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Gillian Lee Smith 

BENEATH SHADOWED WOODS

“The hope that the seasons offer … Even in a seemingly dormant state, changes are happening underneath and in a while, everything will come to life again” A note from my sketchbook – January 2021

The inspiration for Beneath Shadowed Woods began during 2020 – a time few of us will forget. Moving to a new house in a small village with ancient woodland, this was where I would walk almost daily. I would then return home and paint in sketchbooks at my dining table before I was able to return to my studio. I would spend hours just painting layers and layers, trying to capture the feeling and atmosphere of the woodland and something of the experience of that time. Then came Storm Arwen later in 2021 and the devastation of the woodland and forests in Northumberland and beyond. The impact on our landscape was clear for all to see. The tiny scrap of woodland in my village, like many others, changed dramatically.

Though these paintings feel dark in nature, to me they reflect the beautiful, earthy, mysterious atmosphere of the woodland and undergrowth. Where trees offer us the opportunity to feel as rooted and grounded as they are. A chance to pause, observe, and connect with nature and ourselves.

Biography

Exploring the lost and found, the past and how it has shaped us, connection and heritage – these are themes in the work of Scotland-born artist Gillian Lee Smith. Now firmly based in Northumberland, Gillian works from her studio at The Old Bath House.

Originally completing a degree in Performance Costume from Edinburgh College of Art, Gillian graduated in 2005 and has rooted her practice in drawing and painting ever since, exhibiting locally and nationally.

Themes of maritime and industrial history are an ongoing focus of her work as well as this more recent body of work which explores woodland, both as a way to connect with the landscape and also as a metaphor for ways in which we can connect with others and our own inner landscape.