Pitstone Church hosts art expo

The Herts Visual Arts Forum is presenting an exhibition by the group Lifescape at the church over two weekends of September 14 and 21st. The event is being sponsored by the Tring Arts Trust.

The exhibition is part of the Open Studios programme organised by the forum.

Included in the work will be paintings by disabled artist Ann Engel and photograper and artist Neil Proctor.

Ann, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, is confined Ann to a wheelchair but it hasn’t confined her creativity. She now finds inspiration from subject matter closer to home and from landscape sketches and studies made in the past.

Said Ann: “The creative process is so strong that you always find a way to overcome the challenges. I just had to learn to adapt.

“I never thought digital would become such a good friend. But now it allows me to combine interesting digital print with paint to create layers on my canvases.”

Neil Proctor goes to extraordinary lengths to get his amazing photographs. While the rest of us are all nicely tucked up in bed, Neil often sets off at 4am to take advantage of the best light.

“I want to catch the extra drama that the light in the early morning or late evening adds to an image.”

Neil is always on the lookout for interesting views. One recent photograph came about when Neil decided to capture an image he had viewed from the M25 every time he travelled along it. He found out how to get into the right place, set off at 4am and had to rush through the fields, with all his equipment, to be in the right spot to get that moment when the sun rose and shone through the tree.

“It is only with patience that you get that one fleeting moment. The light changes every second but there is a wonderful feeling of peace and quiet and the moment is yours and yours alone.

““When you know that you have captured am image that really works - there is that “YES’ moment. It is all very satisfying and makes getting out of bed so early really worthwhile.”

The exhibition will be open Friday 14th and 21st noon - 5pm, Saturday 15th and 22nd 11am-5pm and Sunday 16th and 23rd 11am-5pm.