Art Exhibition & After Work Drinks

Members & non members welcome An Evening with Chantal & Richard Barnes – Meet the Artists We first discovered the work of the incredibly talented Hertfordshire-based artist Chantal Barnes at the Affordable Art Fair in Hampstead, and was completely captivated by her beautiful work. It has been such a privilege to get to know Chantal, and we are absolutely delighted to have both her and her father, Richard Barnes, as our current featured artists at The Collective. Even more excitingly, Chantal and Richard will be joining us for a very special evening, sharing the stories, inspiration and creative journeys behind their incredible work. What a treat to have them both with us! An opportunity to meet the artists and hear their stories. We can't wait! Members & non members all welcome to attend! Welcome drinks on arrival. Please let us know if you plan on joining us! About the artists CHANTAL BARNES With work that has won prizes in national competitions, featured in British Vogue, and most recently been hung in the Royal Academy, Chantal Barnes’ paintings explore two entangled forces: motherhood and nature. Rooted in matrescence — the physical and emotional transformation of becoming a mother — her work draws on a heightened awareness of the body and its connection to nature. Deeply personal in origin, the paintings resonate beyond individual experience, tapping into the universal experience of existing in the world. Her paintings unfold through layered, intuitive processes, in which surface, light and space evolve over time. Each work becomes an experiment in paint, pushing towards new terrain. Rather than describing landscape, Barnes seeks to evoke its sensations: light dissolving into clouds before sunset, the pull of the ocean along the shoreline, or sunlight filtering through a forest canopy. Multiple works are created simultaneously, forming a body of work that thrums as a whole. Layers build and shift, reflecting changing moods, seasons and emotionally charged moments of making. The resulting surfaces hold a tension between control and release, mirroring the complex experience of both motherhood and the natural world. RICHARD BARNES An internationally acclaimed artist, Richard Barnes’ work has seen him travel all over the world lecturing, exhibiting and sharing his passion for art. Over the last 50 years his style has constantly evolved - a true innovator in art experimentation. He uses techniques of abstract painting combined with conventional illusionistic devices to create his works. Oscar Wilde wrote that "All art is both surface and symbol.", and the key to Richard’s paintings is the interplay between painterly surface, structure and freedom. Richard continually experiments. His work is created in varying environments, without specific planning of the outcome, some are painted in the studio whilst listening to music, others are made on local walks or during adventures to far off places.