Bristol artist Mary Price is showing a selection of her original acrylic and mixed media intuitive paintings inspired by the natural world at Bar Gallery Alchemy 198 during the month of May.

The paintings include a series of nature and meadow inspired works created by layering vibrant acrylic colours to produce imaginary abstract flowers that burst with spring time vibes.

The exhibition also includes one of Mary’s Frida Kahlo paintings that she included because it worked with the mix of other paintings in the show. The painting has a floral theme as it is inspired by the Frida Kahlo quotation, ‘I paint flowers so they will not die.’

Describing her inspiration Mary said, ‘I love to record what I see in the natural world by sketching, painting and taking photography from real life  and then using this source material to  integrate with memory and imagination to make my paintings. I translate imagery onto canvas or paper using intuitive processes starting with creative mark making and building a backdrop of colours. As an intuitive painter I often set off without a clear plan as this frees up the painting process and enables happy accidents to happen along the way.

“I gradually  start to pick out images from memory as thoughts emerge on the canvas or paper. It can be quite a haphazard way of working but I love the alchemy when the magic happens and a mess of marks slowly builds into something that for me has a beauty and is expressive of how a memory or a landscape makes me feel.”

Mary works in a she-shed studio in her garden that has become her biggest painting yet. She posts progress and inspiration  on Instagram almost daily under what has become her artist brand name – artistintheshed.

Website: https://artistintheshed.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artistintheshed/