Digswell Arts alumni Karen Picton was selected to participate in the exhibition TERRA at the Espacio Gallery in London from the 19th – 23rd October 2022. The exhibition was curated by Art from Heart, an organisation who manages multidisciplinary group art exhibitions and events focusing on contemporary issues and advocating socio-cultural causes.

The Exhibition originated out of deep concern for our complex relationship with nature. It features 47 multimedia artists addressing climate change through their diverse and expressive work by exploring the beauty of nature and/or its destruction by human activity; using up-cycling materials to transform trash into art; and / or building sustainable art practices by recycling and incorporating natural pigments and elements from the landscape in their creative practices. To view the exhibition catalogue visit: https://www.artfromheart.co.uk/terra-exhibition or the Art From Heart website: https://www.artfromheart.co.uk/

The exhibition also included curated guided tours on the 22nd October and Artist Talks on the 23rd.

Karen exhibited two works in the show, ‘Elements of Division’, 2017, which is made from earth from the Peak District and also ‘Elements of Continuity’, 2016, made using earth from Derbyshire.

Karen uses earth to make her paintings. The use of this most basic of materials holds particular significance for Karen as an elemental starting point from which she explores the characteristic of the land and in doing so, the nature of her own thoughts and experiences. Her abstract works reveal a surprising and exciting variety of colour and texture of earth found in different parts of the UK but it is the moody atmosphere that carries her paintings beyond the physical to spaces for contemplation. Through an understanding of the beginning of things, Karen’s work moves from the natural landscape towards the wider cultural landscape and the undercurrents that shape the concerns and values of our complex world.

For more information on Karen’s creative practice: www.karenpicton.com or view her Digswell Arts alumni page: https://digswellarts.org/karen-picton-bahons/