Ray Balkwill’s: ‘The River’s Voice’ - Exhibition at RAMM
For those who know Academician Ray Balkwill, the Exe estuary has been the mainspring of his art for well over four decades. His passion for this beautiful stretch of water is unquestionable and the exhibition in the Café at RAMM celebrates his lifelong ‘love affair’ with the people, culture and history of his native county.
He has captured its many moods along both banks in just about every medium possible, including books and films.
Ray has always been a strong advocate of painting en plein air, his inspiration coming from the landscape itself. However, for the pieces in this exhibition, he chose to work in the studio from memory and quick sketches. This new work therefore, is more about the ‘spirit’ of the landscape, rather than the landscape itself. The exhibition also includes many of his mixed media assemblages. For these he uses found objects, such as weathered fragments of old boats that have been washed up on the foreshore, their multi-layered surfaces of neglect and decay revealing great riches; the weather-worn patina becoming the focus of the work itself. These simple, discarded fragments have all known previous lives, yet still speak and invite rebirth.
‘The River’s Voice’ is being held in the Café at RAMM, Queen Street, Exeter from 7th December 2021 to 26th June 2022. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm. Closed Mondays and Bank Holidays. Free admission and all works are for sale.
‘Where the Sands Gleam Silver’ - Mixed Media Assemblage