Hundreds of pieces exhibited in art societies' show

Robin Beauly Austin's painting of Nordic trapper Karl Olof was chosen as the chair's favourite in the exhibition

Hundreds of pieces of work by artists belonging to art groups across Coventry and Warwickshire have gone on display.

The 275 pieces are on show at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in the city.

For the first time, artists belonging to the Sitting Rooms of Culture Facebook group, set up to support artists during the Covid-19 pandemic, were able to submit work alongside other arts groups.

Selecting works for the exhibition was "hard work" for her and volunteers, said organiser Susan Moore, chair of the Coventry Art Societies Exhibition.

But the resulting show was "absolutely fantastic", she added.

Textile piece "Colliding Galaxies NCG2207" was created by artist Karen Johnson

Self-portrait "Anne in a Green Dress" was painted by Anne Taylor who is a member of the art group Art Alert in Nuneaton

Stratford-upon-Avon artist Robin Beauly Austin said he had been left "overwhelmed" after five of his pieces were chosen.

"This means so much to me," he said.

"As a boy I used to wander round the Herbert looking at all the paintings and wishing one day mine would be up there."

One of his works, titled "Karl Olof", was chosen by Ms Moore as the chair's favourite.

"Asha the Land Shark" by Aphrodite Kotis, a member of Rugby Artists and Makers

Coventry artist Vesela Sultanova, who painted this, won two commended awards for her exhibition work

A member of Sitting Rooms of Culture, Karen Johnson, was also successful in having work accepted.

Her textile piece, "Colliding Galaxies NCG2207", signified "a patch of the universe and my expression of the magnificence of the cosmos".

"On the day of the submissions for the exhibition there was a real buzz of excitement from the Sitting Rooms of Culture artists who brought their artwork into the gallery," she said.

"It was also a fantastic opportunity to meet all the artists and speak to them about their individual pieces, the techniques they used and the stories behind their creations."

The exhibition comprises 275 pieces from artists across Coventry and Warwickshire

A picture depicting historic buildings of Coventry by Karen Pittaway was chosen as a favourite by the Lord Mayor of Coventry, Jaswant Singh Birdi and wife Krishna

Ms Moore said she was also chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Society of Artists, one of the oldest art societies in the country.

Founded at the turn of the 20th Century, it had campaigned and raised money to have the Herbert gallery built for local artists to exhibit, she said.

"So it's really important to have local artists able to show their work there," Ms Moore added.

"But not only that, this exhibition is the biggest ever of local artists probably anywhere in the country," she added.

"This is the first big show since Covid and since City of Culture and wow, what a show we're putting on.

"I just can't say how brilliant it is."

"Struggles" was painted by Cozmin Olalau who is studying art at Coventry University

The free Coventry Art Societies Exhibition runs at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum until 3 March.