Local Artists

Michael Parker
Michael Parker is an artist skilled in palette knife painting.  His use of colours in oil paint and his unusual abstract style, have made him ever more popular with the public.  He has been painting all his life, specialising in figurative art and all types of expressionistic paintings.  He rarely uses brushes having progressed to working with palette knives.  He enjoys depicting all types of leisure and sporting pastimes but most of all animals and human figures, the horse being a particular favourite striving to achieve movement in the paintings, conjuring up the excitement of all life.

He explains: “I have been painting all my life.  I now realise that I was on an apprenticeship of learning the skills, and the knowledge of painting in different mediums.  Finally settling with oil paint, which is by far my favourite.  I am self-taught and after many years I have developed my own style and technique.  Eventually progressing to working with large palette knives.  I believe the skill of using them came from my profession as a builder, plasterer, bricklayer, and developer.”

“I have found an interest in colour relativity and I have changed my palette to a joyful set of colours bringing in violets, cadmium hues, reds, greens and blues to my paintings.  My knives give me the opportunity to create a scene of abstract fragments depicting the scene but not in its perfect form.”

Michael lives in Dorset, and his work can be found in many different counties throughout England and in Europe.  He is available for individual oil painting commissions, palette knife demonstrations to art societies and clubs, and also painting workshop days.

For more information, please visit Michael’s website:  www.michaelparkerart.com

Helen Frost
My work is inspired by and comes directly from our beaches, where I pick litter and collect “treasure”.  I take a camera to record my finds, finding absorption in the hunt. 

But this is just the start - I then produce pieces in response to the items that I find on my walks around the shore.   I am drawn to the texture, marks, colour and form of the junked and the jettisoned.  A long-lost spoon, a boat engine fuel filter, a lobster pot spacer - these are my pieces of treasure.  I spend many hours scouring beaches and harbours and have developed an eye for spotting things that don’t belong.  I like to work with a variety of media, in 2D and 3D, utilising found wood, metal, rubber, cloth, plastic or anything else that appeals.  

I am fascinated with the process by which a pristine, utilitarian, commonplace manmade item enters the sea and is returned to the land at some point, brought by tide and wind. On its return it has become unique - altered, distressed, made more beautiful and rendered useless! What happens in between is guess work!!

I work from my home studio in Affpuddle and, having exhibited in our old home of Chichester, look forward to creating and displaying my Dorset work as well as my back catalogue in the years ahead.

Helen Frost 

Website:   www.helenfrostartist.com

Instagram:  helenfrostartist

Purbeck Arts Weeks
Helen is displaying her work, alongside fellow Affpuddle resident, Karen Hally, during the Purbeck Arts Weeks 27 May to 11 June, 2023 - see this site's News Page for more info

Deborah Clarke
Community Artist
I have been working in clay for over 20 years. It started with schoolwork experience in a ceramic studio. From then on, I knew I wanted to learn more about clay. I have been taught by some amazing potters and ceramicists while studying my degree in Ceramics at Bath. I went on to learn new skills helping at the International Potters Festival, Aberystwyth and exhibited at the New Designers exhibition in London, going on to exhibit across the Southwest.  I enjoy regularly attending demonstrations. I also enjoy taking part in experimental kiln firings when I get a chance.

The colours, shapes and patterns used in my creations are inspired by the Dorset landscapes. The Jurassic Coast with jagged dark rocks protruding from the cliffs and glimpses of fossils. I build sculptural pieces using a range of hand building techniques in a variety of clays mainly firing at earthenware temperatures in an electric kiln. Although I have experimented with both functional and sculptural work I am always drawn back to animals. Animals are very much like humans; they have their own individual characters and relate to each other in a group. I try to give each animal its own personality. I like to add an element of fun.  Clay has infinite possibilities and exploring some of those will always be a joy.

Please see the following links to my website, Instagram and Etsy.  I am available for commissions.

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/deborahclarkeceramics
and Etsy:  https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CreativeClayForAll

Website:  www.creativeclayforall.co.uk