Gallery/Exhibition: Virginia Bodman, The Customs House, South Shields.

Seeing Virginia Bodman's work at her Exhibition at The Customs House in South Shields was a unique learning experience for me, browsing the space and viewing her work evoked many different responses from me as an artist, I pondered at her use of colour and perspective deeply, trying to understand her reasons for painting these rural landscapes. It wasn't clear until the curator spoke about her connection to this rural area and it's history, her tribulations as a woman growing up in a large family, consisting of mostly boys, and her want to express herself truly, letting her inner passion for art flow freely and without constraint.

I recall gazing upon one of these landscape paintings as the curator explained further behind me, and as I looked into this piece, searching for the "answer" to my questions, I saw the true beauty of the landscape being depicted, the colours directing me to the perspective and seeing the fine details in every inch of the canvas. I have longed to be able to create depth and detail in a piece without it being painfully obvious, and this piece was a great example of this. It was truly a moving experience, an ambience I hope to be around again when viewing work in an Exhibition.