Ealing's Artscape - A canvas of local exhibitions
Grayson Perry, Pitzhanger Manor; JG Contemporary X The Verdean; Bonnie Gibbons, Boston Manor
This Autumn, artist Bonnie Gibbons will showcase her exhibition, “Beyond the Window”, at Boston Manor House. Known for her evocative use of soft pastels, Gibbons’ work captures the essence of being fully present in a moment and place, inviting viewers to deeply engage with their surroundings. The exhibition features a range of pieces, from large-scale canvases to intimate sketches, all inspired by the textures and landscapes she encounters. Set against the backdrop of Boston Manor’s Jacobean architecture and lush parkland, the exhibition also includes a film documenting Gibbons’ creative process and offers free self-guided activities visitors. “Beyond the Window” marks Gibbons’ first solo show at a public gallery, reflecting her passion for making art accessible to all.
Ealing Living Magazine, Autumn 2024, page 17
Louisa Maidwell
Published in print & online issuu.com/ealinglivingmagazine/docs/ealing_living_-_autumn_2024
PRESS RELEASE
Bonnie Gibbons ‘Beyond the Window’ at Boston Manor House
29.07.2024
Curated by Lydia Allain Chapman
Embrace the moment at Bonnie Gibbons’ solo exhibition, ‘Beyond the Window’, at Boston Manor House this Autumn
Open 23 September - 24 November 2024
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Debut solo show from Ealing-based artist at Hounslow’s newly restored Boston Manor
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Landscapes explore human relationships with the natural world
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Visit Exhibition, Manor and surrounding 34-acre parkland, free of charge
This Autumn, Bonnie Gibbons will present her exhibition, ‘Beyond the Window’, at Boston Manor House. Her drawings from life intimately explore what it feels like to be in a particular moment and place.
From large-scale canvases to private sketches, this exhibition of soft pastel work on paper invites you to connect with your own surroundings - the Jacobean architecture of Boston Manor and the verdant parkland beyond.
How often do you put down your phone and look out of the window? How often do you really look and consider the place you are in and how it feels to be there? Directly confronting your surroundings can, in itself, be an act of bravery.
For Bonnie Gibbons, working from life allows her to connect with the ground beneath her feet and the landscape around her. Originally trained as a knitwear designer, Gibbons is obsessed with expressing the textures of a landscape - the depth of the sky, the repetition of the leaves - and uses soft pastels which are tactile and love being worked by hands.
Beyond the Window is Gibbons’ first solo exhibition at a public gallery and follows Drawing is about hope - a month-long display in February 2024 at Parliament Hill Lido in Hampstead. As well as exhibiting in London galleries (Picture, Hammersmith; Candid Gallery, Islington), Gibbons’ work has recently been featured at The Turner House in Penarth, Wales, as part of their 2023 Open Exhibition.
Alongside Gibbons’ work, Beyond the Window will include screenings of a new film about her artistic process. The film was made by London-based film collective, Studio Nar, and was created on location in Cornwall and Brentford. To accompany the exhibition, free self-guided learning activities will be available for all ages, which explore new ways of thinking about colour.
Bonnie Gibbons said:
“I am so excited to have been invited to Boston Manor House for my first solo show at a public gallery. Art is for everyone, regardless of education, background or anything else so it feels really special to be exhibiting within my local community at a venue which is not only freely accessible but has such a strong mission to connect people with creative ideas, nature and learning. I hope the show will inspire people to get outside and look loads at the world around them.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
For all images and further information, please contact: Bonnie Gibbons
E: bonnieannegibbons@gmail.com
About Bonnie Gibbons
Artist Bonnie Gibbons’s works on paper explore surface, pattern and colour. Originally trained as a knitwear designer, texture and layers are integral to her handwriting.
From her van-shaped studio, Bonnie Gibbons enjoys the process of absorbing her surroundings; looking at things from the floor, and then straight up into the sky.
Her art is about hope and chaos - often optimistic, sometimes uneasy. Even grey skies have hidden reds, yellows, and blues to unpick.
Bonnie Gibbons has exhibited in London, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Wales. As a designer, she has created textiles and surfaces that have been sold in the US & Europe, and has been exhibited at international trade shows, such as Premiere Vision & Pitti Immagine Filati.
IG: @BonnieAnneGibbons
About Boston Manor
Boston Manor House is a Jacobean House built for Lady Mary Reade in 1623 and later owned by the Clitherow family from the 1670s until the 1920s. Recently reopened in July 2023 after a five-year restoration programme, two new exhibition galleries were added to the Manor to complement the beautifully restored historic interiors. Visitors can now encounter something new in the community exhibition galleries as well as taking in the historic atmosphere of the house and park, or grabbing a cuppa in the café.
The house is set in 34 acres of parkland sloping down to the nearby River Brent. Wander down to the lake, admire ancient cedar trees, or follow the nature trail. There is also a children’s playground, a wildflower meadow and walled garden.
The House is now open to the public with free entry six days a week from noon - 5pm.
www.bostonmanorhouse.org
IG: @BostonManorHouse
X: @BostonMnrHouse
Opening Hours: 12pm - 5pm Tuesday - Sunday
Free Entry
Image: Beyond the Window Crop, 2023. Soft pastel on paper
Image: Still from film Layers from life, by Studio Nar. 2023
Image: Still from film Layers from life, by Studio Nar. 2023
