Inspired By Bruce McLean: An Exhibition By The Problem and Criticism Class

Over 22 of our Problem and Criticism creatives have taken over the Salmon Gallery to showcase an exciting exhibition filled with a variety of jaw-dropping artworks inspired by the current Bruce McLean Exhibition. To celebrate, the class hosted a private launch on Thursday 4th August which was attended by friends and families of the artists involved.

A visit to the Salmon gallery is met with a wonderful wall of greens, yellows and pinks, reflective of the bold colours of Bruce McLean’s large scale paintings. Some works make use a variety of greens which add to the organic and botanical subject matter, while others achieve this using a mixture of curved shapes, repeated marks, dots and brushstrokes.

Caption: Artwork by Jill Scott, featuring contrasting botanical greens and shadow. 

The use of black is a shared quality amongst many of the responses and is symbolic of the way McLean primed his canvases with black to absorb the glaring sunshine which shone over his garden within the sunny Spanish island of Menorca.

Take a closer look and you can see how the creatives achieve a unique depth within their artworks. Some pieces feature space and forms that appear flattened but contain a textural depth consisting of carefully layered material and colour.

Caption: Artwork by Nancy Thomas.

Whether you are a beginner or established artist, Problem and Criticism is a fantastic opportunity for you to join a community of artists, gain feedback and develop your voice as an artist. It’s perfect for artists just starting out, don’t have a studio space or simply need feedback because the workshop provides a safe space to express yourself whilst also reflecting on your own artistic style.

“I have been coming to the Problem and Criticism class for several years. I like the challenges it offers and the opportunity it provides to develop my own practice at home. There is a chance to try out ideas and make mistakes as part of an artistic process. Coming back to class, I enjoy the inspiration of seeing other people’s work and receiving their constructive criticism of mine.” – Sue Jukes.

Sue Jukes is one of the creatives behind the exhibition who has been an active member of Problem and Criticism for several years. For Sue, exhibiting the work within the Salmon Gallery gave opportunity to celebrate the quality of work that learners can produce as part of the creative reach for the Attenborough Arts Centre. She added that it has been a fantastic opportunity to learn more about everything involved in curating an exhibition.

Problem and Criticism is led by Diane Hall, an established artist based in Leicester and a founder of the g8artists group which works together to create artwork shown in exhibitions across the East Midlands. Diane has been teaching since the opening of Attenborough Arts Centre, supporting artists on their creative journeys throughout 25 years of creativity. Hall has a huge passion for conservation and the natural environment, often responding to the histories of specific sites such as The National Forest within Leicestershire and Derbyshire.

If you’ve been feeling inspired by Bruce Mclean’s work and the responses, why not take part in our Garden Art Challenge? Your work could get featured on our socials and website as well as the chance to win not one, but two tickets to an upcoming performance of your choice at Attenborough Arts Centre. Find out more about The Garden Art Challenge on our Instagram @attenboroughac and share your responses using the hashtag #gardenartchallenge

Caption: One of the beautiful garden mandela’s created in response to the first Garden Art Challenge.

Problem and Criticism is just one of over 40 creative courses spanning creative arts, dance and performance that can be enjoyed at Attenborough Arts Centre. Check out our creative courses page and you will find courses such as Captured on Canvas, Investigating Drawing and even a Jazz performance workshop.

Check out our What’s On page for more information on our creative workshops. With such an abundance of courses and workshops to get those creative juices flowing, there will be a creative course just for you!