People, Places, Patterns, Pots & Plants

2 - 30 July 2025

Lucy Mathers and Susan Webb became friends when they met at an exhibition and it soon became apparent they had a mutual love of pattern and patterns in nature. They also share a passion for collage and creating their own unique papers for their paintings.

Their second exhibition at The Three Hares Gallery in Olney is People, Places, Patterns, Pots and Plants inspired by observations of the world around them alongside a little touch of imagination – everyday life, everyday settings and, of course, patterns

FREE Gallery Entry Tuesdays to Saturdays 11:00am – 4:30pm

The Three Hares Gallery, Cowper & Newton Museum, Orchard Side, Market Place, Olney, Bucks, MK46 4AJ

Susan Webb

I have always been a creative person, but felt there was something hidden deep within me that I needed to ‘find’.

Eight years ago I went to a two hour watercolour workshop, where we all painted the same picture. I knew that style of art wasn’t for me, but it ignited a passion. I started on a journey that I hope never ends.

I joined a weekly art class that exposed me to different styles and media, and through that I found I was drawn to collage, patterns and colours.

I can become completely absorbed experimenting with paint and paper and make most of my collage papers myself. I build my work up in layers, never quite knowing where it is going. I like each piece to develop organically.

I feel inspired by the patterns of nature, and enjoy sketching outdoors to absorb the feelings of my surroundings.

Lucy Mathers

A gift I remember receiving as a child was a really long plastic packet of felt-tipped pens. So exciting to see all those colours lined up in a row. Another favourite was a pattern colouring book. Geometric patterns made of simple shapes like triangles and squares. About eight designs that repeated throughout the book. Hours spent at the dining table finding ways to use the pattern to create new shapes, and exploring colours, making sure each page was different!

Into adulthood the patterns took a different form: computing, data analysis, statistics – looking for patterns in information… and anomalies.

Now patterns are present in my paintings: almost a full circle back to those childhood days. I’m currently in love with experimenting and exploring the nuance in pattern. The familiar and the unfamiliar, unexpected changes or breaks in pattern. Patterns in places we might not expect. They help or hinder what we are seeing.

The body of work you see in this exhibition, alongside Susan’s, explores our shared love of patterns with a variety of subjects!