Winter Exhibition, Zillah Bell Gallery, Thirsk (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Winter Exhibition, Zillah Bell Gallery, Thirsk

3:41pm Friday 10th December 2010 in Arts

MIXED exhibitions inevitably have differences in quality between the artists. If, one of the artists is Norman Ackroyd, the problem is intensified.

One entire room is given to his suite of etchings of the monumental rock formations that form the islands of St Kilda.

Stark, sculptural and spectacular, this is Ackroyd’s ideal landscape and he revels in it.

He has described St Kilda as the Galapagos of the far north and here provides a memorable record of an extraordinary group of islands.

Compared with Ackroyd’s experience and ability, some of the other artists fail to measure up, but there are several – young and old, established and emerging – who positively thrive at this level.

Peter Hicks, an established artist, chose not to show his trademark landscapes, but smaller, more intimate scenes from a garden with heavy summer foliage and dappled light.

By his contemporary, Peter Sarginson, Morning: Winter Beach, is as attractive as it is understated, with wet sands reflecting the diluted light of an early morning sky.

Malcolm Ludvigson exhibits a beach scene, too, a smaller canvas than usual and more effective for it. Sand, sea and sky merge in a simple composition set off by two figures in the distance.

The region’s younger artists continue to earn praise with two etchers rising to the challenge of showing alongside Ackroyd.

Emerson Mayes, a superb draughtsman, is showing wildlife studies. His kingfishers, tits and goldcrests against stylised backgrounds are exceptionally successful, breathing fresh life into a familiar genre. Catherine Sutcliffe- Fuller, who found her work hanging near Hockney’s at this year’s Royal Academy Summer Show, continues to explore the possibilities of plate and press, particularly with Signpost, a two-plate etching with additional work on the inked plate.

New to the gallery is Kim Tillyer with two delightful works centred on bears, but with other subject matter and different media spilling all over the work. It’s fresh, vibrant and straight from the heart.

The show continues until January.