Voices in Drawing
2nd - 25th February 2024
A major exhibition showcasing six emerging artists from The Royal Drawing School: Otis Blease, Euan Evans, Felix Higham, Ellie Lonsdale, Agnes Treherne and Olly Williamson
Agnes Treherne: Sunflowers, Walking to Winchester, oil on birch
Fen Ditton Gallery, Cambridge, is once again championing emerging artists and is proud to present Voices in Drawing, a major exhibition showcasing the talents of six recent graduates from The Royal Drawing School.
Curated by gallery manager, Hannah Munby, the exhibition welcomes back Otis Blease, Felix Higham, and Agnes Treherne, who were introduced to the gallery in September 2021 after graduation, alongside three artists who have since graduated; Euan Evans, Ellie Lonsdale, and Olly Williamson.
Each of these exhibiting artists has completed The Drawing Year at The Royal Drawing School, an unparalleled post-graduate course renowned for its commitment to nurturing emerging artists. The intensive year-long program offers a dynamic platform for students to gain deep understanding of the role of observational drawing in their practice and the visual language. The course’s emphasis on drawing as a fundamental discipline serves as a catalyst for innovation, shaping the next generation of creatives.
All works are for sale and will be available to view and purchase online and in person. For more information and to enquire, contact info@fendittongallery.com
Hannah, who has founded a Young Collectors’ Club at the gallery, is an advocate for supporting and collecting the next generation of artists. She comments: “I love having the opportunity to introduce collectors to new and emerging artists. These artists often bring a fresh perspective and are pushing boundaries and challenging the norm. By collecting their work, you become part of their narrative and provide them with crucial support at a pivotal point in their careers.”
Exhibition opening times:
Special Preview Night: Thursday 1st February, 6 - 8pm (RSVP here)
Thursdays 11am - 4pm
Weekends 10am - 5pm
Other times by appointment, contact us on info@fendittongallery.com to book
Meet the artists:
Otis Blease (b. 1993)
Otis’ recent work is an exploration of combining drawing, painting and printing, and works from life, making drawings and notes in his sketchbook, often of the people he sees on public transport. These sketches are developed into charcoal drawings and then onto larger paintings. His work relies on ‘accidents’, disused sections of previous works come back into play, and a mixture of observational and imaginary image making.
Euan Evans (b.1996)
Euan’s training in music allows him to explore the interactions between improvisation, texture, and composition through visual inquiries. Incorporated elements of drawing, printmaking and sculpture, Euan’s work finds agency through the interplay of varying substrates as well as the specific use of colour.
Felix Higham (b.1994)
Felix’s work centres on the intricate study of people and the dynamics of life within the spaces we construct for our use. His observational drawings conducted in pubs and cafés provide material from which Felix constructs narrative works back in the studio. Through the placement of doorways and positioning of light sources, structural interiors become pivotal in dictating the viewer’s perspective within these spaces.
Ellie Lonsdale (b.1999)
Ellie is drawn to capture moments and places where the manmade and natural environments intersect, the relationship between structures that are firm and rooted, and those that are ephemeral. Often returning to the same location over time to build a strong memory of place, her process involves continuous alternation between erasure and addition, allowing compositions to emerge as she works. The images present themselves as a visible history of layers that evoke a sensation of shifting - reflecting how things come and go; seasonal transitions, memories and people.
Agnes Treherne (b.1987)
Agnes Treherne’s work is concerned with how our thoughts and articulations are informed by the environments in which we live. She works from the premise that the act of drawing, and the attention it gives to what is being drawn, is fruitful both to the artist and the subject, so that the existence of both is enriched by the other. When there is a figurative element in her paintings and drawings, it is often to convey both connection and dislocation.
Olly Williamson (b. 1994)
Olly makes work about quiet situations of life; utilising intense observation and experimental structures of composition. His images reflect the underlying rhythms of the people and world he sees around him - hoping to make the everyday feel monumental.