Eastern Daily Press on Susan Gunn's exhibition at Mandell's Gallery
By Emma Nights (Eastern Daily Press)
05 February 2016
Finding beauty in cracks and flaws is a key inspiration for artist Susan Gunn, and a new Norwich exhibition showcases some of the highlights of her striking works from the past decade.
Mandell's Gallery, Norwich. Photography by Julia Holland
This month Mandell’s Gallery, in Elm Hill, is full of her paintings which have been created from her experimentations with a material called gesso.
Mrs Gunn, who is married to former Norwich City goalkeeper Bryan Gunn and is a graduate of Norwich University of the Arts, said: “When I was at art school I became interested in the process of using traditionally made gesso... It’s quite a historic substance because people like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci would paint their beautiful frescos on gesso.”
But while most artists have worked to avoid cracks appearing in the material, Mrs Gunn uses them as a major feature of her work.
“For me that is what is the exciting part of the work, the fact that these cracks and defects and flaws in the surface are actually quite beautiful and very unique because I cannot control the final outcome...”
Mrs Gunn has work in collections around the country and beyond, has been awarded the Sovereign European Art Prize, and one of her major works, Terra Memoria, adorns the Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia.
Mrs Gunn and her family now live in Cheshire, but she said she was delighted to have a new exhibition in Norwich because her family still had a “big affection” for the city.
The exhibition – part of a series celebrating Mandell’s Gallery’s 50th anniversary – runs until February 27. Visit www.mandellsgallery.co.uk
Article by EMMA NIGHTS taken from the EDP website. View original source here.