We aim to present up to six viewing room (online only) exhibitions a year which will feature either closely curated groups of artworks or concentrate in some depth on one aspect of a given artist's work. In almost every case, works featured in our viewing rooms will be available to view in person at the gallery by appointment.
Past
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Roland Collins
Old England: drawings from 1935-1970 3 Jan - 29 Feb 2024 'Hampton Court, Kings Lynn', pencil on coloured paper 12 x 12 1/4 in / 30.5 x 31 cm Read more -
Christopher Marvell
Drawings 27 Sep - 13 Oct 2023 Running concurrently with our physical exhibition, this viewing room is a presentation of drawings on paper by Christopher Marvell. Marvell’s technique of making sculpture is a long, labour-intensive and somewhat... Read more -
Emily Powell
Paris Had No Grey 11 - 22 Sep 2023 This September we will be showing a selection of Emily Powell's works ahead of her first solo exhibition with Portland at the beginning of 2024. Our Viewing Room presentation will... Read more -
Contemporary Viewing Room
Mixed Artists 15 Aug - 5 Sep 2023 For a number of years, Portland Gallery has had the privilege to represent and work with a wide range of artists. In this new online Viewing Room presentation, we are... Read more
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Martyn Brewster
Prints 7 - 28 Jun 2023 “Brewster’s affection and enthusiasm for the medium of print is apparent” – Vivienne Light Almost a year on from his first solo show with Portland Gallery, we are excited to... Read more -
Dennis Creffield
Cathedrals 20 Feb - 10 Mar 2023 To act as a counter-point to John Piper’s exhibition, we have chosen to exhibit a selection of Dennis Creffield’s cathedral drawings. The cathedral drawings were originally an Arts Council commission... Read more -
Roland Collins
France 1 - 17 Feb 2023 Our second Viewing Room presentation features the work of Roland Collins (1918 – 2015) and his depictions of France, specifically Normandy and the Riviera. France and more explicitly Dieppe, was... Read more -
Edward Seago
Sketchbook drawings 24 Nov - 22 Dec 2022 The heart of Seago’s art lies in his sketchbooks. His draftsmanship and economy of line were remarkable and with direct marks of the pencil, he would rapidly capture the scene. All the work had been done in these 4 1/2 x 7 inch sketches, the composition, the tone and the focal point, all that was now needed was to decide on the colour palette for the painting.
He would often do multiple sketches of a single motif until he’d arrived at the optimal composition. Often he would sketch many sail boats on one page, not as a complete drawing but as small studies, searching for the shapes and shadows of the fast moving sails.
Some of these sketches would merit more detail, deeper tones and a darker line to create dramatic light effects. Successful drawings would then be used for both his water colours and oil paintings back in his studio at The Dutch House.
Seago had an incredible recall of images, I am certain his discipline of filling many sketchbooks aided this ability. Having studied his subjects intently by rendering these drawings, he would have locked these images to memory.
The sketchbooks of Hong Kong, Morocco and Istanbul are filled with exotic images from foreign lands. Heat, bustling crowds and sunlight, you can almost see the colour in these black and white drawings, he captures the atmosphere so deftly.
From his beloved East Anglia to London, France and Italy he would capture each place with a simple pencil sketch. Cows in a Norfolk field, majestic Thames Barges at rest or in their annual race, his entire oeuvre is rendered on these small, beautiful pages.
Paul Rafferty
Aside from being an expert on the life and work of Edward Seago, Paul Rafferty is a very accomplished artist who has exhibited with Portland Gallery for many years. His next solo exhibition will be held in the Spring of 2023. Read more
