Textile artist Polly Meynell offers exhibition in her Barnham home

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Traces is the connecting theme as textile artist and colour consultant Polly Meynell invites three fellow artists to exhibit with her at her Barnham home.

The venue is The House at Hill Lane, 43 Hill Lane, Barnham, PO22 0BL with a private view on Thursday, February 13 from 6-8pm (book via www.thehouseathilllane.com). The exhibition then continues on Friday, 10am-4pm; Saturday, 10am-4pm; and Sunday, 10am-4pm. No need to book for Friday-Sun. There is parking on site, and overflow parking nearby will be clearly signed.

43 Hill Lane is an award-winning architect-designed eco house completed in 2015, owned and built by Polly and by her husband, theatre director Joe Harmston. Joining Polly for the exhibition are Lawrence Dicks (sculpture); Polly Dutton (painting); and Frances Holliss (printmaker).

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As Polly explains: “It is about sharing as much about who we are as about the artwork, and we're very blessed to have this lovely space that Joe and I created between us. The exhibition is as much about this house as it is about the artwork but there is a theme to the set of work which has a loose title of traces. All four artists have explored in their different mediums the imprints and traces that we leave behind. Lawrence is a sculptor so his is obviously more 3D than ours but we're looking at the impact that the human hands can have, the imprint that an exhale of breath can leave and the marks that footprints can create. And also at the traces which result from repeated behaviours which is what I am showing and have looked at.

“This has been an orchestrated gap in my commissioned work. I wanted to do my own work, and it is a chapter that I am writing myself rather than having a brief given to me by others.”

Polly has been inspired by her work with the charity Not Beyond Redemption, which was set up by solicitor Camilla Baldwin. Its mission is to “provide free family law advice and representation to mothers in prison to assist in re-establishing and progressing the fundamental relationship between mother and child.”

As Polly explains: “Camilla realised that there was a significant need for mothers in prison to have advocacy in order to be able to reconnect with their families and to see their children. Most women in prison are cut off. 72 per cent of women go into prison for non-violent crimes, and 95 per cent of children are affected by their mothers being in prison. Even if it is only a minimum of three months it has a massive impact. 17,000 children are separated by imprisonment every year, and this charity was set up to help bridge the gap to help the mothers reconnect with their children.

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“I was commissioned to produce a piece of work that reflected the hope that the charity provides for these mothers, and following this commission I wanted to produce a body of work that was also about this support and about this impact, and also from my own position I wanted to recognise and give a voice to when your children leave home, which has happened for me, and you find yourself entering another chapter in your life. I wanted to give a voice and discuss that even if it was just through the artwork.”

Lawrence Dicks’ sculpture is organic and rhythmic, drawing inspiration from natural phenomena and patterns. He believes that there is a specific area of human experience where sculpture is more potent than verbal communication.

Polly Dutton tries to capture the elements – sun, wind, rain – and the effect these have in the landscape. She enjoys using a strong, recurring motif that abstracts the images into rhythmical patterns of colour, contrast and tone.

Frances Holliss draws and makes prints. She is interested in the hidden meaning that lies behind the traces people leave in the world.

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