Kathy Priddis

KATHY PRIDDIS -- ARTIST, POTTER and AUTHOR

I am a professional artist married to a bishop in the Church of England. We live in Hereford, England, in the Border Country of the Welsh Marches. The Bishop’s Palace is a twelfth century timber-framed building which is the oldest continuously-lived in residence in England, though much changed over the centuries. Hospitality is a key feature of our way of life, and I teach weekly adult art and pottery skills classes.

I think of myself as a STORYTELLER who works in various genres: writing, Christian figurative painting, landscape painting, portrait painting and pottery.

Writing – My published work includes:

• art appreciation and faith articles for periodicals such as ACE - Art in Christian Education and a quarterly Methodist magazine which specialises in art and story.
• a book of short stories about Israel and Nigeria entitled Angels in a Terracotta Landscape
• a text for an illustrated book The Hidden Passion
• annual faith courses for use in the Dioceses of Oxford, Coventry and Hereford.
• Night Fires, a novel, published December 2009

FOR DETAILS OF Night Fires, See menu bar -- BOOKS

Christian figurative painting – I have always been attracted towards figure drawing and  painting, and designing compositions which have as their narrative some insight or story from the Bible. My largest work is a series of 15 paintings depicting the last events of the life of Christ (now the property of the Diocese of Southern Ohio) see GALLERY

Portraits – these are mostly commissioned oil paintings, though for self-discipline I work in coloured pencil on dark brown paper, pastel or in watercolour. During a commission a person would ‘sit’ for five 1½ hour sittings, but it takes me about 100 hours work to complete it! It’s a reciprocal, collaborative process where I aim to portray something of their STORY and their personality.

Recent portraits:

The Ven Michael Tavinor, Dean of Hereford Cathedral -- 2008

John Yelland, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Worcester University -- 2008

David Green, principal Worcester University -- 2008

Raymond Jones, Farmer -- 2009

Imaginative portrait John Wesley, the Wesleyan assurance Society, Birminghamd -- 2010

Elizabeth Hunter, High Sheriff Hereford and Worcester -- 2010

see GALLERY

Landscapes

Our local countryside is rich in subject matter, especially the farms, rivers and hills. I use earth colours in conjunction with a bright palette, keyed-up for emphasis, and try to convey the STORY of the place, the variable light of each context, and the mood of the weather. ‘Place’ resonates strongly with my Christian faith and many Scriptural texts, particularly in the Old Testament, help me decide what I want to ‘say’ The River Irfon in Breconshire, for instance: ‘He brought streams out of the rock, and caused the waters to run down like rivers…’ made me think of the source of the water and its movement among the rocks.

see GALLERY

Pottery – I am a working potter, not a ceramicist! My workshop is on-site, in an old carriage house. I work with a dual-purpose clay and can therefore fire to earthenware and stoneware temperatures. It’s important to me that my work harmonises with the STORY of the countryside, so I source local materials wherever possible, using dug local clay to make glazes. The clay body I use contains a combination of Staffordshire and Shropshire clays. I make functional and decorative ware, but everything I make is accessible in price and designed to be used.

see GALLERY

TO COMMISSION A PORTRAIT OR LANDSCAPE

TO COMMISSION POTTERY

TO COMMISSION CHRISTIAN NARRATIVE PAINTING

FOR DETAILS OF FUTURE EXHIBITIONS

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Click on the appropriate link or write to me at: Bishop’s House, Hereford HR4 9BN UK

Tel No 01432 271 355

or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it