VENETIA NORRIS ASGFA lives and works in London, UK & Kuwait.
Everything living has a unique shape and form, everything makes it’s presence felt in some way, leaves a mark, some traces on or below the surface, everything strives to find it’s place and space, however small, everything struggles to become part of the whole. Trying to understand that journey is what interests me, how a plant or a flower grows into itself, how it composes itself, where it is found, the various stages of its journey, how it emerges into itself, and how that self is then seen.
I am drawn to the smallest shape and curve, detail continuously intrigues me. Using just the tip of my pencil, graphite and ink I try to reveal the intricate layers, the sensuous interiors, the infinite variety and texture of a leaf, a stem, or a petal, to see beyond the initial distraction of beauty, gently but determinedly going behind the disguise of blossom or colour.
Drawing is the language through which I express my connection with nature, with the formal gardens, the hedgerows, the urban spaces that are far from abandoned, the shoreline, the window boxes, the water’s edge, the mountain paths, with what clings to the rocks and the crevices, and what lies just below the surface. Here in England, or travelling overseas, the world only makes sense to me when I draw it onto paper, every line building into a shape, every shape helping me find my way forward.
SELECTED CV
Associate Member of the Society of Graphic Fine Art, Putney Artists & Axisweb
RESIDENCY/FELLOWSHIP
2016
Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Fellowship, County Mayo, Ireland
2015
Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Artist Residency, County Monaghan, Ireland
North London Collegiate School, Artist In Residency, London
2014
Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Fellowship, County Mayo, Ireland
GALLERIES
A selection of my artworks can be viewed in Wychwood Art, The Town Hall, Market Place, Deddington, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX15 0SE
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019
Exhibition of prints, Winterbourne House & Garden, University of Birmingham, B15 2RT
2017
Inspired by Nature, Venue: Tower 42, Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1HN January – March.
2015
Layered Drawings, North London Collegiate School
2012
Linear Collections, National Trust Fenton House, Hampstead, London
2011
Pen to Paper, Crypt Gallery, St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London
Lines of Beauty, Westbourne Grove Church ArtSpace, London
2009Ink Drawings Inspired by Nature, Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London
2019
SGFA Centenary Exhibitions, Royal Birmingham Society Art Gallery, 3-18 May 2019 & Bankside Gallery, London, 3-16 June
Abolish Article 153 Exhibition, Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyyah, Kuwait
Open House, Venue: Mubarak Al Abdullah, Kuwait
Kuwaiti British Floral Art Exhibition, Venue: British Embassy, Kuwait City, Kuwait
2018
DRAW18, Society of Graphic Fine Arts, Venue: Menier Gallery, London
Florilegium 2018, Royal College of Physicians, London
2017
Tried & True Cafe, Venue: 279 Upper Richmond Road, Putney, London
Chapel Cottage Studio, Christmas Show Venue: Llanddewi Rhydderch, Monmouthshire
Wandsworth Artist Open House, Venue: Century 21 Putney, London
DRAW17 – Society of Graphic Fine Arts, Venue: Menier Gallery, London
VK Gallery Autumn Exhibition, Venue: VK Gallery, 18A Bridge St, Saint Ives, Cambridgeshire
London Print Studio Members Summer Exhibition, Venue: LPS, 425 Harrow Road, London
Capel Manor House & Garden Show, group exhibition, Venue: Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield
Bankside Biennale, Society of Graphic Fine Artists, Venue: Bankside Gallery, London
SGFA Group Exhibition, Venue: Grierson Galleries, 45a High Street, Sevenoaks, Kent
A walk on the wild side, group exhibition Venue: RK Burt Gallery, 57-61 Union St, London
Black Swan Arts, Venue: Black Swan, 2 Bridge Street, Frome, Somerset
Botanical Beauty, Venue: Riverside Gallery, Old Town Hall, Richmond
Tower 42, exhibiting a series of drawings, Venue: Tower 42Old Broad Street, London
London Creative Network, SHOWCASE, Venue: SPACE Studios, London
2016
Windsor Contemporary Art Fair, stand 140, Windsor Racecourse
DRAW16 – Society of Graphic Fine Arts, Menier Gallery, London
Putney Artists Open House, Venue: Zinc White, London
Open Art Spaces, Faron Sutaria, London
Capability Now, Orleans House Gallery, London
Chapel Cottage Open Studios Event, Monmouthshire, Wales
The Other Art Fair, Victoria House, London
2015
Floral Variation, Oil & Water Gallery, Wandsworth, London
Wandsworth Artists Open House, Hurlingham Yacht Club
Sculpture on the Farm, Barwell Gallery, Leighton Buzzard
Wonderful Wandsworth, Oil & Water Gallery, London
2014
Plein Air Contemporary, Chelsea, London
London Lives, Oil & Water Gallery, Wandsworth, London
A Letter in Mind, OXO Galleries, South Bank, London
2013
Wandsworth Artists Open House, London
Lines 2013, The Strand Gallery, London
RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show
An Artist in the Garden, two person show, New Leaf Gallery, Wales
2012
Artists for Croome, Christies, London & National Trust Croome Court Worcestershire
The Society of Women Artists, Mall Galleries, 2012, 2011, 2010
Pastel Society UK, The Mall Galleries, London
2011
Young Artist of the Year, The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle
Hesketh Hubard Art Society, The Mall Galleries, London
2010
ING Discerning Eye Exhibition, The Mall Galleries, London
The Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London
2006-2009
Sir John Cass Art School, London Metropolitan University, BA Allied Arts, 2:1
2000-2003
London College of Fashion, BA Costume for the Performing Arts, 2:1
1999-2000
Chelsea College of Art, Foundation Year
TEACHING
2017
Chapel Cottage Studio, Wales, Experimental Drawing Workshop with Venetia 13th May 2017
2015
North London Collegiate School, teaching as part of Residency
The Independent Art School, one to one tuition
2014
Drawing in Clifton Nurseries, London, adult classes
The Big Draw, Family Day, designed and ran event, Clifton Nurseries
Studio Visits, sharing my artwork and process with local school children, Ballinglen Arts Foundation
2012
Nesta, lunchtime art classes in the city, London
Fenton House, National Trust, London, Introduction to Drawing, classes for all ages
2011 – ongoing
Tutoring Art with various educational agencies including Gabbitas, Dulwich Tutors, Dukes and Enjoy Education.
INTERVIEWS/PRESS
2019
‘Dar blows the dust off Museums‘ The Arab Times, covering Abolish Article 152 Exhibition, 2 May, Page 11 (link)
‘Kuwaiti Television‘ Second Home Episode 119, covering Kuwaiti British Exhibition, 3 Feb (link)
‘Art with a heart: British Embassy Hosts Floral Art Show’ The Arab Times, 17 January, Page (link)
2017
‘Expressing environmental concerns through the artist’s pencil and paint‘ The Ecologist, Arts Editor, Garry Cook, June (link)
‘Memories from the Market’ All About Shipping, James Brewer, June (link)
2015
365 Artists | 365 Days Project, New York, USA (link)
2011
Art of England, Pen to Paper; Venetia Norris’s Floral Fascination, October 2011, Issue 36, UK