Alnwick exhibition reveals a lifetime of shared creativity
Husband and wife artists serve up a double helping of artworks in Northumberland. Tony Henderson reports
Art is at the heart of husband and wife Geoff and Sarah Bradford’s daily life.
The couple, who both worked as art teachers and are now full-time artists, are staging a joint exhibition of their works titled Us – a retrospective at the Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery in Alnwick, which opened on Tuesday (September 16), and runs until December 14.
“The exhibition harnesses the lifetime work of two highly skilled and accomplished artists, highlighting their distinctive creative paths which complement one another,” said a Bailiffgate spokesperson.
A feature of Geoff’s output is the creation of boxes, using “found” materials which have had a previous life, such as scrap metal, sea-polished wood and plastics, from sources ranging from the beaches of Northumberland to skips.
The variety of boxes reflects the couple’s interest in archaeology, and one of Geoff’s boxes, titled Surf Sea Swell, was the winner of the first Northumberland Open Exhibition at Woodhorn in 2018. He has now moved increasingly towards the creation of collages.
“It has been a case of tidying up beaches and making use of the materials which are found,” he says.
The couple, who live in Alnwick, moved to Northumberland 18 years ago from South Wales after 30 years of holidaying in the county.
A number of Sarah’s paintings are Northumberland landscape-based but not of specific locations.
“I am caught up in the Northumberland landscape and its shapes and stillness. I love colour and I like the different times of day and of the year,” she says.
Jean Humphrys, chair at Bailiffgate, says: “Sarah and Geoffrey bring a wealth of experience, skill and talent together in this exhibition.
“Geoffrey’s ability is to explore the intimate qualities of natural materials and the way time exposes their vulnerability and their beauty.
“Sarah builds on her strong response to landscapes, music and the marks that people, time and all forms of life have left in their wake.”