Janet Sturge
b. Bristol 1928; studied at Leicester C of Art, Reading University and KIAD. Taught Art in Cornwall, N.Yorks, London, Maidstone, Orpington.
A recurring theme in my paintings is the Male Figure in Action, often in work settings, which may however have symbolic resonances: tunnellers, lumberjacks, and as in the central triptych, Baker Handling Dough. In the Channel Tunnel Rail Link series, I also observe the action of man on the Kentish Landscape.
Travels abroad have inspired ‘Crossroads’
with its accompanying video, the latter reflecting the destruction of
this South African township under Apartheid. On a lighter note is the Punjabi Dance series, one of which was interpreted by a Maidstone dance school for the Music Art and Dance Festival initiated by MAAC in 2004.
Another focus has been the part played by the Unconscious in Creativity as seen in the plywood sculpture ‘River Walker’ and associated prints, ‘Night Listener’ and the ‘Bestiary’. For this I drew on a long series of gouache sketches developed from ‘automatic’ marks. I have more recently incorporated text in digital images overlaid with relief prints –sometimes quirky reflections on collections at Quex House Birchington.
Future Work: Further images from the automatic paintings, with others from the family photograph album and associated free verse, on an autobiographical theme.
