GRIT AND GRACE showcases the stunning works of John Clinock and Val Armstrong, who met at 360XQMX over a year ago, and have been painting together ever since. For both, it’s an experiment of sorts. Neither has exhibited work generated through a coming together of creative processes that promotes sharing despite very different styles. And yet, it seems this particular union is destined to generate synergy, beauty, personal healing and storytelling knit together through their shared Celtic heritage and deep British roots.
More details about the show, and the artists, can be found below. We hope you’ll come see the exquisite work, and also invite you to celebrate with the artists at the upcoming closing reception.
Closing Reception:
Tuesday, April 29th
5:00 -7:00 pm
Duration of the Show:
March 16 - April 30
9:00 am - 6:00 pm, or by appointment (email hello@360xqmx.com)
Work by John Clinock:
Work by Val Armstrong:
John and Val are no strangers to the artists’ residency. For both, it is their third time attending. Both participated in it when it was directed and facilitated by Deborah (Cobra) Kruger, a textile artist based in Chapala. They met in 2024 in Ajijic, when the venture was housed at a different location and have been working collaboratively to mount Grit and Grace, since February 2024, under the directorship of Bethany Putnam.
John’s art will offer participants a visual adventure and an opportunity to explore their own story through abstract painting comprised of layers of color, form and spontaneous mark-making. Organic and intuitive, John’s new works play with layers of color and form. “It’s a conversation – a dance - between myself and the painting; expressions of my soul,” says John. “A way to understand the mysterious self – this kind of art is a poem in and of itself and is open to interpretation. I want people to get really involved in my painting and go away with a story of what it means to them. If they ask, ‘Where does this come from’, I’ll tell them my story – but it’ll be pretty open-ended…”
Val invites you to come and hear the music this dual exhibit will generate. “I think our work will sing together,” says Val, noting that she and John ‘come from a similar place’ –metaphorically and perhaps, on some levels, emotionally. “Both of us layer our paintings and there’s always deep symbolism.”
Val painted on and off through the years, but it wasn’t until 2016, that life circumstances and personal loss helped her realize she had to paint. “I threw my inner self onto canvas, board and paper,” she says, recalling how her art therapy training was suddenly a healing force in her own life.
Since arriving in Mexico, Val is fascinated by ‘the faces of Mexico’ clarifying they are not portraits, but rather, personalities. Her past work, as an art therapist, is integral to her work, enabling her to weave human attributes, emotions and stories onto the paper. Her current work emerges following hours of intuitive applications of pigment, glaze and mixed media. With music as her muse, she creates a collage of colors, textures, words and miscellaneous papers, gathered from her surroundings. “I love to use text,” she says, adding that titles for her paintings are important. “I want people to make their own interpretations of my art so the titles are a bit ambiguous.” If the work is made in Mexico she sometimes gives it a Spanish title and searches for ideas among the words of the late Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda.
This is Val’s first exhibit in Mexico. She says the sunshine and the culture’s vibrancy and joy inspire her and her art. “I go home with Mexico in my bones and people at home in the UK have commented that Mexico has changed my work.”
More About the Artists:
