Rusper adds a twist to 51st  art show

Spokeswoman Mary Holford-Walker explained: “In 1967 Margaret White moved to Rusper with four young children, determined to make time for her passion – painting. She put a notice in Rusper Post Office to which only two people replied. But enthusiasm grew, more painters joined and the village hall was hired on Monday afternoons for painting. Now, 52 years on, we are a group of 12 and what an extraordinarily diverse range of art we cover.

“An original member, Jean Woods depicts historic local scenes mainly in pastels. Come and see an evocative painting of an old horse fair, typical to those held in Horsham Market. Or walk through the beauty of Rusper woods with Pam Waugh, whose compulsion to paint is connected to the texture and smell of oil paint as she builds a magical relationship with a landscape environment.

"Mandy Barnes creates rhythm and texture with small pieces of painted paper and newspaper, letting words and letters add a little piece of intrigue to her work. Her latest piece The Whispering Knights will be shown at our exhibition.

"We all work in such different ways. Take Samsang Kelsang, our 38th and most recent member, whose work depicts the fun, quirky and beautiful work of every day, painting predominantly with gouache. Sue Holywell likes to drop acrylic inks onto damp watercolour paper, unpredictable patterns emerge and she uses a fine brush to create layers of magic.

"And during lockdown Louise Holford-Walker abandoned baking and turned towards art. Using paper, paints, glitter and glue, cake collages for kitchen walls emerged in bright vibrant colours.

"If you like abstracts look no further than Angie Hill, or for beautiful observations from nature try Marilyn Bew, soft countryside scenes from Sue Matthewson, vivid abstract work from Carole Furmanski, or quirky acrylics from Diana Kent. Sunflowers are indeed springing up in Rusper. Inspiration for this initiative came about mainly because Carole Furmanski is currently hosting a Ukrainian family.”