Author Archives: Mary Mellor
Reliefs with figures
New reliefs for 2019
Art, Obsession and Maturity – March and April 2019
Combining pieces from Mary Mellor, Vanessa Pooley and Julia Cameron; the works in this exhibition will be varied — Mary Mellor’s reliefs, Vanessa Pooley’s sculptures, and Julia Cameron’s images of the Norfolk coast.
Mandell’s Gallery Exhibition
Joint show with Ainslie Yule November 2014
Elm Hill, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 1HN. mandellsgallery.co.uk
Images Of The Private View
Elspeth Barker wrote of Mary Mellor’s work: “Mary Mellor’s painted reliefs glow with colour. Densely and smoothly applied mauves, soft pinks and clear pale blues, lull the eye and seem to offer solace. But then you notice the underlying geometry of meticulously cut forms, often jagged triangles or slashing diagonals, overlaid again by rectilinear structures and occasional enigmatic discs. Sometimes a couple of tiny figures stand above a giddy drop, engaged in amiable discourse. From a rooftop or a lofty horizontal a jaunty climber flourishes his hat. Elsewhere a single woman considers her peaceful destiny. No one is going to jump, no one will fall. The energy is all in the tightly controlled composition, most dazzlingly apparent in the lightning strike of violent reds and yellows which cross the largest work ‘Light Gleams An Instant…’, nothing is as it seems.”
Figures In A Relief
Norwich twenty Group
A large piece of my work was on show at the Norwich 20 Group 70th birthday celebration exhibition at the Forum in February 2014.
Light Gleams an Instant
SPACE exhibition
‘Less is More’ at The Forum, Norwich, 15th-21st April 2013
Euclid’s Dream
From May 15th – 21st April 2013 the Forum in Norwich hosted an exhibition of work by Mary Mellor, Derek Morris, Vanessa Pooley and Andrew Schumann, all artists living in Norfolk who work in 3D.
This collaboration brought together the work of four mature people who have spent decades spent developing and refining ideas. The work is in no way gimmicky; it is simply considered and polished work of a calm and reflective nature.
While my own designs emerge from the geometry of the rectangle, Andrew Schumann is absorbed by the magical reality of our world, by its underlying deep simplicity and interconnectedness. Vanessa’s work allows her to process her thoughts and feelings; it is full of fun and the joy of life. Derek’s recent work contains grids of one kind or another, inspired by photographs of protected windows in the village of Mosset in the Pyrenees.
Prize Win at Art Alive
Light Gleams an Instant. 2013.
My relief ‘Light Gleams an Instant’ was one of five prizewinners at the open exhibition ‘Art Alive’ at the Norwich Assembly House.
The exhibition is on until 8th May 2013.
Salthouse Blues at Norwich Castle Museum
In 2013 a relief ‘ Salthouse Blues’ made as a site specific piece for an exhibition at Salthouse Church, was purchased by the NCAS for the Norwich Castle Museum permanent collection.
Statement
Mary Mellor lives and works in Norwich.
She makes abstract reliefs and paintings, many of which are geometric.
Designs are drawn up on graph paper and transferred to the support. Frequently the composition 
of the works emerge from the internal geometry of the rectangle itself – the conjunctions of horizontals and verticals, diagonals, golden sections and other divisions of the rectangle used by classical artists.
She then deviates from this rather formal process by breaking her own rules and making unexpected things happen; for example, shapes appear to dive under each other, lines are partially diverted from the track on which they started off, or random elements are added.
Many reliefs and paintings have trompe l’oeil shadows painted on, and the shadow colours change as they fall on different hues.
She aims to make a simple overall tonal pattern which over-rides the whole design so that the composition works from a distance.
Colours are planned in advance, but tend to evolve as she works. She is excited by very slight variations of the same colour.
Recently she has made reliefs and paintings where shapes have been repeated, either the same size, or smaller, and integrated into a whole. As before a simple tonal pattern is overlaid.
Salthouse Blues at Norwich Castle Museum
Mary is a member of the Norwich Twenty Group.
She is happy to take commissions.