ESPRIT
Lisa Parkyn and Eilean Eland
5-18 APRIL 2024
Lisa and Eilean are at The Malthouse in April for their third joint
exhibition. A painter and a sculptor, their work is complementary in its
love of colour, energy and vivacity. Both artists have a strong grounding
in the natural world but also explore elements of abstraction.
Lisa’s approach to painting encompasses her sensory and emotional
response to landscape, flowers and place. Originally from arid Botswana, in
contrast she now works from her home studio in East Devon surrounded by
lush countryside and nearby Jurassic coastline. She has always had a deep
affinity with nature which serves as a wellspring of inspiration throughout
the seasons.
Working mainly in acrylic and water-based materials, she alternates
intuitive and analytical approaches until a harmonious composition is
resolved. Her latest work is looser, vibrant and more expressive, fuelled by
Lisa’s passion for exploration and play.
Eilean is a ceramic sculptor with an interest in the dynamic rhythmic
shapes found in the female body and in natural organic forms such as
shells and bones. She uses colour and tone to enhance the form, but
very recently has been experimenting with colour that is stronger and
more expressive, so that the sculpture has a feel of a three-dimensional
painting. Working with paperclay, Eilean hand-builds her sculptural forms
using coiling and pinching methods with a range of slips, glazes and
oxides for the surface. There is a lot of blue!
Eilean is based in her light-filled home studio overlooking Bideford Bay in
North Devon where she also spends a lot of time in her maritime garden.
These artworks are filled with esprit; their uplifting, vivacious energy
invites viewers to find their own interpretations and make their own
meanings within these colourful expressions.