I decided to visit SOTA Gallery in Witney as part of my Art Award Silver. They had a wide variety of pieces of display. 

These pieces included:

• original art

• sculptures

• ceramics

• jewellery

• prints.

I have been to multiple art galleries before, including for my Art Award Bronze, so this was not an entirely new experience for me. The galleries I have been to in the past were mainly focused around paintings, whereas SOTA gallery was just as much about sculptures and ceramics as paintings and flat works. I really enjoyed this because I love 3D as well as 2D pieces, as each of the diverse types of art are engaging and exciting in their own way.

One of my favourites was titled 'Barn Owl 7' and was made by Ean Dawbarn. On his website, he says that through his sculptures, he aims to "showcase the graphic magnificence of the memories of both human industrial development and the stark reality of natural mortality". I think this is perfect for explaining the experience of seeing his works, but I feel that that description relates even more heavily to 'Barn Owl 7' than some of his other works as the theme of industrial development really shines through with there only being one colour. This brass/copper colour (I'm not sure what the sculpture is made of) is unnatural and monotone.

Here is a link to Ean’s website, where many more of his sculptures can be found: https://www.eandawbarn.co.uk/

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, but I feel that a lot of artwork was displayed in a very limited space, often with sculptures in front of pictures on the wall, so not every piece could be viewed completely clearly. I understand that this may not be possible or very practical but would have made the viewing experience slightly more pleasant.