We are are delighted to announce an upcoming exhibition with Sara Bor at the Crypt gallery St.Ives withy a Preview on Saturday 11 June 4-6pm. Sara and I are both members of the Newlyn Society of Artists and this is our third joint-exhibition. Hope to see you! 

 

poster for crypt copy NEW1 Copy

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

An exhibition of paintings by acclaimed Colourist Ashley Hanson and Bafta nominated Sara Bor.


Friends and colleagues for 10 years, Hanson and Bor, explore some of the same subject
matter with distinct approaches. Hanson has twin strands to his practice: the coastal work
based on his love of the Cornish coastline and ports, and his ‘BOOK’ paintings ‘Painting the
Novel’ investigates the combination of a painting being both a tangible object and an illusion:
both abstraction and figuration. Duality denotes the character of his paintings.


As an artist I crave/need surprise, not sameness: it is what you ‘do’ with the source
material that matters, a piece must be its’ own thing and have a joyous
independence.
' Ashley Hanson


Bor, researches our connections to the land. Her practice begins with wild walks exploring
the landscape gathering evidence for her drawings and paintings. With intense curiosity Bor
investigates the geography of eroded moorlands, wilderness and the haunting decay of
industrial interventions, providing the site for both an exploration of the physicality of the
canvas and the alchemy of the fusion of both found and organic matter.


The essence of my practice is a correlation with the materials themselves and the
processes involved. I am instinctively someone who likes to forage or root around and
find an object or materials that trigger ideas.
’ Sara Bor


Hanson has an extensive national exhibition record including Linden Hall Studio, Modern
Artists Gallery, Belgrave St. Ives, the Campden Gallery, Edgar Modern, Bath. His
methodology is to work in series, allowing all possibilities to be explored. To support his
practice, Ashley runs several courses a year in Cornwall, Aylesbury and Faversham, under
the banner ‘Freedom in Painting’.


In 2019, Ashley had a solo exhibition ‘COLOURSCAPES’ at the Heseltine Gallery, Truro and
he was commissioned to respond to a novel by John Boyne’s for the North Cornwall Book
Festival. He selected ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’, a visual, emotional and moral challenge.

‘Porthleven 37 – (Swimmer)’, ‘Penzance 15’ & 'Beach Huts (Yellow) have all been chosen as
‘Painting of the Day’ by Contemporary British Painting.

 
In 2021, Ashley had two solo-exhibitions ‘Painting the Novel’ at Linden Hall Studio, Deal
and ‘COLOURSCAPES’ at the Crypt Gallery, St. Ives. and in Jan 2022, he joined the
online platform Rise Art, who are currently showcasing his ‘City of Glass’ series.
Currently on the Fine Art Doctoral research programme at the University of East London,
Bor’s research project, ‘Walking Home’ examines our meaning of home. The historical
context, the domestic and diaspora.


Bor spent a career as an Animation TV Producer/Director. Her company Honeycomb
Animation produced international award-winning children’s animated television series,
steeped in storytelling and the macabre. Examples include Wolves, Witches and Giants and
Grizzly Tales. Since studying for an MA in 2007 Bor has worked as a professional artist,
exhibiting extensively, and has had work selected by RWA in Bristol. She is a member of the
Newlyn Society of Artists and is a Trustee of Brisons Veor Charitable Trust in Cornwall.