Hilary works in the hidden hamlet of Aughton on the north side of the Lune Valley. In her studio where the basket making industry of Aughton was based, she makes paintings of the interiors of abandoned and forgotten buildings, alongside more accessible work of the local area such as landscapes, townscapes, portraits and still life.
Ellel Crag paintings In 2001 I stumbled upon the painting opportunity I had been searching for. It is a house which had been occupied by a tenant farmer in a living high above Ellel, which was abandoned and left derelict maybe 20 years ago. The sun was shining through the stripped roof, between the rafters, and making exciting shadows on the interior walls, still plastered and painted and decorated from the earlier occupancy. The walls were mainly intact - the house had an upper floor, and the bedrooms were reached by a rickety wooden stair. Over the years I have been visiting the floors have collapsed, the bath has come to rest in the living room, doors have tumbled to the ground floor too and the plaster has begun to peel. I have documented the changes over time in the paintings I have made, trying to look at the building with fresh eyes each time and only afterwards trying to make sense of the process of decay. I am trying to capture something extra. To get beyond a cursory glance or a first impression, to more than a simple comprehension of the facts laid out. Forcing close examination opens new horizons, and in trying to make sense of the marks in the paintings I hope to add different and various interpretations of the narrative. I want to encourage the imagination too, by using a subject that is open to the application of all sorts of personal experience and meaning. Just a fragment of the past which is preserved and contemplated upon, as in these paintings, can create such a rich seam of thought. Other opportunities to view As well as during the studio trail Hilary shows her work again at Christmas, and can be visited at any time by arrangement in her studio.
Contact Hilary CarrClick here to email or phone: 01524 811373 |
