Art exhibition a success

Clevedon artist Katie Blundell’s exhibition Women at Work has been so successful that she is extending it – but by appointment only.

Over the last year, Blundell has been painting leading female artists that she admires, which she admitted was quite a subjective list.

She approached each one and told them she wanted to celebrate them and to learn as much as she could. Her plan was to interview them off the record and to paint their portraits.

“I was feeling a little bit frustrated as a female artist, and I thought I wonder if other female artists feel this way, and the only way I could find out is to ask.

“So, I decided I needed to be brave and ask these people that I admired. They were all very helpful, and it’s been a wonderful learning project.

In the 1970s, an anonymous group of female artists known as the Guerrilla Girls famously protested about the lack of work by female artists that was hanging in museums and art galleries.

“I started questioning how much had changed. I was doing some research and looking up galleries and things, and seeing how many women were being represented.

“And my sense, my gut was telling me it wasn’t that easy, so that’s where I thought I needed to ask other artists about what their experiences were,” said Blundell.

Altogether, there will be seven portraits, with Blundell being the sole artist. Her distinct style comes from a method she developed called ‘relief painting.’

She starts off with wooden surfaces that she carves into, then she paints them and goes over them with a roller.

The exhibition was held over three days in October, was so successful that she decided to extend it until the end of November. Viewings are free but are by appointment only.