This is my first blog let it be about the Landscape Inside Out Exhibition

Liz Ackerley and Hugh Winterbottom are local artists with studios in Mossley. This is their first joint large-scale exhibition exploring the surrounding landscapes, moors, woodland and valleys.

Winterbottom is an oil painter from Oldham. He has an affinity with and understanding of these landscapes. Ackerley, a mixed media artist, grew up in the south surrounded by heathland. She has a background in landscape design and a fascination and connection with her locality.

The title for this exhibition is based on the way both artists explore their surrounding landscapes. They create drawings and paintings, out on location, as a basis for studio work. Their extensive outside studies form a direct connection with their experiences. They bring into the gallery the atmospheric feelings of the landscapes they have come to know so well.

The artwork for the exhibition was created from early 2020 onwards, during the Covid pandemic. This impacted the overall remit of the exhibition and gave it a more local and intimate focus. It enabled a more thorough exploration of the landscapes on foot, in different weathers and seasons, and from different viewpoints.

The collaboration enables two very different, yet complementary, ways of interpreting the same landscapes. Winterbottom’s oil paintings create depth and atmosphere through his exploration of colour and light. Ackerley’s dynamic mixed media paintings seek to present her feelings about the landscapes by exploring the rich visual language of vistas and details.