During May I got the chance to visit the solo show of Jennifer Robson in the Outbye Gallery, by Pittenweem.
The gallery itself is in a unique location out in the country by Pittenweem which is in an estate – a relaxing, peaceful spot. So it was a nice venue for Jen to have her first solo show.
Jennifer started off as a fine artist combining painting for a number of years with managing The White Gallery which then changed owners and became Hannas Gallery. Jen is now set up as a full time artist and has expanded her art practice to include, sculpture, embroidery and costume jewellery.
Her recent solo show was a mixture of objects, story boxes, a dolls house, drawings and paintings, as well as playful toy sculptures and jewellery. The horse also plays in important part in Jen’s exhibition and the blue braids link everything together.
Each piece tells a story and has hidden meaning. When displayed as a complete exhibition the pieces create the life of Jen.
Dolls House
Detail in the dolls house
The one piece that first caught my eye when I walked in the gallery was her fantastic dolls house. It came from an original sketchbook idea that Jen had 3 years ago, she said that,
after I read in a symbolism book that the house is often used as a representative symbol of the psyche, with the levels representing depths of the consciousness. The roof is said to connect to a higher consciousness, like a transmitter as such. So immediately I thought about the house I shared with my beloved flatmates at Uni in Thomson street in Dundee. It’s a three-tiered old house with high ceilings, bay windows, cornices, and a twisting staircase. The attic rooms are fabulous with slanted ceilings and you could even sit out on the roof and enjoy sunny Dundee with a view of the Tay in the summer.
(taken from Jennifer Robson’s blog)
As you can see there are many layers and details in the house and each piece represents a part of Jen’s life. The closer you look the more you see the tiny details.
There are many more hidden meanings and stories to tell in her story boxes. I was pleased to see Jen included the gold glitter horse – cause we always need a bit of sparkle in our lives!
Jen’s work has really progressed over the years and her solo show is the beginning of her exploration as an expressive artist. Seeing the show gives me many memories as with most of the pieces, I saw them as objects sitting in Jen’s studio but now they are works of art. It’s amazing how the creative mind works!
Seeing the horse in so many expressive ways, fills me with emotion as horses were a large part of my life as a child. Jen draws, paints and sketches them as strong, powerful animals with so much life and movement.
To find out more about Jennifer Robson visit her blog