Two artists inspired by the colour blue

The Coolest Colour
An exhibition at Powderham Castle,  Kenton EX6 8JQ until 31 October 2025

A paper cello, a ‘Sky Window’ and a portrait of Van Gogh are all part of an exhibition inspired by the colour blue.

Two artists had the idea to collaborate on the exhibition at Powderham Castle, which has its own special shade known as Powderham Blue.

Gillian Taylor has been taking photos of the sky every day since the first lockdown, and Jane Perkins decided to create a large-scale installation of a bowerbird’s bower, decorated with blue objects from the Castle.

Jane Perkins gathers old plastic toys, shells, beads, buttons and other small objects to make her own versions of the Old Masters, portraits, and pictures of animals. The exhibition includes portraits of Van Gogh and the current (blue-eyed) Earl of Devon, and other art in which blue plays a key role. 

Jane has been inspired by bowerbirds for many years – they also collect objects. The satin bowerbird collects blue objects to decorate its bower and attract a mate. Jane had the idea to create a huge bower, and collect blue items from around the Castle as if she was a bowerbird and the castle was her territory. 

Jane said:
“I love art with an element of fun and the unexpected. I hope my work will make people smile. The sculptor David Mach once said that every artist needs to find the right material to express themselves. I feel that these materials express ‘me’.  I find some modern art incomprehensible and inaccessible. I want my work to be seen and enjoyed by all sorts of people of all ages.”

Gillian Taylor has created a ‘Sky Window’ covered in images of the sky selected from 1,825 photos taken daily since the beginning of the first lockdown.

Gillian said:
“When lockdown first happened, there were blue skies and sunshine for a few weeks. We had to stay at home with restricted access to the outside world. I began to look around me and appreciate the space that I had. I looked straight up at the sky and took a photo – a perfect rectangle of blue. 

“I posted the picture on social media, and had lots of responses from friends. I carried on taking pictures of the sky from the same spot in my garden each day. People commented on the shades of blue, the shapes of the clouds, and messaged me if the day’s photo hadn’t appeared. I’ve been taking daily photos of the sky ever since.”

Gillian is also a paper artist. Inspired by the musical instruments depicted in the decorative plasterwork on the Powderham Blue staircase, she has created a paper cello. The fingerboard and tailpiece are made from old cello music, and the strings are different shades of blue. 

Gillian came across a set of old love letters which inspired her to make collections of tiny handmade envelopes lined with gold paper. The letters were written by Eric, an aircraft engineer who wrote to his love two or three times a week for five years before and during World War II. Some of the letters are written on blue tinted paper, which was first used in the 18th Century – everything in the exhibition has a connection to the coolest colour. 

The Coolest Colour exhibition is at Powderham Castle until 31 October.