The paintings
Plant forms II, 2007.
Watercolour on paper. 23 × 16 cm.
Plant forms IV, 2007.
Watercolour on paper. 21 × 15 cm.
Plant forms V, 2007.
Watercolour on paper. 35 × 24 cm.
Plant forms VI, 2007.
Watercolour on paper. .. × .. cm.
Plant forms VII, 2007.
Watercolour on paper. 33 × 18 cm.
Three red labels, 2007.
Watercolour on paper. 22 × 14 cm.
Abstract: light in the glasshouse, 2007.
Watercolour on paper. xx × xx cm.
Plant forms IX, 2007.
Watercolour on paper. 25 × 17 cm.
Private collection.
Hot, hot, hot, 2007.
Watercolour on paper. 19 × 17 cm.
Glasshouse II, 2007.
Watercolour on paper. 33 × 21 cm.
Bamboo and Phormium tenax, 2007.
Pastel on paper. 34 × 25 cm.
Old tack room, Nanteos, 2007.
Watercolour on paper. 23 × 17 cm.
Biography
Shelley Upton
Born in Lancashire and brought up in London and Lyme Regis, I left school longing to work in the arts. That ambition was, alas, rejected on economic grounds, though as a publican, restaurateur and particularly as a chef my creativity was to the fore. Many years of working with fabulous textiles in recent years further fed and developed my hunger for colour and texture.
An abrupt change of career in 1993 brought me into academentia here at Aberystwyth where I successfully tackled a Computer Science degree after which what seemed like a rollercoaster of coincidences led me to my present role in the Information Services Department. It is a high-pressure environment and several years ago I joined an adult education class, 'Architectural Detail' as a way of relaxing. Discovering at the first class that course was actually 'Advanced Watercolour and Architectual Detail" removed the relaxation element instantly, but I was encouraged by colleagues and tutors and as a result of their generosity in sharing knowledge and technical skills, I haven't looked back and am well on my way to achieving the Certificate in Art and Design and to following the career path I dreamed of so long ago.
The chosen title of Picturemakers first colllaborative exhibition, Cynefin, has particular resonance for me as someone now closely involved with computers and knowledge management. Wikipedia, not always a trustworthy fount of knowledge, but currently fairly accurate in this area speaks of Cynefin thus:
The name Cynefin is a Welsh word which translates literally into English as 'habitat' or 'place'. A more correct translation would be the sense that we all have multiple pasts of which we are only partly aware: cultural, religious, geographic, tribal etc. The name seeks to remind us that all human interactions are strongly influenced and frequently determined by our experiences, both through the direct influence of personal experience, and through collective experience, such as stories or music.
Cynefin in the sense of computer software is a framework, freely available to all, which defines five ways of making sense of a complicated world. For me, drawing and painting and meeting regularly with my "Critical Friends", the other Picturemakers is my personal Cynefin framework, my way of making sense of my very varied and pressured working world.
My paintings in this exhibition draw upon sketches made one of the university glasshouses, a magical place where winter becomes summer and time stands still and the glasshouse cat snores quietly in the corner - until watering time! I hope you enjoy them.