3rd February 2012

CHARD: Chard artist goes it alone

CHARD artist Shena Bulcock has lived in the town for 40 years and despite being successful with her work and exhibiting many times with other artists, she has her first solo exhibition this month at the Gallery Café Bar and Bistro in Holyrood Street.

A member of the Neroche Artists and the Somerset Society of Artists, Shena is very excited to be holding her first one woman show. She said: “I can’t wait to see all my work up together.

“The Gallery is very flattering to a piece of art work, it is light and airy and has good natural light. A lot of local people still don’t know it’s there because there is no big shop front, despite the red door but it’s a lovely place.”

After moving to Chard Shena began teaching adult classes at Holyrood and then from her home. She currently has 25 students but plans to retire from teaching very soon.

She said: “A lot of people retire and want to take up painting or hone their skills. I do try and push improving drawing skills alongside natural talent, because a good drawing foundation is important. Some people don’t want to know about things like perspective and eye levels but if I can learn them anyone can.

“I am not strictly disciplined about when I paint, when I feel creative it is easy to shut everything out but sometimes it dries up and there is nothing you can do about it.

“I like the early work of Mondrian and the Impressionists but just to going out and seeing the landscapes around here is inspiration enough.

“I like acrylics which combine well with texture but sometimes move in to oil pastels and graphite, I had a phase of using Japanese paper and watercolour, it’s all about using different media.

My most successful landscapes come out of my head but they will be representations of a scene, not pure abstract, that’s just not me. I am trying to do landscapes that aren’t green at the moment.

You can view the work of Shena Bulcock at the Gallery Café Bar and Bistro in Holyrood Street, Chard, until the end of February.

PICTURE: GOING IT ALONE - Shena Bulcock with her painting of Chesil Beach exhibiting solo in Chard this month