This exhibition includes paintings which contrast in style but have in common that they are concerned with the earth. Some depict the earth's surface, its structure or its fecundity. Other artists touch on the concept and mythology of The Earth, our dependance on the planet and our abuse of it. It also shows how earth, in the form of clay, slate or stone, can be used to make sculpture and of course ceramics.

The participating artists are as follows:
Paintings:
Lorna Brown
Alan Burgess
Julie Cooper
Morris Dixon
Teresa Grady
Stella Hunt
Deirdre Shepherd
Margaret Steiner
Jean Noble

Sculpture:
Edwina Chaston
Angela Godfrey
John & Anthony Gregg
Charles Long
Sue Wagstaff
Mark Humphrey

Ceramics:
Marilyn Andreeti
Maurice Clarke
Steve Maguire
Aila Simpson

Glass:
Karen Murphy
Ewa Wawrzyniak

Examples of artists' statements

EDWINA CHASTON
Her sculpture Mother Earth depicts "mankind as foetal form sustained by the damaged womb of mother earth. The work represents our dependence upon the planet that we are damaging. Of course as artists, whether painters or sculptors we rely on the earth for our materials - minerals for paint and earth for clay. But at the most basic level we all, whether human or animal, rely on the earth for the continuation of life. The more damage we cause the less likely our continued survival".

JULIE COOPER
"Rural landscape, with it's repetitious marks and sculptural textures; seasonal light and colour, informs this work. Walking through landscape, one observes and absorbs these elements of the natural world and takes these memories back to the studio in order to revisit with oil paint and graphite".

JOHN & ANTHONY GREGG
They subscribe to the theory that if we are products of our own environment, we therefore need to redress the balance by reducing the artificiality of the materials in our everyday life. Even what appears as stone is probably reconstituted, wood products are now veneered and comprised to maximise output, having only a finite lifespan in our throw away society. If there is a lesson in their work it is about overlooking what is around us, and the unlimited potential of the Earth's precious natural resources.
We ensure that we use only timber that has fallen naturally and slate pieces left over from industrial quarrying. We use natural oil to bring out the beauty of the wood.

STELLA HUNT
Her painting Natural Journey " is of dead leaves falling to form a bed for new seeds to sprout and become new life".

DEIRDRE SHEPHERD
"In Irish legend, fertility of the land and people was of paramount importance. The kings' survival depended on the success of his reign in terms of the fecundity of his cattle and crops. The Irish ancient cultures from the Neolithic through the Celtic periods were centred on the sacredness of the land. As a result, mountains, rivers, springs, rocks and clearings are permeated with mythic significance. While Mother Earth is a motif that appears in mythology throughout the world, Sheela-na-Gigs are pagan stone carvings and are found throughout Europe. They are representations of a Celtic fertility goddess and were also used as a protection against evil".