The South West Academy Spring Exhibition

The Brownston Gallery works closely with South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts, a registered charity dedicated to advancing the creation and appreciation of arts in the region, and is delighted to be hosting their Spring Exhibition featuring work by seven Academicians – Kate Aggett, Ken Cosgrove, Phil Creek, Carolyn King, Shirley Kirkcaldy, Karen Popham and James Tatum – alongside paintings by Jennifer Schamotta, winner of The Brownston Prize 2025.

The exhibition brings together a diverse range of contemporary practice. Ken Cosgrove is exhibiting atmospheric oil paintings spanning maritime subjects to floral still lifes. Carolyn King, loved for her everyday scenes is presenting a small collection of engaging pieces that are guaranteed to make you smile and skilled at storytelling, is showing a selection of still lifes and local landscapes.

Three Academicians - Kate Aggett, Shirley Kirkcaldy and James Tatum - are exhibiting at the gallery for the first time. Aggett’s collages draw on a lifelong engagement with colour and textiles, expressed through an inventive use of materials. Dartmoor-based Kirkcaldy captures the shifting moods of land and sea in her atmospheric landscapes, while Tatum’s work explores light, shadow and movement with confident precision.