Featured work by Sandra Blow

Sadly Sandra Blow RA died on 22nd August 06 at the age of 80.

She was an inspiration in both her work and her life, any body who had the pleasure of meeting her would have been touched by her vivaciousness and style. From 1941 Sandra studied at St Martins and the Royal Academy schools but it was in 1947 after moving to Italy that she started her painting career making her mark with strong tonal works using paint and collage. It was here where she met Alberto Burri. When she returned to London in 1950 she joined the forefront of British Modern Abstract Art. Her successs followed quickly achieving internatioanl recognition. Sandra spent 44 years in London devoting her working life to developing her abstract art. It was a time that she described as being 'wide open` her contemporaries were the likes of Bacon, Freud, Frost, Hilton + Pasmore also the jazzman and art critic George Melly. In 1960 she won the Guggenheim International Award. In 1971 Sandra was elected into the Royal Academy and in 1983 received an Honorary Fellowship. Sandra moved to Cornwall in 1994 where she continued to work right up until her sudden death. CCA Galleries have had the great pleasure of working with Sandra for over seven years and in that time have published many stunning silkscreen prints with collaged elements and textures and glazes, her uncompromising approach pushed printmaking techniques to new boundaries with the introduction of Hessian, film and cloth. The prints have become almost sculptural. Last year in celebration of Sandra's 80th birthday CCA published a silkscreen entitled 'Rilievo' The collaged edition of 80 pieces is so delicately constructed that each one is presented Boxed.

COLLECTIONS INCLUDE Arts Council of Great Brition Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Contemporary Arts Society, London Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Leeds City Art Gallery Leicester Museum of Art Liverpool University. Museum Modern Art New York Nuffield Foundation Tate Gallery British Council Victoria and Albert Museum.