September was a busy, but very pleasant month for John and myself. The highlight of the month was our trip to England where we attended the preview of the BSOE exhibition in the Garden Gallery of the Oxfordshire Museum at Woodstock.
For me, this was the first time that I showed some of my work in an exhibition with other members of the BSOE and I felt proud to have been able to participate in this venture.
We travelled from the Netherlands to Woodstock by ferry and car and we arrived in Woodstock after a very pleasant trip. We found the Oxfordshire Museum without any difficulties. We were early and the Garden Gallery was still closed but we were welcomed by an attendant of the Museum who invited us to visit the Museum while we were waiting for the Garden Gallery to be opened and told us that the coffeshop would open in a few minutes.
We found the atmosphere of the entry hall with the museum shop very pleasant and spent some time buying small presents for our grandchildren.
When the doors to the Garden Gallery were opened and the Preview began I could not believe my eyes: the show was beautifully arranged with a number of show cases and the gallery walls were covered with a large number of panels. The large work by Pat Johnson, opposite the entrance, immediately struck me because of its size and its beautiful colours. This work, consisting of three panels entitled ‘Exuberance’ was - - at least for me - - one of the highlights of the exhibition.
In the glass showcases jewellery and small objects were displayed. It may sound strange, but it somehow seemed as if each of the showcases was a small separate exhibition while it still remained part of the entire show.
When John and I had returned home, I mentioned this to Pat in one of my emails and she answered that Annie Appleyard had been responsible for arranging the displays in the showcases and that she (Pat) agreed that Annie had created a unique atmosphere in each of them.
I myself was most impressed by the show case which held a group of small houses, huts and sheds, made by Evangeline Long. The severe display in this case stressed the forlornless of the landscape.
I was not surprised to notice that during this preview a good number of pieces were sold. It proves that the BSOE is on the right track and I hope to see many more BSOEexhibitions in the future.
Ellen Goldman