York Art Fusion group, Grays Court, York, May 2-31

11:33am Friday 27th April 2012

By Charles Hutchinson

GRAYS Court will show the work of the York Art Fusion group for the first time in an exhibition entitled Fuse from May 2 to 31.

Established last summer, the Fusion art club consists of three photographers, Kelly Powell, Denise Curran and Elly Ross, and two artists, Vincent Danks and Angela Hall, who all live and work in or around York.

The members support, encourage and collaborate with each other with the aim of reaching a wider audience and promoting their eclectic mix of work.

Founding member Angela Hall is excited about the opportunity to exhibit at Grays Court, in Chapter House Street, York.

“The organising of exhibitions was always intended to be the most important element of the group’s activity and it’s a great pleasure to be able to showcase our work in such a beautiful, historic building,” she says.

Exhibition visitors will see nature, urban and York-themed photography, gothic-inspired digital paintings, wildlife oil pastels and hand-crafted prints.

“All the art on display will be for sale and we’re confident that there’ll be something of interest to everyone,” says Angela.

Her wildlife portraits stem from her being intrigued by anything slightly spiritual, mysterious or unexplained.

“For this reason, I’m inspired by the ancient cave paintings made by Upper Palaeolithic man,” says Angela. “These images hold the secrets of an ancient civilisation, leaving us only traces of a lost world.”

The images reveal that animals held great significance to ancient man. “Whether he saw them as divine entities, magical beings or simply beautiful creatures that he was compelled to reproduce, we will never fully understand,” says Angela.

Her latest work seeks to “echo the art of the ancients and strives to convey something of the mystery, and the spirit, of the animal which is captured so well in these ancient works of art”.

Kelly Powell combines her photography with her love of travel, history and nature.

“I’ve begun to explore the strange new world of digital imaging software, and I’m especially intrigued and excited by the dramatic effects that can be achieved through colour manipulation,” she says.

She is also keen to explore different mediums for displaying her photographs, from framed and canvas prints to greeting cards, from jute bags to mini-magnets.

For Denise Curran, street photography, still life and abstract images are areas of particular interest. “I’ve been influenced by Henri Cartier-Bresson’s ‘decisive moment’, Martin Parr’s observational images and the composition of Andre Kertez,” she says.

Elly Ross’s passion for photography began in her Fine Art degree at Nottingham Trent University. “Using photography as an artistic medium helps me become more aware of my surroundings and capture a moment in time,” she says.

Already she has covered events and shows for such organisations as the City of York Council and York Museums Trust, and now she is undertaking a photographic project for this summer’s York Mystery Plays.

Vincent Danks’s Gothic series is inspired by his fascination with the goth movement and its interest in gothic fiction.

“There are a number of well-established elements that have become integral to the ‘Gothic’ theme; stock characters such as tyrants, persecuted maidens, vampires and angels inhabit a dark world of castles, melancholic landscapes and Gothic architecture intended to create an other worldly and dramatic scenario,” says Vincent.

York Art Fusion’s artwork is also displayed and sold at The Habit café bar, in Goodramgate More information can be found at yorkartfusion.com and grayscourtyork.com. Grays Court is open Wednesday to Sunday; admission is free; all are welcome.