Yvonne Coomber

My paintings are inspired by the gentle hills and the singing rainbows of tumbling, spilling, flowers outside my studio which is nestled deeply in the folds of Devon.

Painting for me is a love affair: I am profoundly passionate about it, it grips my heart tightly and I yearn for it when I am away. I am both a dreamer and a believer. I work very intuitively and instinctively, creating a space in which I allow the image to evolve and unravel. My practice demands that I am courageous and openhearted and it always involves risk. It is also an eternal search for truth. I feel things with a burning intensity and my canvas provides a container for these huge emotions.

Seduced by color I perceive the world accordingly. My palette is blazing and lyrical by turns, with hot and vibrant hues inspired by the many journeys I have made in my life. I almost always work outside so howling gales and gentle breezes have as much influence on my painting as lacy ice and scorching sunshine. The weather, in a very immediate way, directs the end result of the image.

My paintings are also concerned with something that is often overlooked and forgotten, a sacred space within ourselves and in the land. The images I create embrace wildness, innocence and a deep connection to the earth. My most recent work is sourced from close examination of Dartmoor and the exploding kaleidoscopic hedgerows on the edges of ancient paths, walkways and lanes in the surrounding area.

I am fascinated by chaos and order existing simultaneously and the easy harmony that occurs in the natural world between these two forces. Also the relationship between fragility and strength. My canvas becomes a visual response to these elemental energies and polarities discovered within the environment and myself.

My work is a celebration of the joy and ultimate purity of the human spirit and embraces all that is magical: the unseen is as relevant as the seen in the finished piece

Biography

Yvonne has lived a colourful and textured life and this is reflected in her paintings. Through her work she embraces poetry of structure to support the poetry that is inherent in her subject.

She was brought up on a farm and spent a large portion of her childhood in the Emerald Isle, her mothers homeland. She was greatly influenced by the simplicity and beauty that was woven into the land there, and shaped by the gentle passion that ran through the people and culture. Surrounded by music and magic she developed a love of life early on.

Inspired by the world and all it contained, Yvonne travelled widely in her twenties with a thirst for exploration and discovery. She spent time living and working in the Middle East, Australia, Africa and Europe. One of her most formative journeys was spent with a horse-drawn community in England, discovering ancient, sacred and forgotten parts of our land.

Her spirit of curiosity and deep enquiry led her to pursue a degree in philosophy and literature at Brighton University. Yvonne's creative life continued with the birth of her daughter Poppy and a formal fine art training in Sussex. Recently she has relocated to the south west and now works full time as a professional artist.

Exhibition History

2008		AAF Bristol (Represented by The Brownston Gallery)
2008		Pier Head Gallery, Exmouth, Devon
2008		Artist in Residency Dartmouth Community College
2008		The Brownston Gallery, 'The Bright Side of Life' (Solo), Modbury, Devon
2008		Art At Five Gallery, 'Seduction', Brighton, East Sussex
2007		The Brownston Gallery, 'Footsteps and Mememories' Modbury, Devon (Solo)
2007		Over The Moon Gallery, 'The Magic Of The Land', St. Agnes, Cornwall (Two woman Show)
2007		Devon Artists Network, 'Love Lives Here', Totnes, Devon (solo)
2007		Theatre Royal, 'Heaven and Earth', Plymouth (Solo)
2007		The Flavel Contemporary Arts Centre, 'Summertime', Dartmouth (Solo)
2007		Over The Moon Gallery, 'Spring', St Agnes, Cornwall (Solo)
2007		The Brownston Gallery, Modbury, South Devon
2007		Dittisham Village Hall, 'The Dittisham Arts Festival', Dittisham, Devon
2007		Ainscough Contemporary Art Gallery, Dartmouth, South Devon
2007		Bluemoon Gallery, Tunbridge Wells, Sussex
2007		Bel-Ami, 'Festival of Flowers', Honiton, Devon (Three Woman Show)
2007		Greenaway, 'The Great Create, Galmpton, Devon
2006		Pig Finka, 'Charity Auction For Youth Enquiry Service',Kingsbridge, Devon
2006		Nine Days of Art,'Yvonne Coomber', South Devon (solo)
2006		The Church House Inn, 'Hidden Hearts', Maldon, Devon (solo)
2006		Rumours,'You Touch the Spaces Inbetween', Totnes, Devon (solo)
2006		Over the Moon Gallery, St Agnes, Cornwall
2006		Dartmouth Regatta, Dartmouth, Devon
2006		Ainscough Gallery of Contemporary Art, Dartmouth, Devon
2006		Bluemoon Gallery, Tunbridge Wells
2006		The Brownston Gallery, 'Take Two', 'Take Two', Modbury, South Devon (two woman show)
2006		Art Spaces, Ashburton, South Devon
2005		Gerrards, Exeter, Devon
2005		Gallery 22, 'Small Originals', Ashburton, Devon
2005		Over the Moon Gallery, St Agnes, Cornwall
2005		Arthouse Gallery, 'Cutting Edge', Brighton, East Sussex
2005		Rumours, 'Moors Poem', Totnes, Devon (solo)
2005		Nine Days of Art, 'September', Totnes, Devon (solo)
2005		Newcross, Berry Pomeroy, Devon
2005		The Great Barn, 'Art Bar Live', Higher Ashton, Devon
2005		Independant Collective, Birdwood House, Totnes, Devon
2005		Riverford Farm Kitchen Opening, 'Wild Things', South Devon (solo)
2005		Rill Centre, Totnes, Devon
2004		Fat Lemons 'Wooded Walk', Totnes, Devon (solo)
2003		The Carved Angel, 'Inside', Dartrmouth, Devon
2003		Dartmouth Contemporary Art Show, 'Coastal Inspirations', Dartmouth, Devon
2003		Available Space, 'Together', Exeter, Devon
2003		Polka Dot Gallery, 'Valentine', Exeter, Devon
2003		The Phoenix Arts & Media Centre, 'Fresh Vision', Exeter, Devon
2002		Worthing Library, 'Floating', Worthing, West Sussex
2002		The Hanover Community Centre, 'Magikal Earth', Brighton, East Sussex
2002		Union Gallery, 'Lanterns', Worthing, West Sussex
2001		Brighton Festival Open Houses, Brighton, East Sussex
2001		Inside Out Designs, Brighton, East Sussex
2001		The Hanover Community Centre, 'Yvonne Coomber & Friends', Brighton Festival, Brighton, East Sussex
2000		The Ray Tindel Centre, 'H.A.G.S.', Brighton, East Sussex