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Fiery reds, intense
Mediterranean blues, rich violets, bright yellows and oranges radiate from Jenny
Wheatley’s canvases giving a warm glow to this early Spring exhibition. Vivid
colours and bold brushwork give an energy and light that is typical of the Late
Impressionists and the Fauvist Movement.
Jenny Wheatley has a passion for colour – her inspiration is drawn from the
clear light and intense colours of the South of France – a region that has
always captivated artists from Matisse and Picasso to Chagall and Dufy. Jenny
loves to paint the exteriors of the many multi-coloured houses of the local
villages. We catch a glimpse of the interiors of these same houses - decorative
features are enriched with patterned wallpapers, ornate rugs, tropical flowers
and plants, as well as many endearingly quirky items such as wooden animals,
painted jugs and exotic birds. Simple domestic scenes are transformed into
lively tableaus, and everyday objects juxtaposed into a riot of light and
colour. Through shuttered windows we see the glittering sea and simple,
colourful boats bobbing on the water. More brightly coloured houses, dazzling
white awnings and tall stately poplar trees are viewed from the wrought iron
balconies.
Jenny is widely travelled and has been greatly influenced by her trips this year
to Havana, Cuba. Working in a free, painterly style, she evokes the mood of this
hot-blooded city with her spontaneous brushwork and dramatic use of colour. This
work is complemented by her paintings of Cornish coastal towns, such as
Mevagissey and St Ives, and the countryside of the Lake District in which a
softer palette prevails. Jenny Wheatley will also have a collection of paintings
of London - so from the Capital to Cuba, Jenny infuses the same element of joie
de vivre!
A member of two prestigious art societies – the New English Art Club and the
Royal Watercolour Society – Jenny Wheatley has established a reputation as one
of the most exciting and successful colourist painters of her generation. She
exhibits frequently at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, the Royal Scottish
Academy, the Royal West of England Academy, the New English Art Club and the
Royal Watercolour Society. Now well known to the British public through her
appearances as an art expert and guest judge on Watercolour Challenge (ITV
Channel 4) and the Richard and Judy Show, Jenny Wheatley’s work has been
acquired by many public and corporate collections - most notably those of ICI,
the Institute of Education of the University of London, St Thomas’s Hospital,
Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Hilton Hotels and the John
Lewis Partnership.
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