Exhibition open: 24.02.12 – 18.03.12

The undulating hills of Oxfordshire's countryside, Oxford city's familiar architectural grandeur and some of the South East's gritty post-industrial cityscapes of are evoked in the smokey forms and bitten lines of Caroline Maas' enigmatic prints. Inspired by and drawn from locations personally significant to the artist, this exhibition presents a powerful body of work from one of Oxfordshire's finest contemporary printmakers.
 
I love to walk and look down over vast expanses. I wait for the landscape to arrange itself in some significant way then I draw that. I aim for an equivalence and intensification rather than representation… Mostly I start from drawing an observed scene; but I think that it's also good to start from the process and play, and see what you get.
(Caroline Maas)
 
Working from original drawings and being influenced by her background in watercolour, Maas creates her etchings by layering colours onto different plates and embracing the element of chance that this presents whilst exploring the possibilities of the medium.
 
The printmaking process condenses the original idea. I like the bitten line, and putting different colours onto different plates… I like layers, layers of time, of experience, of colour…. I like the element of chance, the happy accidents.
(Caroline Maas)
 
Caroline Maas began studying painting in 1982 at Oxford College of Further Education before moving to Richmond Adult College and discovering printmaking with Ingrid Allen at Shaftesbury Centre. She is a member of Oxford Art Society, Oxford Printmakers Collective and West Oxfordshire Arts.

Exhibition open: 20.03.12 – 25.03.12

A beautiful selection of dance images celebrating Dancin' Oxford (Dance Festival) over the last five years. The exhibition captures one of the essences of Dancin' Oxford - where dance is taken out of the traditional theatre setting and animates the public realm, enabling people to experience it as part of their everyday lives..

Exhibition open: 31.03.12 – 29.04.12

The mixed-media group show will feature sculpture, painting and photography from 10 leading UK artists that have been specially commissioned by the London 2012 premier sponsor BT as part of the forthcoming Cultural Olympiad programme. The participating artists represent some of the UK's most exciting artistic talent.
 
Working with Team GB's foremost Olympic and Paralympic athletes, the BT Art of Sport initiative will produce a body of work that will serve to re-tell the story of the London 2012 Olympics, capturing the dedication and commitment of these elite athletes and conveying the drama and passion of these historic sporting events.
Image: Art of Sport © Jeremy Houghton

Exhibition open: 05.05.12 – 27.05.12

Calling All Oxfordshire Students!

Opportunity to exhibit in Oxford Castle venues as part of Artweeks 2012! 

To celebrate Artweeks' 30th Birthday, students are invited to consider the idea of 'The Passing of Time' and enter artwork within that theme to be exhibited in the restaurants and café's at Oxford Castle as part of Artweeks in May 2012! This competition is open to all current students who either originate from or who are studying within Oxfordshire and work within the media of drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture or digital imaging. Supporting each selected student through every stage of the exhibition process, not only is this a fantastic exhibition opportunity for Oxford's up-and-coming artists, but it is also an invaluable commercial exercise.

To apply simply complete and return the application form (along with up to 3 digital images of each proposed artwork) to: info@o3gallery.co.uk.

Download your Application Form and Terms & Conditions documents here

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: MIDNIGHT 19th FEBRUARY 2012


Oxford Pride of Place Project by the Caravan Gallery

Castle Street Square and O3 Gallery
Saturday 5th to Sunday 27th May 

Artists Jan Williams and Chris Teasdale have been busy touring the nooks and crannies of Oxford taking photographs that capture the idiosyncrasies of the city as its residents see it. This new series of photographic work will be on show in O3 Gallery and present a fresh take on the city and streets that are home to some of tourisms most recognizable UK landmarks. Williams and Teasdale have created the outline of A People's Map of Oxford, greeting visitors to O3 Gallery members of the public are invited to make their mark on this large-scale map, that will transform into a refreshingly honest and insightful 'locals' version of your average Tourist Map.

Oxford Castle Quarter and O3 Gallery are thrilled to welcome the world famous Caravan Gallery itself (Fashion Designer Paul Smith is a big fan and recently shipped the artists, caravan and all, out to Paul Smith SPACE, Tokyo!) to Castle Street Square between Monday 30th April until Saturday 12th May, when its doors will be open and the artists will be present inviting people into the gallery/caravan to view images taken on Caravan Gallery travels and exhibitions across the UK. There visitors will be invited to participate in The Caravan Gallery Oxford Survey, all of which will ultimately form an online resource presenting a true reflection of the city and an alternative to the Photoshop'd picture perfect city of Dreaming Spires we are all so used to seeing on racks in newspaper shops!

The Caravan Gallery will also be conducting talks and workshops in various venues in O3 Gallery and across the city including activities as part of Here and Now, a photographic exhibition of everyday Oxford taken by city residents that will be exhibited in The Gallery at the Old Fire Station (an exhibition in association with Arts at the Old Fire Station, Crisis Skylight and Oxfordshire Artweeks).

Exhibition open: 02.06.12 – 01.07.12

This exhibition of contemporary fine art jewellery looks to explore and stretch the notions of how or what it is to 'don' Oxford.

Contributing artists have been selected for their collectively broad approach to jewellery making and will undoubtedly reflect, interpret and respond to this theme in varied and surprising ways.
 
Contributing artists:
 
Farrah Al Dujaili, Karen Bartlett, Emily Bullock, Rachael Colley, Sally Collins, Sian Haigh-Brown, Lucy Harvey, Fiona Hermse, Heidi Hinder, Tamsin Leighton-Boyce, Yi Lu, Mikaela Lyons, Toni Mayner, Kathryn Partington, Jo Pond, Fliss Quick, Katherine Richmond, Miriam Rowe, Natalie Smith, Shadi Vossough, Li-Chu Wu
 
For more information visit the exhibition blog

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Exhibition open: 07.07.12 – 05.08.12

An exhibition exploring artists’ responses to Lewis Carol’s famous books, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

Exhibition open: 11.08.12 – 02.09.12

An exhibition of work by Oxford-based artist Neil Drury. Drury has been working as a full-time artist for nearly twenty years. Most of his art pieces centre on subject matter from the natural world, with a marked emphasis on flowers, still life, plant forms and colours as their central components. Recently he  has moved more towards abstract statements, serving both to refine and expand his fields of expression.

“I try to make all my pictures rich in colour, pattern and texture; I draw a lot of inspiration from colourist painters, particularly Matisse, Ivon Hitchens and Howard Hodgkin, and also the great still-life painters Chardin, Braque and the Nicholsons. I personally find the combination of natural forms, vibrant colour, and expressive line and texture a constant challenge and delight: it is a constant challenge to invent, express and confirm a visual idea – a process that never grows any easier; it is also a delight to create in the hope of achieving something lasting – some small expression of truth made out of colours and paper.” Neil Drury.

Exhibition open: 08.09.12 – 07.10.12

An exhibition of contemporary sculpture inspired by the natural world.

Exhibition open: October/November 2012

O3 Gallery’s Oxford Fashion Week 2012 exhibition will present a series of sketches, illustrations, garments, installation and photography from some of the finest up-and-coming creatives working in the fashion industry today.