Quintessence

Following an accomplished career in television, Suzie Edwards studied life sculpture at Hampstead School of Art and then Morley College. Suzie now has a studio in London, has organised her own exhibitions with other London-based artists such as Christina Ingwersen, and has had pieces selected by juried exhibitions. 

If you haven’t experienced Suzie Edwards’ work before, you’re in for a real treat. Suzie is a skilled sculptor, who observes anatomy and human movement to inform her figurative work. She works primarily in bronze and clay, having her work cast in bronze using the lost wax method. 

In Suzie’s unique style, her bronzes and her clay 'Pear Ladies', convey a profound sense of humanness, deliver a great sense of emotion, whether it be despair, joy, calm, or sometimes a dreamy wonder. 

For Quintessence, Suzie will be exhibiting both bronze and clay pieces; the latest in the series and never exhibited until now in The Box.

Artist Donna Benton grew up in Kingston Upon Thames, and was surrounded by art during her upbringing, as her parents are skilled artists; her mother being a fantastic watercolourist. 

Despite Donna always being surrounded by art, it wasn’t until later in life that she picked up a pencil. Five years ago Donna moved to Southsea, and soon she was drawn to having a go at using charcoal. Soon realising her natural talent with drawing, she joined drawing and portrait classes at the Omega Art School in Portsmouth and The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre in Havant. Here she explored various mediums. Through these, her love and passion for portraits grew, developing her own style.

For Quintessence, Donna is exhibiting a selection of her female portraits that are the epitome of grace and elegance, and yet underscored by an intriguing sense strength and grit.

Our memories are scattered and frayed at the edges, they are at the mercy of our emotions and desires and carry the complexity and weight of our own narratives. Exploration can be laboured, fractured and fragile. It brings forth glimpses of a past eroded by time and emotion. 

Samantha returned to higher education in 2017 and completed an MA with distinction in Jewellery, at UCA Farnham.  Her work with memory began there and continues today through silversmithing, etching and metalwork.

Samantha’s exploration of memory originated as she experienced a reminiscence bump, a tendency in older adults to have an increased recollection of memories from childhood and adolescence. Samantha sought to explore the reliability, the truth, and the fragmentation of her memories. Working in the vessel form and the narrative of landscape, she gives the viewer a place to hold their own memories, for contemplation, storage, or exploration. Samantha uses precious and non-precious metals to capture the fragments, preciousness, decay, and sensations of memory. 

For Quintessence, Samantha will be exhibiting a selection of her most recent vessels and landscapes exquisitely created in silver and copper.