Octagon is a local collective of creative souls who met while studying art, and continued as a group for support, friendship and critical encouragement. Oxmarket are delighted to welcome the members for their latest exhibition ‘Red and Green, Seldom Seen’.

The artists have given themselves the challenge of a restricted palette in their chosen media. They may only use red and green which are complimentary colours opposite each other on the colour wheel. This creates high contrast, strong impact, and a balance of warm and cool. With the inclusion of black and white, the outcomes are exciting.

Bea Veness has employed solid blocks of colour to produce screenprints inspired by plants.

Maggie Bacon has also used screenprinting to create a series of striking abstracts.

Linda Nevill has worked in mixed media on paper to make her ’dreamscapes’ that include stitching and collage.

Sue England and Carolyn Mackwood have both focused on trees in the landscape, working in oils, playing with tone and scale in small paintings.

Jennifer Smith and Amy Tattersall have also been drawn to nature when creating beautiful small oil paintings, with Jennifer working on board in her hyper-realistic style, and Amy using a variety of grounds for her abstracts.

Sam McCormack has collaborated with the elements to produce images on fabric, incorporating ink, paint and stitch.

Edvard Munch said ‘Colours live a remarkable life of their own after they have been applied..’ Visitors to this Octagon exhibition will certainly witness this.