LANDSONGS (a dreaming) Watercolours by Thirza Kotzenat Mill Tye Gallery and Arts Centre

Mill Tye Gallery Presents LANDSONGS (a dreaming) An Exhibition of Watercolours by Thirza Kotzen Saturday 18 April – Monday 25 May 2026 Mill Tye Gallery in Great Cornard, Sudbury, is delighted to welcome internationally acclaimed artist Thirza Kotzen back to the gallery this Spring with her new exhibition, LANDSONGS (a dreaming) — a powerful and deeply personal collection of watercolours exploring landscape as memory, mapping and lived experience. Bringing together work created across Africa, Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, including her own garden, this exhibition reflects the breadth of Kotzen’s journeys — geographical, emotional and internal.

“I have lived my life in many places, and I found that early on landscape became my language for describing, in paint, where I have been,” She says. “My work tells the story of my life, the experiences I have had, and how this has affected me. I am not a panorama painter. My works are assimilations of feelings, visual excitement, and a need to record something that can be just moments in time.” In LANDSONGS (a dreaming), Kotzen presents her watercolour paintings. “I love the intensity of watercolour pigment and the fluidity of the medium,” she explains. “I love its vulnerability, and its strength. It is a joyous medium to work in, and its unique qualities mirror the power I see in nature”.

Born in Johannesburg in 1953, Kotzen studied painting and printmaking in Johannesburg, London and Eugene, USA, completing her Master of Fine Arts in 1979. Over the past four decades she has taught in American universities and in London, exhibited widely and received numerous international awards. Now based in London, her work is held in public and private collections worldwide. Her paintings are not literal depictions of place but emotional cartographies — mappings of story, relocation, rhythm and belonging. Each work becomes a visual record of lived experience, layered with memory and imagination.

Exhibition Preview Day Saturday 18 April 2026 | 10:30am – 6:00pm Join us for drinks and nibbles to celebrate the opening of LANDSONGS (a dreaming). The artist will be present throughout the day and available to discuss her work. To register your interest, RSVP at: www.milltyegallery.co.uk/exhibitions

Gallery Opening Hours: Thursday – Sunday, 10:30am – 4:00pm Free admission Free parking available (car park before the level crossing)

Workshop Opportunity Who Are We? Mapping Our Stories Through Mixed Media Led by Thirza Kotzen Thursday 14 May 2026 | 10:00am – 3:00pm Mill Tye Gallery Art Studio

To accompany the exhibition, Kotzen will lead a rare one-day mixed-media workshop exploring personal storytelling through artistic mapping. Building on the themes of LANDSONGS (a dreaming), participants will reflect on their own journeys — domestic, internal, emotional and experiential — and explore how these narratives can be translated into visual artworks. This is a unique opportunity to work closely with an internationally recognised artist who has taught extensively in the United States and London. Kotzen’s workshops are known for their depth, encouragement and thoughtful exploration of creative process.

Places are limited and booking is essential. Book your space at: www.milltyegallery.co.uk/book-online