I’m excited to showcase some of my recent work in a solo exhibition at the Hub Gallery you are welcome to attend the preview on Friday October 24th 6pm – 8pm or come for the morning Coffee Stop on Saturday October 25th. The exhibition then runs til November 26th and is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10am – 4pm. You can find the Hub Gallery in the Trinity Methodist Church & Community Hub, Wesleyan Row & Parson Lane, Clitheroe BB7 2JY
Solo Exhibition by Sue Marsden
Rivers, Reeds and reflections
Working on a project focuses the mind and I realised how often I was drawn to all sorts of reflections on different surfaces. Also how walking in Nature excites and inspires but also relaxes the spirit.
Observing how quickly the light changes, moving shapes and silhouettes. Listening to sounds and seeing the unexpected present itself – no two journeys ever the same.
Daring to paint and sketch outside where people may see you!
I’ve actually discovered that people are largely intrigued and usually very supportive in their comments when they come across you attempting to capture the light in the landscape. It can be very mindful and relaxing to lie back and absorb the sunshine on Pendle Hill whilst sketching and listening to the bird song or slightly disturbing to find that while you have been painting the sparkle of the babbling brook an interested audience of young cows have crept up and formed a semicircle behind you!
Entering local en plein air painting competitions has been fun and the challenge of completing a painting within the allotted time frame has been a worthwhile challenge. Painting Padiham for the last few years has been a treat and the weather very favourable.
I’ve painted the scene behind Padiham Town Hall looking across the river Calder twice.
The Lodge at the National Trust property Gawthorpe Hall was a scene with wonderful reflections of trees and water lilies. The lesson for that day was how quickly acrylic paint dries up in the sunshine!
The Padiham Memorial Park was a peaceful place which provided lovely long shadows and the bonus of a good cup of coffee.
Back in 2022 Draw Clitheroe attracted a diverse selection of artists and their work was displayed in the shop windows of local businesses in the town providing a creative treasure hunt. I found a vantage point up on the castle hill and used pen and ink to capture the scene in front of me. Looking towards Pendle Hill over the top of Moor Lane.
In 2025 Clitheroe Arts Festival had an En Plein Air painting challenge on the Sunday and although the weather was challenging as was the four hour time slot, I enjoyed revisiting a favourite spot down by the River Ribble and its reflections.
It’s fascinating to see and read about how different artists interpret the landscape.
What a wonderful opportunity to sit outside and draw all day. I would normally chose to paint and draw in private, in silence and with no-one looking! So to register for this event I felt I was being brave. Draw Clitheroe was an interactive and inclusive event held in August for all ages with lots going on from guided sketchbook tours, artist led workshops and child friendly projects.
Prizes were awarded for the best drawings and all the submitted work was displayed in various shop windows throughout the town forming an art trail where people could vote for their favourite.
My entry was drawn from a bench below Clitheroe Castle museum with a view over the shops on Moor Lane across the valley to Pendle Hill in the distance. I enjoyed the pencil and ink work and especially how the watercolour wash dissolved into the ink.
The reality was that passers by were lovely and encouraging, the town was vibrant and more people were encouraged to visit the high street of this historic market town.
The sun is shining and the Summer colours are brightening up the verges and hedgerows. The fields are flat, freshly cut and contrast with the tall stems, waving at the edges. The days are light, bright, and birds and bees are busy. Pendle sleeps, spread out on the horizon, basking in the warmth of the July weekend. I lean on the gate and drink in the day.
Sue Marsden Art Studio 