Exhibited at Scar Gallery Ravenstonedale: Permanent exhibition
View paintings for sale by Caroline A Metcalfe-Gibson
About Me
I was brought up in the village of Ravenstonedale. I studied first at Bath Academy of Art and then The Byam Shaw School of Drawing and Painting. After teaching in further and adult education in York and Hartlepool for some years, I obtained a B.A. (Hons) in Graphic Design from Liverpool Polytechnic and a P.G.C.E from Birmingham Polytechnic.
Having taught in the Midlands for a time I returned north in the early 1980s to live in Kendal where I continued to teach on a part-time basis and undertook commissioned illustration work which included drawings for brochures, books, postcards & leaflets etc;. There I met my husband David William Morris who at the time was designing carpets. He too, in a varied career, had spent time teaching and when the opportunity arose to return to Ravenstonedale we ran summer painting courses based from our home, an old farmhouse, and exhibited our paintings in the small Scar Gallery, once an 18th c cottage.
After nearly twenty years we retired from running summer art courses but I continue to give painting and drawing courses mostly at home.
Subject Matter
I love the old farmhouses, fieldhouses, limekilns, dropgates, becks and stone walls which still form much of the character of this area and I discovered in the medium of pen and ink drawing a particularly sympathetic way of expressing that delight. More recently through my teaching I have found that the freedom and flow of watercolour, and the sometimes unexpected results of mixed media are a stimulating contrast to the line work of the pen. I also enjoy the speed and alertness of eye required in drawing people in busy places – markets, cafes, stations, which again is in contrast to the slower pace of pen and ink and the stillness and peace of the Howgill fells.
Another strand of our world which provides an impetus for me is the ordinary, the routine and day to day. ‘Still Life’ subjects are everywhere to be found. The clutter in a work shed, farmyard or garden allotment, the table scattered with plates and dishes left over from a meal, books and papers piled up on a desk or pans and cutlery in the kitchen sink. The sudden and unexpected juxtaposition of colours, shapes, patterns and textures give magic to the mundane and I try to transmit this pleasure and element of surprise to the viewer.
At the present time I am concentrating on older local buildings using a variety of media as I have been offered an exhibition based on the theme of Vernacular Architecture at the Ruskin Museum in Coniston next spring (2022) unless the Museum’s programme of exhibitions is changed as a result of Covid-19.
Exhibitions
In earlier years I have had small solo exhibitions in various public places where I was living – Altrincham Public Library, York Theatre Royal, Kendal’s Abbot Hall restaurant and been an occasional exhibitor in Manchester Academy’s Annual Art Exhibition and The Lake Artists Annual exhibition. Later on I had a solo exhibition at the Brewery Art Centre, a joint exhibition at the Lewis Textile Gallery Blackburn and an exhibition with my husband, David W. Morris at Keswick Museum Gallery and as mentioned already a solo Exhibition at the Ruskin Museum in Coniston in 2022.
Paintings for sale by Caroline A Metcalfe-Gibson
Abandoned Farmhouse
Pen and Watercolour
48cm x 36cm
Painting Ref C101
Reserved
A Blustery Morning in Late Summer
Mixed Media
47cm x 38cm
Painting Ref C102
£200
Awaiting Renovation
Pen and Watercolour
40cm x 31cm
Painting Ref C103
£225
Behind McWilliam Bros, Whithorn
Pen and Watercolour
42cm x 36cm
Painting Ref C104
£140
Daffodils in an Old Storage Jar
Mixed Media
38cm x 41cm
Painting Ref C105
£240
Daffodils in a White Storage Jar
Watercolour
43cm x 43cm
Painting Ref C106
Sold
Harbour Buildings at Whithorn
Gouache
60cm x 40cm
Painting Ref C107
£140
McWilliam Bros, Isle of Whithorn
Watercolour
48cm x 39cm
Painting Ref C108
£140
Roofs from the High Chapel Steps
Mixed Media
50cm x 60cm
Painting Ref C109
Sold
The Old Farmhouse Waiting
Pen and Watercolour
Painting Ref C110
SOLD
A Sunny Spring Morning
Pen and Watercolour
Painting Ref C111
Sold
The Emerald Door
Pen and Watercolour
52cm x 41cm
Painting Ref C112
£260
Twelve Jolly Jugs
Coloured Inks
48cm x 41cm
Painting Ref C113
£200
Under the Lilac in the Allotment
Coloured Inks
40cm x 33cm
Painting Ref C114
Sold
Upturned Boat and Railings, Whithorn
Watercolour
37cm x 44cm
Painting Ref C115
£140
Wildflowers amongst David’s Pastels
Watercolour
37cm x 44cm
Painting Ref C116
Sold
Barn and Startled Sheep
Pen and Watercolour
47cm x 36cm
Painting Ref C117
£230
Barn near Greenside Tarn
Pen and Watercolour
45cm x 39cm
Painting Ref C118
£250
Barn at Tarn Riggs in Snow
Watercolour
39cm x 32cm
Painting Ref C119
£180
Barn near Eelands
Pen and Gouache
55cm x 45cm
Painting Ref C120
£270
Barn, Tarn Riggs in Winter
White Ink on Black Paper
39cm x 32cm
Painting Ref C121
£180
Manor House 18th Century Farmhouse
Watercolour
55cm x 45cm
Painting Ref C122
£290
Bereft Farmhouse
Watercolour
55cm x 45cm
Painting Ref C123
Reserved
Bee Bole
Pen and Watercolour
53cm x 58cm
Painting Ref C124
£290
Garden Backs, Cats
Pen and Watercolour
53cm x 58cm
Painting Ref C125
Sold
Weighing Scales and Posy
Watercolour
53cm x 43cm
Painting Ref C126
£145
Barn and Trees by Roadside
Pen and Watercolour
Painting Ref C127
£270