Ruth McCabe Contemporary Art

Contemporary artwork in oils, collage and watercolour

Bio & CV

“Art slows us down because we have to stop and spend time with it, not glancing or skimming… not looking for diversion.”

From ‘Land’ by J. Winterson, A. Gormley and C. Richardson

Tracing Back

“When people remember, they remember the intensity of the moment and nothing else”.
– Terence Davies

A post WW2 working class childhood in industrial West Yorkshire imprinted a dark palette of winters incarcerated by rain and snow, brown varnished interiors, a freezing outside toilet. No TV or today’s devices, encouraged invention and imagination. Outdoor play and adventure in the summer all grew a capacity for creativity: finding resources within the self to combat boredom.

The intensity of the moment (op cit)

A 2014 review by Michael Koresky of Terence Davies’ 1992 film, “The long day closes” describes 90 seconds of film he took at ground level, of ‘light dancing over the patterns of a rug’, and suggests that this offers us the child’s focus and concentration.

Patterns feature strongly in much of my work. I believe they convey the power with which the subject and its environment has impacted upon me.

Playing

As a child imagination and play kept my spirit alive. Singing and movement were early ways of expressing this.

As an adult, in my years working as a psychotherapist, before making marks occurred to me, play continued. No maps or blueprints other than the ’training guidelines’ essential for good practice. Journeys were made by setting out and discovering.

This risk-taking practice that I follow has been recognised as ground breaking in the field of contemporary watercolour. In 2012, my work in that medium was compared to that of Helen Frankenthaler, and one gallery owner commented that he ‘had not ever seen anyone use watercolour in that way’. Artists need support, and I was very grateful.

So my dance and music making continue in this 2 dimensional mark-making field. I hope you enjoy playing with what you see through your own imagination and feeling.

CV

Ruth is largely self-taught, but over the years has also been mentored by:

Julie Noad Oil Painter, Camberwell
Geoffrey Pimlott, RWS, abstract watercolourist
Emily Ball
Cheryl Taves art coach, Canada

Her work has been represented by:

Buckenham Galleries, Southwold
Grapevine Gallery, Norfolk
Appleyard Gallery, Holt, Norfolk
Flint Gallery, North Norfolk
Gallery East, Woodbridge
Quay and Maltings Galleries at Snape Maltings, Suffolk.

Contemporary Art in Cambridge
Little Gallery, Norwich
Gallery in the Lanes, Norwich
Aubrey Gallery, Essex
Kunsthuis Gallery, Yorkshire
The Mall Galleries, London
Bankside Gallery (RWS), London Pond

Ruth's Work

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