ART should get people talking says Humph Hack, curator of exhibitions at Malvern Theatres.

But in introducing the latest exhibition at the venue, Mr Hack admits it's not always so easy to second guess the taste of the visiting public.

He said: "The one thing I have learnt from curating exhibitions at Malvern Theatres is that there is no way of knowing what will appeal to the hundreds of people who visit the theatre each week. They come to see a play, watch a film or just use the popular bistro.

"The choice of artists on show, therefore, remains a mixture of works never seen before in Malvern and other paintings from artists with a proven following; nothing too “way out” or too “traditional”. All the works are intended to encourage dialogue."

Mr Hack added: "David Shiers, has a proven track record of sales over a number of years. He has shown successfully in the theatre before. He travels from the Wirral, where he lives and has his studio. He has worked in various studios as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator, exhibiting widely around the country. The only tuition he ever received was from attending Liverpool College of Art life drawing classes. He now paints mostly landscapes, and architectural subjects. The paintings are all about capturing the light, atmosphere and essence of a subject. Although he works in a wide variety of media, all the works in this show are in oils.

"Jill Lloyd has also shown in the theatre before. Based in Herefordshire, she paints avidly and with passion and says she feels 'driven to paint'. Her works are a celebration of the joy of nature and of colour. This liveliness is very apparent in her work. She uses brush and palette knife to produce her pictures. She has a great love of colour and whilst she likes to paint traditionally, finds herself drawn to abstracting her work and painting in an Impressionistic style. Her interest in the coast is influenced by her upbringing in Lytham St. Annes."

The third artist in the new exhibition, Nineke Havinga was born and brought up in the Netherlands, but has lived in the UK for more than 20 years.

Mr Hack said:"Her passion for painting actually started when she moved to England. The landscape, very different from the land of her birth, inspired her to begin with watercolour. She then moved to work in acrylics, which are a very versatile medium. "They dry quickly, which means she can overpaint again and again, adding new colourful forms and shapes. She says that her paintings can be of any subject as long as the end result is colourful and often abstract. Her aim is to provide a starting point from which the viewer can follow his or her own imagination to a personal interpretation. This is Nineke’s first exhibition in Malvern."

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