Polly Townsend British, b. 1977
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“As I move through the landscape, I often shift from feeling overwhelmed and disorientated, to a more meditative state. Far from being desolate, the landscapes slowly reveal an infinite variety of form, light, sound and texture.”
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WorksExhibitions
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Polly Townsend
Antarctic Paintings 24 Apr - 17 May 2024 -
Hinterland
17 - 29 Jan 2023John Martin Gallery is pleased to present ‘Hinterland’ an exhibition that brings together the work of 17 contemporary painters: Radu Baies, Tim Braden, Hannah Brown, Martin Gale, Martin Greenland, Jan...Read more
BiographyEducation
1999-01 MFA Slade School of Fine Art, London, UK
1996-99 BA University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK (First Class Honours) curatorIalCurated Exhibitions
2022 Crossing Boundaries, APT Gallery, London
2022 A Wider Landscape, The Alpine Club, London
Selected Exhibitions
2024 Antarctic Paintings, John Martin Gallery, London
2024 Derwent Drawing Prize, Oxo Fallery, London
2024 Antarctica, Murray Edwards College, Cambridge University
2023 SOLO: Feedback; Phytology, London
2023 Sun and Moon,Spirit Studios, Suffolk
2023 Hinterland, Cromwell Place, John Martin Gallery
2022 A Generous Space 2, New Art Gallery, Walsall
2022 The 3am Project, virtual exhibition,
2019 The Affordable Art Fair, London
2018 The Columbia Threadneedle Prize: Mall Galleries, London, UK2018 Summer Salon: Angus Hughes Gallery, London, UK
2017 The ING Discerning Eye: Mall Galleries, London, UK
2016 Glory of the Glacier: The Alpine Club, London, UK
2015 Summer Salon: Angus Hughes Gallery, London, UK
2012 SOLO: Slower Than This: Flashpoint Gallery, Washington DC, USA2012 Emerge Art Fair: Washington DC, USA
2011 Wildland, Silber Gallery, Baltimore, USA
2010 Polly Townsend: British Embassy, Washington DC, USA
2010 Travelogue Carroll Square Gallery (Hemphill Gallery), Washington DC, USA2009 Options WPA & Conner Contemporary, Washington DC, USA
2008 Polly Townsend: The Alpine Club, London, UK
2008 Gilchrist-Fisher Landscape Painting Award: Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London2007 Passing Through: 3 White Walls Gallery, Birmingham, UK
2007 Bomberg’s Relevance: Ben Uri Gallery, London, UK
2007 Journey of Exchange: Oxford House, Bethnal Green, London,
2006 Winter Collection: Gallery Duncan Terrace, London, UK
2006 New Waves: Collyer Bristow Gallery, London, UK
2005 Mirage of Minds: Century Gallery, London, UK
2005 Mile of Art: London Fields, London, UK
2004 The Affordable Art Fair: New York, USA
2001 The Directors Choice: Collins and Hastie Gallery, London, UK
2001 London/New York Drawing Collaboration: Chateau Balleroy, Normandy, France2001 New Bloomsbury’s Scarlet Maguire Gallery, London, UK
2001 Post-Graduate Show: Slade School of Fine Art, London, UK
2000 The Scapes: The Courtyard, Hereford, UK
2000 Winter Collection: Parkview Fine Art Galleries, Bristol, UK
1999 The Directors Cut: Parkview Fine Art Galleries, Bristol, UK
1999 Degree Show: University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK
1999 Flesh: Hereford College of Art and Design, UKPrizes, awards and scholarships
2022 Culturebox commissioned artist, University of Exeter
2019 Finalist in Jackson Art Prize UK
2008 Finalist in Gilchrist-Fisher Landscape Painting Prize, UK
2001 The Slade School of Fine Art Duveen Travel Scholarship
2001 The Princes Drawing School / Malcolm Forbes Foundation Travel Scholarship2000 The Slade School of Fine Art Life Drawing Prize (judged by Paula Rego)
1999 The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers Award
1999 The Sir Ben Bowen Studio Prize for Fine Art
1998 The Contemporary Art Prize for Wales Studentship Award (judge Stephen Chambers)Residencies and expeditions
2023 Artist in Residence Antarctica, Scott Polar Research Institute
2020 Solo expedition, Iceland
2011 Artist in Residence Goldwell Museum, Death Valley National Park, Nevada, USA2011 Artist in Residence Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA
2010 Solo expedition Alaska, USA
2009 Solo expedition Mojave Desert, USA
2008 Solo expedition Himalaya and Pamir Mountains, Ladakh, Kashmir
2007 Solo expedition Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Kyrgyzstan
2006 Solo expedition High Atlas Mountains, Morocco; and Tian Shan, Altai and Qilian Shan Mountains, China2006 Solo expedition Jotunheimen National Park, Norway
2004 Solo expedition Pyrenees Mountains, France
2003 Solo expedition Apennine Mountains, Italy
2002 Solo expedition Himalaya Mountains and Tibetan Plateau, Nepal, China2001-08 Solo expedition Snowdonia National Park, Wales
2001 Artist in Residence, Arkleside Studios, Yorkshire
2000 Solo expedition Andes Mountains and Altiplano, BoliviaReviews and Publications
2024 Polar Regions Review 'Antarctic Paintings - Polly Townsend'
2024 UK Antarctic Heritage Trust 'In Coversation with...artist Polly Townsend'
2024 Countrylife 'Meet the Ice Queen'
2023 Antaractic Times '30 ways to protect Antarctica'
2023 Polar Bytes, SPRI, 'Polly Townsend, Artist in Residence'
2022 Art in Embassies; Beijing, Catalogue
2022 Culture Box, Artist Spotlight: Polly Townsend
2022 Playjunkie: Polly Townsend’s Secluded Landscapes
2020 Jackson’s Art Blog: Polly Townsend: Painting the Brutality of the Land
2012 Washington Post, An exhibit that stretches a mountain’s range by Mark Jenkinson2012 Washington City Paper, Polly Townsend at Flashpoint by Louis Jacobson
2011 Mumbai Embassy Publication, Permanent Collection of the Consulate General of the United States2011 Catalogue, Wildland, by Laura Amussen
2011 Catalogue, The Artists of the Alpine Club, by Peter Mallelieu
2010 Washington Post, Wild Worldviews of Summer by Jessica Dawson
2009 Washington Post, Options 09: Unexpected Possibilities by Michael O’Sullivan
2009 The Georgetowner, Georgetown Answers Call for Artists
2009 Falls Church News, Options 09 by Kevin Mellema
2009 Catalogue, Options 09 by Anne Goodyear
2008 Artrabbit.com, Onwards and Upwards, Polly Townsend in High Places by Sarah Lightman2008 The Alpine Club Journal, Polly Townsend in High Places by Steve Goodwin
2007 The Metro Newspaper Birmingham, Sixty second interview with Polly Townsend
2007 Wowbirmingham.co.uk, The Extremes of Art with Polly Townsend by Dave Freak
2007 Hereford Times, Three White Walls
2007 The Independent, Bomberg's Relevance, P Chapman
2007 Time Out, Bomberg's Relevance, JJ CharlesworthPublic collections
U.S. Embassy in Beijing, Permanent collection, Department of State, USA U.S. Embassy in Karachi, Permanent collection, Department of State, USA U.S. Embassy in Mumbai, Permanent collection, Department of State, USA National Parks Collection, USA
The Alpine Club Collection UK The Ben Uri Collection UK
Artist Residence - Death Valley, USA 2011For one month I lived and worked in the national park making paintings en plein air and in the studio provided. The studio - a huge red barn, exclusively for my use - opened directly onto the arid landscape of Death Valley. It was miles away from anything or anyoneMy first day involved a close encounter with Death Valley's most venomous snake. I was lucky enough to be there in October when the weather is at its most forgiving. It was hot, sunny and clear most days and I was able to work with only a small 'heat break' in the middle of the day.
Each morning I went out by car to different areas of the park and then explored further on foot. There was so much to discover and surprises around every corner. The biggest surprise was the variety of colour. There's an area called 'The Artist's Palette' - which certainly did not disappoint - and I saw these same colours repeated everywhere; tucked in crevices, leaching through cracks, or sprayed wide across vast landscapes.
I always took with me a sketchbook, a small set of paints and a camera. I discovered that the name of Death Valley is quite misleading; it is teeming with life; lizards, jackrabbits, coyotes, tortoises and many other creatures scuttled around.
Sometimes, in the afternoon, I would open the doors of the big red barn and paint long into the evening. This was my favourite time of day. There was a liminal moment when day turned to night and I'd pull up a chair and just watch. The colours were extreme, like the earth was on fire, but then I'd watch a cactus, so rich in colour and pattern, quickly switch into a silhouette and then, poof! the light was gone. I loved that moment; that switch! Darkness is truly dark in Death valley - it is a Dark Sky certified park.
At weekends I would sometimes drive to Las Vegas. I think my motivation was to cruise along the highways surrounded by the extraordinary landscapes. Each trip involved self-initiated 'diversions', just to see what was there. I think the desire to just 'see what was there' was my gentle pursuit throughout this residency - perhaps throughout my life. And almost always, what was there was not what I expected to find.
The Badlands National Park, South DakotaFor one month in 2011 I had the huge privilege of being Artist in Residence at The Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA. I was given accommodation/work space at the Ben Rifle Visitor Centre and ventured out each day in my 1976 VW camper van. The smallish, but perfectly formed national park, was an absolute wonder; teeming with wildlife and incredibly diverse in landscape it was a joy to explore.
I had some pretty big adventures, from nearly being run over by a herd of bison, to shooting guns with cowboys, but I also spent a huge amount of time just sitting, looking and breathing-in the park. It never ceased to amaze and surprise me. Each day was thrilling. I would get up early - often before sunrise - to go out and discover the park as it was waking up. The colours would slowly develop, creatures would creep out and the air would warm. Between then and nightfall I would watch what seemed like an epic fight for survival; tiny plants pushing through cracked dry earth, ants weaving through enormous barren landscapes, and prairie dogs, scattering from their multiple predators. I had my own mini fight for survival too. I was worried that the van - notoriously unreliable - would break down on one of the empty dirt roads in the park, or on one of the very long drives to the nearest supermarket. I also found that being a single female in my conspicuous vehicle, or out and about with my paints, drew attention in ways that were not always pleasant. One of the biggest privileges of the residency was having the time to watch the park evolve. I was there on the cusp of a seasonal change, and surprise snowfalls gave way to immense heat and flowering plants. In the end, it was 'watching' that became the habit and, as sometimes happens on residencies, I didn't do a huge amount of painting. I drew and took lots of photographs but mostly I just sat and absorbed. The result is that it is one of the places most deeply etched in my memory. Certain forms, shapes and colours will probably remain in me for the rest of my life, and will undoubtedly seep out through my work over the years.