About my work

My work is about a play on values between Inside and outside/ reduction and exaggeration the visible and hidden, opening and closing, space withdrawing / inner space and form, light and dark, soft and hard edges.
Although my ideas are abstract I am strongly influenced by my surroundings and everyday life in Cornwall, my house my garden the sea whatever is immediate has a bearing on my paintings.

I work in series on several paintings together, which gives me time to build up layers and elements as the work progresses through moving paint around, wiping off or scratching into surfaces, again and again until glimpses of past processes remain within the paintings; the paint is applied sometimes in a considered way, and at other times I allow the accidental to challenge the work to move on in new directions. My paintings take time to evolve which gives them a history of their own.

Artists that have influenced me are Prunella Clough, Patrick Heron, Mark Rothko and Robert Motherwell.

Art Education

1994-96 Fine art foundation Falmouth College of Art
1997- 2001 BA (Hon's) Degree in Fine Art Falmouth College of Art 1997- Founder of Treruffe Art Studios 9 Treruffe Terrace, Cornwall Business Park, Redruth

Exhibitions

1996 'Inner sense', Spirituality in art Truro Cathedral, Truro
1998 Mid Stream exhibition Falmouth College of Art

2001 BA.(Hon's) Degree Show Falmouth College of art
2001 Open Studios (SW) Treruffe Art Studios, Redruth
2001 Mixed Show Corner Stone Gallery, St Ives
2001 Mixed Show Crockfords & Alligators, Falmouth

 
2002 Solo Spring Show Corner Stone Gallery, St Ives
2002 Mixed Show Crockfords & Alligators, Falmouth
2002 Mixed Show Blue Monkey Gallery, Padstow
2002 Mixed Show Corner Stone Gallery, St Ives
2002 Open Studios (SW) Treruffe Art Studios, Redruth
2002 mixed show fowey river gallery, Fowey, Cornwall

 
2003 Bishop Phillpots Gallery, Truro, Cornwall
2003 Mixed Show Corner Stone Gallery, St Ives
2003 Mixed Show Contours Gallery, Newlyn
2003 Mixed Show Dick the dog, Penzance
2003 Open Studios (SW) Treruffe Art Studios, Redruth
2003 CornerStone Gallery, St Ives

2004 Mixed Show Contours Gallery, Newlyn
2004 Bellerian Gallery , Penzance
2004 Rope Store Studio Gallery, Nailsworth
2004 End of World Gallery, Chelsea London
2004 CornerStone Gallery, St Ives

 Treruffe Art Studios is the initiative of founder and co-ordinator Christine Spencer-Green. She had a vision to transform a three-storied industrial building near the old art school in Redruth into working studio spaces for professional artists.

Seven years later with a lot of determination and the support of her contemporaries this has been achieved. Christine first rented the top floor as her own studio in 1996 from Oliver Cramp the owner of the building. Two years later she introduced fellow artists who acquired the centre floor creating further studio spaces.

All was going well until the artists during 2002 were confronted with the possible sale of the building for redevelopment into flats and the consequential loss of their studios; a major catastrophe.

In the face of this looming threat Christine enthused Oliver with an alternative. To develop the entire building into affordable art studios, resulting in a thriving art core. In 2003 Oliver provided funding to repair the building and restore the bottom floor with its adjoining warehouse into workable studio spaces. The artists have begun to turn the small plot of land at the rear of the building into a garden area.

With eleven working artists the future of Treruffe Art Studios is to highlight the role of the artist within the community and to promote a greater understanding of art. This will initiate in part by the public opening of Treruffe Art Studios in May 2004 and an Open Studios event, which will take place for a period of 10 days directly after the opening evening.