The following artists, and their artworks, were once showcased at exhibitions organised by the previous Sheffield University Fine Art Society (SUFAS).


With its origins in the 1960s, the society flourished throughout the decades and has only recently, in 2012, been brought to an end. Upon its dissolution, the artworks which SUFAS had purchased throughout the years, were gifted to the University of Sheffield’s Heritage Collection where they remain today. Part of my research project was to further understand the widely unknown history of SUFAS as a way of highlighting the impacts it had on the artistic community of the University.


The following paintings have been selected as part of my research within the SUFAS archive.

4 artworks

.

Chillies 3
© the copyright holder. Image credit: University of Sheffield

Chillies 3 (SUFAS126)

Born in 1968, Ade Suberu grew up in Manchester and attended Sheffield City Polytechnic in 1987 and completed a BA in Fine Art.

Chillies 3 is an acrylic on canvas that uses dimension and varied colours to create a piece that is representative of chillies.

From the archive a statement by Suberu states that her work involves a direct personal response to her immediate surroundings that can be applied to a subject matter or environment.

The media Suberu used was just as important, if not more, than the subject matter when it came to trying to create different textual qualities, tones, light and colour.

The results of which are strong, vibrant and exciting to the eye. This is certainly evident in 'Chillies 3'

Chillies 3 1999
Ade Suberu (b.1968)
Acrylic on canvas
H 38 x W 49 cm
University of Sheffield

.

1458_SUFAS150_View_of_North_Church_Street_Bakewell_jpg
© the copyright holder. Image credit: The University of Sheffield

Peak District Cottages (SUFAS 150)

Bert Broomhead was born and raised in Bakewell and took much inspiration from the Peak District.

Broomhead became a soldier during WW2, an experience which undoubtedly impacted him for the rest of his life.

Following the war he studied at Sheffield School of Art in 1949. During which he was awarded a coveted medallion for his work in 1951. Much of his artistic work reflects inspiration from Van Gogh, such as short and effective brush strokes used to express emotions and give movement to paintings

In June 2010 SUFAS displayed a posthumous exhibition in the Hadfield building titled, ‘June Ghosts’, as homage to Broomhead and his life's work.

This image is a view of North Church Street and Churchyard, Bakewell.


Bert Broomhead (b. 1921) watercolour wash and pencil on paper 74.5 x 57.5 glazed

.

Pink Sky
© the artist. Image credit: University of Sheffield

Pink Sky (SUFAS140)

Born in Punjab (India) Amrik Varkalis moved to Yorkshire in 1975.

The exhibition for SUFAS was dedicated to relationships. In particular the relationship between people and the landscape but also between Amrik herself and her medium.

After growing up in Yorkshire, her artwork is an observation of English culture, whether that be the landscape or the people itself.

Paying homage to her childhood, her colour palette is vibrant. Her landscapes in particular were not intended to be representational but instead exhibit warmth, permanence and oneness with the environment.

'Pink Sky' was showcased at a SUFAS exhibition at the University in 2008.

Pink Sky
Amrik Varkalis (b.1949)
Oil on canvas
H 91 x W 91 cm
University of Sheffield

.

Arrangement before a Void
© the artist. Image credit: University of Sheffield

Arrangement before a Void

For his exhibition with the Sheffield University Fine Art Society, ‘Objects and Identities’ in September 2008, Graham Underhill took inspiration from the idea that human beings are inseparable from their objects.

Underhill said that “it is through the objects created, used and coveted and discarded that our species defines its identity”.

Underhill's SUFAS exhibition aims to demonstrate that objects also have an identity which is separate from their association with humans. In turn he highlights the indisputable fact that most objects have the potential to survive whilst their nominal owners leave little physical trace of their existence.

Arrangement before a Void 2008
Graham Underhill (b.1946)
Oil on canvas
H 99 x W 130 cm
University of Sheffield

.

Heroic Still Life with Hanging Nut
© the artist. Image credit: University of Sheffield

Heroic Still Life with Hanging Nut

Both 'Arrangement Before a Void' and 'Heroic Still Life with Hanging Nut' were purchased by the Sheffield Fine Art Society in 2008.

'Heroic Still Life with Hanging Nut' was part of a polyptych and as part of the original exhibition would have been hung accordingly in a way that derives maximum impact to its viewer.

For his works on canvas, oil paint was applied using different techniques and the works on paper were often mixed media collages.

Heroic Still Life with Hanging Nut 2008
Graham Underhill (b.1946)
Oil on canvas
H 160 x W 240 cm
University of Sheffield