For her first major solo exhibition, Midlands-based artist Betsy Bradley explores painting as a life force that traces “the dance between thought and action”.

Recent works by Bradley use voile and organza as painting supports. These translucent fabrics dissolve the distinction between figure and ground and invite the play of light. This liberating energy extends to sculptural works in which the material itself becomes gestural, taking on forms which recall functional and playground objects. Other references to everyday life appear through Bradley’s broad influences. Always intuitive, her inspirations come from what she describes as “miraculous everyday phenomena”, such as the incidental colours of a patinated billboard or the intangible hues of light pollution in the night sky. Inspired by Eastern and Western traditions of Wabi Sabi, Arte Povera and Mono-ha, Bradley celebrates chance as a means of freeing her artistic process and the viewer’s experience:

“I see my work as an invitation to the present moment – an escape as well as a grounding – which enables the viewer to let go.” Betsy Bradley

Chasing Rainbows is supported by the Ikon Investment Fund.