Product Details
Original framed oil on canvas board, signed by Denise Allan.
UNFRAMED SIZE: A1 / 594 x 841 mm / 59.4 x 84.1cm / 23.4 x 33.1 inches
FRAMED SIZE: 869 x 622mm / 86.9 x 62.2cm / 34.2 x 24.5 inches
Date of Artwork: June 2021
Location of Signature: Bottom Left
Frame choice: Putty Wood, Oak Wood
Please note: Our framers are recognised by the Fine Art Trade Guild for their quality because the custom frames have tightly pinned corners, and are made from precision cut wood in England, made bespoke for each order. All our frames are glazed with our Clarity+ Perspex. It's cut from the highest quality acrylic sheet that's both crystal clear, but also safe and filters out 99% of UV light to protect the artwork.
Read more about our FRAMING WORKSHOP here
THE STORY | Sea Storms and Relics
A series of ten new original works by Denise Allan continues her exploration of the unique coastal environment of Morecambe Bay.
At the far north west of the vast Morecambe Bay there are a series of abandoned stone piers. Monumental in scale, they stand sentinel to the seaward entry of a former 18th century ship canal, their full scale only revealed at low tide.
Jutting out into the Bay, they act as silent relics to a brief yet frenetic period of sail trade when all manner of goods, from gunpowder to linen, were sailed into the town through its famous ship canal. These goods were stored in the old warehouse where, coincidently, the artist has her studio. A devastating storm in the early 1800’s along the west coast destroyed many sailing ships and began a period of change and gradual decline, finally making the ship canal redundant and allowing the salt marsh to reclaim this ancient place.
The six studies of oil on board portray the abandoned pier structures among the sand dunes and high tides, salt marsh and shrimper’s tracks. They capture a stillness which reflects a space that is now a quiet, calm haven for sea birds, a single shrimp farmer and a scattering of local line fishermen.
"It is the sense of stillness that is found in the spaces between the pier structures and the relationship between the dense weight of the stone against the ever changing tides and light that drew me to this subject”
The four large paintings of oil on canvas, look westward from the end of the longest pier, depicting the immense skies and high energy storms that continue to roll in from the Irish and Atlantic seas.
"There is a strange juxtaposition at this point on the Bay. Look in one direction to a solid, sheltered environment and the other to a vast openness and a raw power of wind and light”
Skies with complex layers of colour and texture, ever changing weather systems and moods are the perfect muse for an artist known for her atmospheric works and sophisticated use of colour.
Co-founder of The Shop Floor Project, Dense Allan graduated with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art (painting, sculpture and installation) from Hull College of Arts. She has long been fascinated by the habitat of estuaries and their sweeping skies and this current series is part of her ongoing work to document the Levens estuary and the wider Morecambe Bay environment.
