Cuckoo Farm Studios

Hilary Owers trained as a printmaker and traces of this legacy remain evident in her current practice. Working predominantly in monochrome and through a variety of techniques, Owers explores the medium of drawing.

There is a surprising use of scale in Owers' work, she creates both large images of exotic landscapes alongside detailed studies of single plants. Her series 'Dry Garden' - inspired by the novels by Nancy Friday - is a body of work that develops this duality whilst also using nature metaphorically.

Owers allows her compositions to be almost organically lead by what she chooses to portray. Her work similarly draws on the nature / female binary to investigate gender based issues and peculiarities. The contrast between delicate flowers and spiky cacti for example, is evocative of a tension presupposed in sexuai and familial relationships. Owers' method of excising marks with sandpaper and rubbers further extends this to include violence, perhaps even misogyny.