An Exhibition of Paintings and Wood Art at the Public Library in Kyrenia

By Heidi Trautmann

The wishing tree in a curve of the road to Kayalar in the west of the island has been cut down but here it is in a painting of Muriel Clutten at her new exhibition. A wishing tree, a human crossroads, a monument of pain and hope, being given the recognition by a painter who daily passed it. A water colour painting with the wishes collaged.

From here to trees, long time companions and closest to humans, the tree a friend we not always recognise as such, that is Muriel’s fascination to draw and paint trees, the shadow they throws, its relationship to humans, its riches of colour.

Muriel always has a sketchbook with her to stop and record scenes she meets on her way, always attentive, never taking things for granted, always astonished of the beauty of nature, the curve of a road, the shapes of huts fitting into landscape, emphasising the colours of earth and sky with its depth and richness.

The relationship of the human form to its surrounding, in spaces of light dissolving the structure of solid forms. Not the object is important but the shadow it throws across the room, the space.

Whether she uses water colour or acrylic Muriel’s paintings are translucent, light in weight and her brush strokes avoiding hard edges, accepting the fraying of colour.

Small in size are most of her paintings in this new exhibition which is very pleasant, a collection of impressions rather than statements.

Hikmet Uluçam, an artist and friend opened the exhibition with appreciative words to the guests assembled in the friendly rooms of the new art venue in Kyrenia, on the first floor of the Public Library.

In one of the three rooms Martin Ashworth has on display wood installations, collected driftwood, as he explained. Touching, his African figures, that is how I see them, and I liked the four chair forms connected by a common pattern of music. In some objects Martin develops an abstract kind of humour. People like his backgammon tables with lid, Martin said, and thus did a friend of mine and bought the one on display on the spot.

If people would just pause once in a while during their race through life and look around them, they would find so many things of interest and beauty, they would not have burnouts or depressions and it is fun to sit there and think: ‘what can I do with this piece of wood I found here, or with a hip bone from perhaps a cow from another shore, or a big rope lost from a boat...’

The exhibition is still open until June 10 with daily viewing times from 10 am - 5 pm.

The Girne Public Library is next to the Colony Hotel’s House & Garden.