which is crowded by trees. In the centre of the image between the branches, one can see a small shining moon.
A photograph looking up at a circle of autumnal trees. The clear patch of the white clouds and light blue sky reveals a tiny, distant moon.
A photograph looking up at the trees at dusk. Centre-right, a clear patch of sky reveals a small distant moon.
A series of telegraph cables stretch across a sky either at dawn or twilight. In front of the cables are brambles. Between the brambles and cables, there is a small and distant moon.

You may recognise Charlie Dyer's work from last year's Bloom exhibition.

Charlie thinks her illustration style has evolved hugely since the last exhibition, and we agree.

You can find more of her work on Instagram: @charliedyer.illustration

A young woman with blue, wavy hair, red cheeks, pink lips and gold hoop earrings stands upright, looking toward the left-hand side of the image. She is wearing a pink checked jacket over orange polo neck and yellow trousers. In the background, there is a wave of colour spreading diagonally across the image. This is made up of four conjoined brush strokes: dark orange, light orange, yellow and pink. The main background behind this is beige.
A collage of nine different illustrations. The top three present young women with colourful hair and clothing. The centre image also presents a colourful young woman, this time with a disco ball with the text: 'DISCO QUEEN'. On her left there is a pink image with the text 'you're magic' and on her right there’s an image of a pink and blue plant in a vase. The bottom left image could be an upright necklace consisting of eight beads with varying degrees of pink and green, on a green background. To the right (bottom-centre) is a pink plant in a purple vase which is patterned with white clouds and to the right of this (Bottom-right), there is an image of a pink mansion with a green door and underneath it, some text which reads 'BRIDGERTON'.
A head and shoulder portrait illustration of a young woman with red lips and long, thick, pink wavy hair, holding up a pair of red binoculars with pink flower-shaped lenses. She is dressed in a red frilly top over a pink checked blouse and is looking straight ahead. The background consists of white fluffy clouds in a pink sky.

We have four stunning submissions from Emma Martin.

Truth Seeker is the image with the goldfish. Emma says: "Truth Seeker" is a tiny painting that is really about not being afraid to face the truth, even if it's uncomfortable or feels unfamiliar. When you understand something you can begin to overcome it. (Acrylic on 15 x 15cm board).

Drawing The Moon is the image with a woman sketching under a tree. Emma says: "Drawing Down The Moon" was about trying to stay connected with what really matters. Appreciating the cycles of nature and adjusting to a different rhythm than we had previously been used to was important. The entrance to the labyrinth in front of the woman was all about contemplation of this. (Acrylic on A3 Board)

Staying Afloat is the image of a frog in water. Emma says: "Staying afloat" was about feeling a little overwhelmed during the period of lockdown - but I did manage to keep my nostrils above water! (Charcoal on A2 paper)

Home Made shows a woman stitching a landscape. Emma says: "Home Made" is a painting I made during a time when I realised that I was going to get back what I put in, and that lockdown was an opportunity to reinvent some aspects of life. I was trying to see the possibility of an opportunity in adversity. (Acrylic on A3 Board)

Goddess is the second image featuring a frog. Emma says: "Goddess" was made in response to how I was feeling at the time. A little low in mood, a little middle aged, and, frankly, frog like! (Charcoal on A2 paper)

A young woman with blonde hair tied with a black bow, wearing a white blouse and a green skirt, kneels on a black pathway and threads together the green, hilly landscape ahead of her. She has three rolls of thread and a pair of scissors beside her. Above the low green hills, there is a large blue sky with two white threaded clouds. Beneath the left cloud there are four, distant blackbirds and beneath he right cloud and even more distant, there are three.
A painting of a goldfish swimming to the left of a stage-right close up, lit candle. The background is plain black and at the bottom left of the image there is faded white writing which reads 'Emma Martin'.
A young woman in a grey dress with straight, silver-grey hair to her shoulders and a fringe, holds a ball of white thread. Above her, there floats a silver-blue tree with drooping branches on a patch of green grass. Attached to her thread, in the top left corner of the image, is a white, button moon. At the bottom of the image in front of the young woman, there are two patches of grass. The rest of the image is black.
A charcoal drawing of a curvy naked female body but with webbed hands, floats in a bubbly, square of black ink. Above the surface there is a frog’s head with eyes looking straight ahead. The rest of the background is white.
A charcoal drawing of a curvy naked, female body with a frog head sits on a white surface and looks straight ahead as if posing for a portrait. Behind her is a black shadow and the rest of the background is white.

Kauser Parveen has submitted the following four nature photographs, titled Friends For Life, Feeder, Blossom Where You Grow and Blaze Of Colour

Two lambs feeding from a sheep. In the background, there is another sheep eating grass. All sheep and lambs have on them a purple marking.
Two lambs feeding on some grass in a field. The lamb on the left has on it the number '26' in purple marker pen and the sheep on the right has on it the number '36' in green marker.
One small ivy plant is growing out of a crevice in the middle of a large rock. Beneath the rock lies multiple, overlapping ivy plants and leaves.
A photograph of a corner of a garden taken from above. In the foreground, there is an out-of-focus close-up view of a plant stem and hanging from it is a series of small, pink heart-shaped flowers descending towards the ground. Underneath this plant, there are some man-made, wooden flowerbeds populated by a variety of leafy and flowery plants. A glimpse of black railing next to these flowerbeds inform the viewer that the garden is situated on the edge of a road.

This small multi-media painting was submitted by Lucy Patrick. It is part of an inter-active installation that will be exhibited during the Devon Open Studios in Moretonhampstead. The painting is part of a series that charts my lived experience of the last momentous year and how nature and the environment has helped me weather the storm of the pandemic.

A small square mat, painted into three main sections. The middle section is painted mostly red with a splash of blue. The top section is silver with a slither of pink and the bottom section is a mixture of yellow, blue, pink, silver, red, orange and green. This mat is being handheld above two bright tulips outside.

Michael Calver shared this intriguing image from his sketchbook.

A black and white charcoal sketch. On the left page, there is a telegraph pole; it's cables stretched above a rooftop. On the right, there is a small, spindly plant growing out of some water in a small bottle-like vase.

Summer Varley shared the following images with us on behalf of The Makers Group at OrganicARTS.

The images below were made by: Marianne, Nick, Jacky, Joy, Lisa, Jane, Carol and Sarah.

A group of green, orange and brown leaves in a circular basket taken from a birds-eye-view. The leaves' natural patterns are accentuated by women thread, small balls of thread and acorns.
Copper-coloured cloth material with various blotches of beige and abstract shapes embroidered by blue and green thread.
An abstract, whispy landscape painting of a bunch of small red flowers with long green stems. The stems have also been splashed with some light, salmon-pink patches.
A landscape painting of two hills with split into segments of light green, dark green and brown. The nearest hill on the right hand side has a circle of four rabbits and there is a brown rooftop in the centre of the two hills.
A double page spread notepad presents hand drawn women sewing together from a birds-eye-view. The notepad is lying on a leafy outdoor ground.
A landscape painting of green hills with rows of colourful, spherical trees marking the island's edge. Surrounding these fields, there is a lively, deep blue seascape including blossom-like plants and seaweed in the foreground. The slither of sky at the top of the scene is light blue.
"A colourful painting, featuring a red sunlike object in the sky, above a blue, orange and yellow triangular structure which could be a tent, a boat or a flag. The bottom of the image is a sandy yellow."
An abstract flower made up of hand drawn text which describes sounds from the indoor world and extends and grows into the outside world. The inside text includes; "LAUGHTER LAUGHING giggle giggle TEA BREAK" and further towards the edges there are words such as "BZZZZZ" and "chirp chirp".

The following five photographs were submitted by Rachel Mowlem.

A grainy ektachrome image presents large silhouettes of cliffs. Underneath them there is an edge of a pier standing in the sea.
A landscape painting of green and purple-y hills with a cluster of small, distant houses in the centre which are surrounded by some trees.
A landscape painting of a wood with a small, distant dog running along the central pathway.
A person who's upper body and head is obscured by a paddle board walks across a beach holding a paddle in the opposite hand. The picture is black and white and the person is on the left of the image walking right.
A landscape photograph showing a series of small purple, oval-shaped flowers. There is a shallow depth of field and those in focus are accompanied by small raindrops.

Sam F Johnson submitted the following two creative artworks, both created during lockdown.

Here We Are Now: 'It represents myself, how I feel, as a bonobo, a peace loving species living through these strange, strange times. I made it to help my mental health and to have a representation of myself looking back at me, which helps to get through these challenging days.'

Believe In Magic: 'This lovely white rabbit brings me hope.'

A blue baboon is painted onto a brown canvas and looks out of a black frame.
A white bunny rabbit stands on its hind legs on the right half of a brown canvas.

Exeter based artist Lyndsey Gates has submitted two stunning works, both made from glass.

A canvas with a golden rim stands upright in front of a white brick wall. On the canvas there is a painting of black trees from the perspective of the ground-up. In the background there is a repetitive purple and white triangle pattern, growing in size from the centre to the edges.
A golden-framed, landscape canvas standing on a wooden table. On the canvas, there is a transparent deer's head with antlers growing into branches of a tree. The background is made up of orange swirls and there are a few grey birds flying between and around the branches.

Jess Murray submitted two beautiful paintings on the theme of nature and mental health.

Untitled: "Untitled is an expression of how important it is to take time to look after your mental health and give yourself the space and care to bloom."

Wilting Rose: "I painted Wilting Rose last month from an image by Rachel Levy and I was really struck how even when not at its prime, nature is so beautiful and inspiring."

A painting of a human female torso with an external heart and a bunch of flowers in place of her head. With her right hand she is holding up a green watering can which has water trickling onto the flowers.
A portrait painting of a red rose. It's centre is made up of yellow anthers and a few yellow leaves and the stem is green. The background is a plain white canvas.

Submitted by Studio Bloem

"This piece was created during lockdown after the birth of my first child. Following breastfeeding troubles I developed a postnatal depression, I had never had any mental health issues before, so this came as such a surprise. Through councilling (all over the phone) and through being creative I found a way back to myself and to my daughter and husband. This piece, which is still a work in progress, consists of origami flowers, which I could fold in under 40minutes, quick enough to be made during my little girl's naps, and allowed me to be creative without putting pressure on myself. Being creative allows each and everyone of us to express a part of our self where often other forms of conversation fall short."

A picture taken above of five card-crafted flowers with fairy-lit centres. From front to back, the first and fourth flowers are purple-coloured, the second and third flowers are salmon-pink and the last flower is a warm violet colour.
Four card-crafted flowers are photographed from a birds-eye-view, sitting on a measuring mat. The sizes of the flowers decrease from left to right as the colour grade of each flower gradually changes from orange to yellow. All flowers have green sepals.
Two card-crafted flowers have three, lit fair lights in their centre. The top-left flower is orange and the bottom-right is purple. Both have dark green sepals.
Coiled fairy lights are lit and wrapped around three card-crafted flowers in the middle of a dark room.
Four card-crafted flowers are photographed from a birds-eye-view, sitting on a measuring mat. The sizes of the flowers decrease from left to right as the white sepals of each pink flower gradually turn green.
A close up picture of an iris-coloured, card-crafted flower with green petals. Inside are three lit-up fairy lights to resemble its anthers.

'Ikigai' by Studio Poncho

"Ikigai" By StudioPoncho, inspired by the Japanese concept of ikigai, referring to having a direction or purpose in life, providing a sense of fulfillment and a sense of meaning.

A painting of an abstract blossom tree, leaning heavily to one side

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