Gillian Ayres the Complete Editions 1998 - 2012, Volume 2 (Paperback)

One of Britain's most respected and best-loved painters, Gillian Ayres is celebrated as one of the pioneering English abstract artists and, as well as the vibrant, heavily worked canvases for which she is best known, she is also a dedicated printmaker. The forthcoming exhibition will include over 20 new oil paintings, on which she has been working for over 3 years, together with a group of new works on paper, including acrylics and her first series of woodcut prints. Whilst Ayres's paintings have never been representational, the forms in these new works seem reminiscent of leaf and flower shapes clearly seen in works such as Apadana, Cynthu's Hill, and Helen's Glade, all oil on canvas and executed in 2011. These works display the energy and vibrant palette for which Ayres is celebrated, as well as representing a noticeable progression; they exude the confidence of a painter at the height of her powers. The woodcuts that Ayres has produced are all named after famous gardens, including Mirabell, Tivoli and Heligan. The garden that she created from scratch, some 23 years ago and which surrounds her studio in North Devon, has been an inspiration to her and one which she has drawn upon throughout her long career.