June Metcalfe First Retrospective
6th February to 6th March 2010
June Metcalfe
The first exhibition of the year for Reunion Gallery features the work of the late June Metcalfe.
The Reunion Gallery opens its 2010 season with an exhibition of etchings, paintings and sculptures by June Metcalfe.
June was a prolific artist whose output in recent years was primarily through the medium of print, and etching in particular. She was a founder member of Sudbourne Park Printmakers and exhibited regularly with the group, elsewhere in East Anglia and at the Royal Academy in London.
Her early work was, however, realised through painting and sculpture and the exhibition contains a number of works from this period which may possibly not have been previously on public display. These include evocative paintings of scenes in and around the villages of Kirton and Falkenham which she served with distinction and dedication for many years as both a parish and district councillor.
June was also an inspiring and much loved teacher of art who retired from Orwell Park School in 1986. During her years with the school she worked with dedication and enthusiasm and is remembered for her infectious good humour and her skilful and atmospheric back cloths for the school’s drama productions.
The exhibition brings together, for the first time, examples of June’s work produced over her lifetime and covers the major themes which were her enduring inspiration.
June was an enthusiastic dinghy sailor and the etchings and paintings include scenes and studies of people and places on the River Deben from Waldringfield to Felixstowe Ferry.
The sculptures in the exhibition demonstrate June’s skills in the medium of wood, clay and stone and focus on human and animal life forms.
Horses, and in particular Shire horses, provided a great fascination for June and many of her studies concern activities around the working, showing and shoeing of these animals. These studies are particularly well observed and provide an evocative insight into the world of the people and activities associated with our rural and cultural heritage.
June was also a great supporter of the arts in the region and this is reflected in a series of etchings taken from sketches made at performances in Snape Maltings and elsewhere. In this series performers and audiences are caught in off guarded moments of great concentration or otherwise!
Other themes captured by the exhibition include the landscape and seascape of Cornwall. This theme is reflected in the exhibition’s signature piece “Stormy Day, Cornwall”.
June Metcalfe, First Retrospective runs at The Reunion Gallery, Felixstowe until 6th March 2010. The gallery is open every day except Sunday and Monday from 10.00 am until 5.00pm.