During the Covid lockdowns, another artist Printmaker, Sarah Mander, contacted me over Zoom to talk printmaking. We loved each other’s work and Sarah soon suggested that, despite being based in different parts of the country, we might like to consider some way of showing work in exhibitions. I thought it was a great idea, so I immediately said yes and we set about trying to find other artists whose work we liked, to ask them to join us in forming a small exhibiting group. Eventually, we were joined by three other artists to form the group called ‘The Five’. Sarah, based in Southampton, knew of a Gallery in nearby old Portsmouth that might be interested in showing our work. We had several meetings over Zoom before deciding to meet at the gallery at the earliest opportunity after the lockdowns to discuss our plans. Despite coming from different artistic backgrounds – one ceramic artist, two printmakers, one installation artist and small object maker and a sculptor-printmaker, our diverse works knitted together extremely well in the gallery space.
In And Out Of The Frame: The Five, Jack House Gallery, Portsmouth 2022