TWO of this region’s finest artists, landscape painter James Lynch and collagist and sculptor Marzia Colonna, have exhibitions this autumn at The Portland Gallery in Mayfair. Both artists have national – indeed, international – reputations, and this is an opportunity to see their work in solo shows at one of London’s most prestigious galleries.

James Lynch, who lives at High Ham near Langport with his artist and writer wife Kate, works very much in the tradition of English landscape painters. His beautiful, subtly coloured paintings of the English landscape and skies, often inspired by wild flying with his paraglider, are instantly recognisable.

He paints using the ancient medium of egg tempera, which he makes from raw ground pigments and egg yolks from his hens. The paintings are built up over time with many glazes of paint. As well as working on gesso-coated panels, he makes smaller, more impromptu paintings on sized paper.

His exhibition at The Portland Gallery runs from 25th September to 11th October.

Italian-born Marzia Colonna, who lives at Lyme Regis, has been exhibiting in London since 1972. Her mixed media collages and sculptures utilise juxtapositions of colour and form to re-create the experience of sensations: walking by the sea or in the woods.

Her work is physical and instinctive, capturing the moment, not only in the visual sense, but in a way that encompasses her feelings about the subject matter.

The new exhibition, A Sense of Wonder, will be at The Portland from 20th October to 4th November. Marzia says: “A sense of wonder is the first and most essential tool in my artist box.”

Pictured:
On Mere Down, egg tempera, by James Lynch
Artichokes and Fish, mixed media collage, by Marzia Colonna