Four seasons ART EXHIBITION

Now in its 16th year at Exbury Gardens, the Four Seasons Art exhibition showcases the work of 11 talented artists from Hampshire and Dorset (more information on each artist below).

Four Seasons Art are a group of professional artists, set up by Marianna Kneller, Fellow and Founder member of the Society of Botanical Artists. 

The pieces exhibited interpret nature through different artistic methods including painting (oils, acrylic, watercolour), drawing, pastel, collage, printmaking and woodturning.

Artwork, books, cards and giclee prints will be on sale at the exhibition.

Location: Five Arrows Gallery

Tickets: Free with gardens admission or membership.

PURCHASE DAY GARDENS ADMISSION

Friends of Exbury membership includes unlimited gardens entry, train rides and guided buggy tours during opening hours. Members also receive discounts in the restaurant and gift shop, as well as invites to special events and discounted tickets for Halloween and Christmas events. All this from just £45 per adult! For more information on our full range of membership types, click here.

PURCHASE MEMBERSHIP

About the artists

Cathy Beggs

Cathy has lived in the New Forest most of her life and now lives near Lymington. She has always loved drawing - wildlife and nature being her favourite subjects. She enjoys using all mediums but pen and ink studies are the most enjoyable. Cathy is a member of local art groups, where she enjoys exhibiting and was delighted to win the best acrylic painting for the second year running at Ringwood Art Society. Her paintings have been hung in the St Barbe Museum Open Exhibition, Lymington; New Forest Open Exhibition, Lyndhurst; Red House Museum, Christchurch; Salisbury District Hospital and Hampshire Open Studios.

Cathy has illustrated two children’s books written by fellow artist Barbara Rousseau. They are based on the theme of recycling and set in the locality of Exbury Gardens and the Beaulieu River. To view and purchase some of her work, visit her website here.

Kate Bennett

Having trained and then worked as a Textile Designer in London and New York over 20 years, Kate now spends her time painting and teaching. Her work is loosely based on plant life, concentrating on colour and balance. Kate enjoys pattern and the opportunities it gives me.

Kate teaches classes in her studio in Hampshire, at Marlborough Summer School and other day courses as a visiting tutor. She also takes part in Hampshire Open Studios.

Marianna Kneller

After studying Illustration and Design at Southampton College of Art, Marianna became resident artist at Exbury Gardens from 1980–2004. The R.H.S. have awarded Marianna their Gold Medal, the Grenfell Medals for Botanical Art, The Lindley Medal (Science) and she also designed their Chelsea Flower Show Plate for 1994. Her ‘Book of Rhododendrons’ was publish by David & Charles in 1995 and her latest book ‘The Majical World of John Clare’ can be purchased at this exhibition. Marianna is currently working on her new project ‘The Wild Flowers of John Clare.’

Robin Moorcroft

Robin is a fine art printmaker specialising in original, hand-inked, limited edition prints. She draws her main inspiration from the world of plants and uses pressed natural materials to print from directly or to create collagraph blocks, which are then inked up to produce the final prints. She also enjoys exploring more complex plant structures through the medium of lino cutting and has recently started adding hand printed chine colle (printmakers' collage) to her work. As each of Robin's prints is inked individually, colours may vary slightly within an edition. Check out her website here.

Jake McGivern

Originally from Glasgow, now living in Burley, Jake has been turning for over 20 years. He has worked with several well known turners and enjoys working with both native and exotic woods. Jake likes to incorporate spirit stains and acrylic paint effects in some of his work. As well as exhibiting with 4SA, he will be taking part in Hampshire Open Studios this summer at Wood 'N' Horse.

Keith Pattinson

Keith is self-taught and has been painting and printmaking for over 30 years. Having spent many years in commerce as a director of several medium size companies, he retired early to paint full time. He is striving to move away from the purely representational and his recent works are very much a personal response to the landscape. Most of his paintings are site-specific although the ‘whereabouts’ are not immediately obvious; always keen to establish a ‘dialogue’ with the viewer, he hopes they raise as many questions as provide answers. A warm welcome awaits all visitors to his studio in Hampshire where his most recent work and prints of earlier work are always available. To view and purchase some of his artwork, check out his website here.

Barbara Rousseau

Barbara's paintings have been hung in many local exhibitions and also at both the Westminster and The Mall Galleries in London for the Royal Society of Marine Artists, The Society of Women Artists and the Pastel Society. Barbara was the SAA Artist of the Year in 2006, winning first place over 4,000 entrants. Barbara has a passion for the tactility and vibrancy of pastels. Her subjects are gathered from extensive travels around the world and she will paint anything that touches her heart. 

She has written two children's books based on a theme of recycling plastic.The first two of the series, which are about the adventures of a plastic bag, are set in Exbury Gardens and on the Beaulieu River. To view and purchase some of her work, visit her website here.

Joan Scott

Joan’s work is inspired by recollections of the local countryside and coast. To her, drawing is an important creative skill - sometimes the results are used as a basis for painting. Joan’s love of colour and texture is evident in her mixed media paintings - she paints what she feels rather than what she sees, letting the painting lead the way so its creation becomes a journey of discovery until the final image emerges.

In 2018 Joan had paintings selected in open exhibitions at Southampton City Art Gallery Four Seasons, St Barbe and Mottisfont.

Ann Squire,  A.S.E.A

Ann's favourite subjects are wildlife and horses, with forays into coastal scenes. Her preferred mediums are pastels, oils and acrylics. In 2014, one of her paintings was hung and highly commended in the prestigious David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year exhibition. In 2018 one of her paintings of fossils was awarded Best Acrylic Painting by Ringwood Art Society. She has also been awarded Amateur Wildlife Artist of the year in 2006 and 2009 by Wildscape magazine. In addition to 4SA, Ann exhibits with the Society of Equestrian Art, The National Exhibition of Wildlife Art in Liverpool and has had work exhibited by The Pastel Society and The Society Women Artists in London. To view and purchase some of her work, visit her website here.

Hilary Tratt

Hilary grew up in Devon, attended Dartington College of Arts and The Welsh College of Music and Drama. Moving to the New Forest in 1988 provided an endless source of visual inspiration: “Exploring the wilder parts of Britain has always been a passion and I very much enjoy the chance encounters with the animals and plants that live there. I try to capture the excitement of those meetings in my paintings. I’m particularly interested in birds and the intricate patterns of plant foliage”. 

Hilary works mainly in pen and ink and watercolour, and has exhibited at various galleries, including: Blackheath Art Society, New Forest Painters Exhibition, New Forest Centre, St.Barbe’s Museum and The Red House Museum.

Richard Tratt  SWLA  SBA

Richard has an international following as a landscape painter and has shown work in London exhibitions including the Royal Academy. He paints mainly in oils on canvas and often incorporates a wildlife element into his compositions. He is a member of the prestigious Society of Botanical Artists and the Society of Wildlife Artists. To view and purchase some of his artwork, check out his website here.