An East Yorkshire sculptor has won the Open Art competition that recently returned to Beverley Art Gallery.
The event has drawn large crowds to the Treasure House on Champney Road, according to the organizers.
A highlight of the exhibition is the winning entry by local sculptor Gail E. Hurst: ‘The Times after Degas’.
As a full-time artist since 2017, Gail works from her home studio in a beautiful old stable in Burstwick. She worked in education for 22 years before taking the leap to become a full-time artist in 2017.
In addition to painting and sculpture, she describes herself as a visual artist. Her first sculptures were on the theme of trawling, a profession with which her family from Hull was very closely connected, as many of them worked on fishing boats.
In all of her work, the artist strives for authenticity, even having a family member once gut a paper fish for her! Hull’s Fishing Heritage Centre displays her earliest pieces.
Her paper sculpture of Michelangelo the Painter won first prize in the Ferens Open last year.
Around 25 years ago, she saw ‘Little Dancer’, by French Impressionist Edgar Degas, in Paris, an experience she found very moving that inspired her to become a sculptor.
Gail said:
“Seeing the little street urchin portrayed in the piece resonated with my upbringing in two up, two down properties in Hull. I wanted to recreate the feeling of the look on her face in sculpture – one of dignified hope.”
In researching the story behind the dancer, Gail discovered that the original was made from wax. As an alternative to recreating it in beeswax, she sculpted the girl’s body from copies of The Times newspaper, which existed in Degas’ time. The skirt, ribbons and also shoes are made from transfer paper, which was distributed in women’s magazines for free in 1922.
She worked every day for six weeks to make her sculpture, building it up in layers. Gail learned to correctly tie ballet shoes after making the body first, just like Degas.
She said:
“I wanted to capture her vulnerability and the fraying of her skirt. UV varnish was then used for protection and to keep it all strong.”
“I like to create work which people can understand, and which resonates with them. I would encourage anybody to have a go at creating and entering a piece for future Open Art in Beverley, which is a gallery I have always loved. Being an artist can be rather isolating, so it is wonderful to get involved in something like Open Art, meet other like-minded souls, and get their feedback.
“Entering Open Art helps you to gain confidence in yourself to have a go, and really feel like an artist. If your piece doesn’t get chosen, don’t be knocked back, but try again with confidence. And remember there are different selectors every year, looking for different things!
“I was genuinely surprised and delighted to hear I had won Open Art this year, especially as I only decided to enter this particular piece at the last minute.”
Soon Gail will travel to Australia to paint and research there, looking for aboriginal material and learning about Sydney’s culture.
Beverley Art Gallery curator Hannah Willetts said :
“Just as Gail was captivated by Degas’ sculpture in Paris, our selectors were struck by this contemporary recreation. If you haven’t seen it already, I highly recommend viewing it first-hand! It has pride of place in our Red Gallery for the duration of the Open Art Exhibition, which runs through 7 January, 2023.”
Free to enter the Beverly Art Gallery on Champney Road, which is open six days a week. Open Art is free and open to the public.
Visit www.eastridingmuseums.co.uk for updated opening hours and detailed information about the Treasure House.
