This is an extensive , exciting exhibition in a variety of media in two solo displays – one by Rebecca Pierce,  the other by Jenny Green .

Rebecca Pierce’s solo exhibition is entitled CHROMA . It ranges across genres and media , and utilises some of her trademark work in landscape , portraiture , beach scenes and mixed media sculptures. There is a concern for the environment and also consciousness raising about feminist issues.

The delightful triptych ‘Daydream Series Jack and Jill 1-3’ consists of waving fields of flowers striving towards the top of the works – count the butterflies.

‘Festive Flower 1-10’ are small vibrant radiating flowers.

‘The Dissertation Revisited parts 4-6’ is three parts of a series of portraits, bright and colourful with patchwork faces, strong lines and large eyes.

Each has differently coloured ears. No.4 has four flowers in her hair , no . 6 just one. They all have a sense of melancholy.

In the vivid , swirling diptych ‘A Dam Full of Galahs’, with its agitated pinks and purples and scattered blue feathers, you can feel the flock wheeling and taking flight.

‘I think my sister will probably have children before me’- is a soft grey rather ghostly self portrait with long neck and large eyes.

‘When Covid Enveloped Not Even the Beaches were safe’ is a glorious, thickly textured acrylic impasto depiction of beach pebbles.

Pierce’s trademark bright, bold and colourful aerial beach views continue in paintings such as ‘2020 Social Distancing 101’,  ‘Moving Forward’ and ‘Sand Pies’ for example.

The diptych ‘2020 Social Distancing 101’ is a delightful aerial view of a beach depicting people sunbaking on the beach, with the sunbakers distant from each other.

‘Marking Time and Tide’ is a thickly textured depiction of a bird looking over its shoulder, perched on a tree stump. You can feel the feathers.

The stunning diptych ‘Measure and Fame’ is a highly textured. volcanically red and energetic work with a vertical composition.

‘Urban Sprawl doing the Urban Crawl’ is a comment on our cities , environment and travel.

‘Lang Ink Becomes You’ and ‘Lang Ink Becomes You – Perception vs the Individual’ are two portrait studies in boldly defined lines where the subject has a round face and tattoos .

‘That Bloody Red Dress Portrait of the Artist’ Danielle McManus is a diptych in very strong vertical lines and colour .In one we see the artist wearing brief underwear in the other that red dress .The hair is short and droops over one eye.In one portrait she is depicted as sad and stressed, the other much calmer.

‘Going Bra Less’ and ‘Slave to the Rhythm’, using found objects, comment on the position and expectations of women in our society. ‘Going Braless’ could be viewed as a bird struggling to walk. ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ withs its black diamante bra and red kitchen maid base is a caustic comment.

‘Charters White Moon Floating’ is a rather abstract roiling mountain scape, you can feel them pushing towards the top of the work.

‘Eau de Rubbish’ , another collection of recycled objects, is a vibrant comment on our society’s dumping of rubbish.

Jenny Green’s marvellous series is entitled RESURGENCE , expressing hope , resilience and the strength to survive after the devastations of the past year and Covid. There is a fluid sense of hope.

First we see the Burst series of painted steel sculptures, ‘nos. 1-10’. The flowing, swirling, dynamic use of minimalist ‘line’ (in some ways like calligraphy or a music clef?) is crucial. In each of them a colourful flower is included. ‘No 9’ is smaller than the others , a half circle presented on a white plinth.

Next we see ‘Resurgent 1-3’, tall freestanding sculptures with a great sense of verticality and growth . Strong yet delicate ‘ branches ‘ grow from them and the ‘flowers’ for each are in separate autumn tones including reddish/purple and yellow

The Bloom series ‘1-11’ are in some ways similar to the ‘Resurgent works but smaller. Most have two ‘branches’ and what could be imagined as leaves or fluttering insects, again in russet tones .

‘Hope’ and ‘Promise’ are two bronze blank faced armless humanoid sculptures – Adam and Eve? Hope is in a grey/blue dress, Promise in shorts. Hope strides forward ignoring the rocky way ahead.

The Tenacious series ‘1-6’ is a fabulous set of bronze works that could be viewed as peas in a pod, with their vibrant , growing lines. The texture of the striated lines of the vertical,,striving, supportive ‘pod’ greatly contrast with the smooth sphericality of the ‘peas’ .The viewer can feel the pushing growth. ‘No. 6’ is horizontal in format.

‘Sprouting’ consists of two twisting and turning painted resin sculptures, silvery grey with what appears to be an egg in one of them.

CHROMA and RESURGENCE run at Traffic Jam Galleries till 26th March 2021.

https://trafficjamgalleries.com

Featured image : Rebecca Pierce ‘Chroma’