Barbara Chalk - Simon Lownsborough - Drawing | Sculpture & found objects - Friday 21 March - Saturday 12 April 2025

The Artful Hare

Much like the Artful Dodger from Oliver Twist, the hare is a symbol of agility, cunning, and elusiveness — traits that have long fascinated both hunters and storytellers. For me, the hare’s charm lies in its expressive eyes, absurdly long ears and legs, and the effortless athleticism that seems to defy its delicate frame.

In this collection, the hare becomes more than just a subject; it’s a vehicle for exploring emotion, strength, and the ability to evoke empathy. Through each piece, I invite you to reflect on themes of vulnerability, resilience, and the often-overlooked connections between humanity and the natural world. After all, where cruelty exists, so too does the potential for compassion.

Humour and wordplay weave through this exhibition, sparking conversations about the intentions and messages behind each work. Every drawing is crafted with painstaking attention to detail — each hare drawn with purpose, hair by hair (pun absolutely intended!)

I hope you find as much joy in discovering these details as I did in creating them. Barbara Chalk, artist 2025.

Entanglement

This body of work is a disentanglement of my thoughts and feelings on human nature and life experiences. Urban decay, rusting machinery, weathered rock formations, gnarled old trees: these and more all have clues embedded in them that give me ways to convey what I want to say.

Responding intuitively in sketches to refine ideas, I then translate the drawings into formed metal, communicating their shapes with fire and hammer. Found objects and precious metals at times find their way into pieces to add to the story. I want the work to draw the viewer in and allow feelings to come through with a sense of whimsy. Making sculpture that is ‘heart sized’ gives the work an intimate connection. An entanglement.  Simon Lownsborough, artist 2025.