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arbara Macfarlane returns to the Zimmer Stewart Gallery in June with a new series of paintings based on old maps of London and New York. In the summer of 2012 Barbara was asked to submit work for an exhibition in London to celebrate the city as host of the Olympics. Barbara exhibited three large paintings which were based on a map from 1588 by William Smith which combines a profile view with a perspective view. This was the beginning of a new development in Barbara’s work. She began investigating antique maps from the 18th and 19th centuries and has used these as starting points for her new work. Edward Weller’s map of central London in 1862 was the inspiration for her Red London series. These paintings are a maze of rich reds and oranges cut through with the calm blue line of the river Thames. Barbara’s work is very much about the painting rather than the map itself. Her considered use of colour and the quality of the painted marks relates directly back to her landscapes and seascapes. These paintings are filled with energetic lines, which are drawn in ink with a stick . But unlike her landscape paintings these are filled with intricate patterns of bright and intense colours. Since her recent visit to New York , Barbara has started some new work based on Manhattan maps. After the random patterns of the London streets it
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has been a challenge for her to paint the grid system of Manhattan. Again, Barbara has given these paintings an energy and vibrancy which is typical of all her work. Through her use of mark making and juxtaposition of colours her paintings continue to seem effortless and free. The Manhattan map paintings will be shown in this exhibition, at Zimmer Stewart Gallery, in advance of her first solo show in New York this November. Barbara Macfarlane is well known for her abstract beach and South Downs landscapes. These subjects include Kingly Vale, Cobnor, East Head and the Witterings and are places she returns to often in her work. Barbara Macfarlane’s work is shown at Zimmer Stewart Gallery, Arundel, and Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London, with whom her works are exhibited in Europe and New York. Barbara Macfarlane has been painting for over 30 years and her works are now sought after by collectors both in the UK and abroad. James Stewart, gallery director, said: “I enjoy working with Barbara Macfarlane, she is keen to push the boundaries, and develop her work in new directions with each exhibition we put on together”. Showing from 8 to 29 June 2013. Visit the Zimmer Stewart Gallery on Tarrant Street, Arundel. Call 01903 882 063, go to zimmerstewart.co.uk or find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.