Jean Luce exhibition, Back o’ The Shop Gallery, Terrington, until March 27 (From York Press)

Jean Luce exhibition, Back o’ The Shop Gallery, Terrington, until March 27

9:53am Friday 19th March 2010 in

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JEAN Luce’s exhibition at the Back o’ the Shop Gallery in Terrington is inspired by her love of the elements and the patterns in Yorkshire’s rugged landscapes and coastline.

“I like walking and sketching directly from nature, trying to catch the atmosphere and aliveness of wild places,” says the South Yorkshire artist.

“My work is constantly changing – with my mood, the weather and my environment – and it reflects the beauty and diversity of the landscape from coast to crags.”

She began painting and drawing at an early age and went on to study fine art and film at Leeds University, but then came a lull as career and family commitments prevailed.

“I took up painting again after bringing up a family and working in a variety of jobs, including working with people with special needs, teaching and gardening, and now divide my time between York and Sheffield,” says Jean, who is a member of the York Artists’ Group.

Since her return to the canvas, she has exhibited frequently throughout Yorkshire in the last few years, having moved to South Yorkshire in 1999, after living in the Lake District, Ireland and Norwich.

“I grew up not far from the Peak District and always missed the hills,” says Jean, whose appreciation of the landscape is rooted in her childhood walks in Yorkshire and the Pennines with her father.

Now she enjoys painting as a solitary, almost meditative activity. “I need to create a lot of space around it to see what emerges,” she says. “I try to avoid the pretty or predictable. I love colour, but don’t like to be fixed to a particular style and find inspiration in a variety of places.”

She varies her technique and medium depending on the subject matter. “Sea and water paintings lend themselves to using oil, which is a very fluid medium,” says Jean. “For paintings of rocks, crags and buildings I prefer to use acrylics, which dry quickly and I can create texture and use over-painting more easily.

“I often build up the picture using several layers trying to get the effect I want.

“When sketching outside I like to use watercolour very loosely to capture the basic patterns and I create detail and shadow using pen and ink because I have to work quickly to catch a fleeting effect created by light or weather.”

Jean’s exhibition will run until March 27 at the Back o’ The Shop, a former post office, converted into a gallery and café since its closure. Opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm.