Art group gives ‘God of the Three Brooks’ a face
Posted on Saturday 30th March 2019 at 9:42 pm by SH (Editor)A chance encounter between Susan Hartry of the Stokes Art Group (SAG) and Sara Messenger of the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group (TBNCG) last spring sparked an idea for an art project. Sara explained that just as the River Severn has Sabrina Goddess of the River, the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve has a God called Trolletheus – named after two rusted and battered supermarket trolleys she and the TBNCG Team had dredged from the lake some time earlier. Susan picked up on this and suggested giving Trolletheus a face as a SAG project competition later in the year. Sara liked the idea and even agreed to judge it with adoption papers at the ready!
Both passionate about their respective groups, they soon realised they greatly complimented each other. After all, conservationists maintain our landscape and for centuries artists have enjoyed painting it!
The competition brief was split into two categories – one to create an image for Trolletheus and the second to create a landscape from any scene or feature from the reserve. The resulting unsigned collection was displayed at the Stokes Art Group end of year awards event, where Sara and fellow conservationist Ceri selected their favourite artwork from each category. Sara was thrilled that finally Trolletheus had a ‘face’ – though the look of surprise on her own face when she announced the artist was Susan Hartry was also worthy of a prize! Inspired by features of the reserve itself Susan’s Trolletheus, armoured with two supermarket trolleys, is based on the Turkey Oaks of Sherbourne’s Brake.
The winning landscape by Stokes Artist Sue Kelly, taken from her own photograph, represents a typical Three Brooks woodland scene familiar to those who go off the beaten track and enjoy the diverse variety of trees, plants, wildflowers and undergrowth found right on our doorstep.
The full collection can be viewed on the 2018 Project page of the SAG website.
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