Two MA Painting students have launched a new exhibition at TheBUG at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB).
Itch that Scratch: A celebration of colour and change, a collection of work from Natalia Karpinski and Paul Hartley, was unveiled on 27 January.
“For me, this show is a reflection of my inner world," says Natalia. “Expressing grief, loss and frustration on the paper with each brushstroke. I gather snippets of a tiny world on nature walks, things that most people don’t notice, like reflections on water, tiny fungus growing on dead wood, seaweed dancing in the waves, all while getting lost and immersing myself for hours in the woods or at the beach.
“Using photography as a recording method, I choose the photos that call to me and translate them onto canvas or handmade paper with oil colour. I love the deep bold colours of nature and try to emphasise that in my work.
“The palettes I have displayed are a celebration of colour. I collected them from last year's MA Painting students. They are pieces of art in themselves and express each artist's unique way of working. Much can be read from a way an artist uses their paint, and how they leave their paint marks behind.”
Paul adds, “My work celebrates the scratch as both as a mechanism for, and a metaphor of, change.
“In practical terms, I scratch basic marks, symbols and lyrical flourishes through layers of different coloured paints. Scratches are ubiquitous and ancient marks, that are more than a gesture of irritation or anger. They are the birthplace of written language and a means by which we satisfy curiosity; when we scratch ourselves, it can be painful, yet pleasurable; even addictive.
“In one piece, I celebrate an enigmatic, homeless New Yorker known as 'Pray', a rare example of ‘scratchitti’, a sub-genre of graffiti that, for some, crosses the border into vandalism.
“In other work, I play with ‘noise’ levels by making barely visible scratches through the paint, hoping that less can be more in a world where resources are becoming increasingly limited.”
The exhibition will run at TheBUG gallery, located in South House on AUB Campus, from 27 January – 6 February 2026.
