A Must Visit: The Pictorem Gallery

When I visited the Pictorem for the venue preview and they told me that all 11 exhibitions will be up simultaneously and all alongside each other I did wonder how cluttered it would feel. But somehow they have pulled it off, they even have equal space and position each artist so that nothing feels cluttered, everything can breathe and you can enjoy each exhibit individually. It is a real fantastic display and a must visit to get a real diverse and also close look at the local art Walthamstow has to offer.

There's a lot of quality on display too. Something that struck me as soon as I walked in were the paintings by Geoff Haines, there are some in the front window and two more hanging on the wall. They are rich portraits of uneven texture that bring a sense of memory, history and nostalgia to each work. They reminded me of Gerhard Richter's photography or 'memory-paintings' where he captured that hazy quality that occurs as psychological representation.

Also the painting by Cecile really struck me, wonderful impressions of seasons. The colours and brush strokes are bold and and vibrant. Also here, is Veronica Lindsay-Addy's exhibit. I was looking forward to this when I first heard of it after reading her answers to the preview questions - a project documenting her life through the life of Queen Elizabeth. It is a charming and intimate portrait into the looming monarchy that we live with and  with the diamond jubilee especially she makes the point that our lives are just as much to celebrate as the Queens reign.


I have picked those three out but that's not to say they stand above the others, because the quality that runs through the entire gallery is so constant, and the work is so diverse that everyone will have a different artist's work that will stand out to them. Whether it is the incredibly precise pencil drawings of Kevin Okafor, beautiful Scottish landscapes by Sandra Shevlin, experimental mixed media photographs by Alan McGrath or the fantastical local landscapes of E17 by Alison Brown.

Go visit and if you have a favourite exhibition here please send in a review to  E17ArtTrail@gmail.com

The Pictorem Gallery in no.165 in the trail guide.
http://www.pictoremgallery.com/