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Jemma Appleby
“As a child I spent considerable time in the New Forest, so rather than finding forests threatening, I think of them as offering sanctuary and calm. I believe they could be the only natural wilderness everyone can relate to, whether it is from a direct encounter or childhood memories of the park. Forests are emotionally loaded not only with myth and fairytale but also with our base instinct to fear the unknown, resulting in a longing for shelter or protection. The structures I integrate into the landscape are based on Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian houses. Initially they give the illusion of a building, which could be a refuge, however in reality they are no more than geometric planes, which create a facade. It is this longing to be protected in an unknown environment, or our wish to live at a retreat from the world, that lets us believe these structures are complete dwellings. Taking Wright's Usonian houses and laying them in majestic and perhaps romantic forestscapes, where they do not naturally belong, gives them an isolated grandeur. My 'Still-life landscapes' are a development of planar forms that allow the landscape image to become an object in its own right. These pieces are the beginning of a new stage of integration and blurring in my work between landscape, architecture and perception.”
Education
2006 - 2009 1st Class BA Hons Fine Art Painting - City and Guilds of London Art School, 2005 - 2006 Foundation Art Studies - Byam Shaw School of Art
Awards
The Arts Club Prize for Finest Drawing, National Open Art Competition Chichester, October 2010
Royal Society of British Artists residency award at The British School at Rome July 2010
The Haworth Trust Award for Painting 2009
Exhibitions
2011 September Outside In, Store Street Gallery - London
2011 September One Alfred Place Autumn 2011, Lisa Sharpe Contemporary Art - London
2011 August Artworks Open 2011, Barbican Arts Group Trust - London
2011 March Exhausted Colour, Griffin Rayne Gallery - London
2011 March RBA Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries - London
2010 December Intimate Spaces, Galerie8 - London
2010 November The National Open Art Competition - Chichester
2010 October Along These Lines, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens - Romsey
2010 September Threadneedle Prize, The Mall Galleries - London
2010 August Hampshire Open Studios - Lymington
2010 February Young Talents, Affordable Art Fair - Brussels
2009 October The Recent Graduates 2009, Affordable Art Fair - London
2009 August Hampshire Open Studios - Lymington
2009 June City and Guilds of London Art School Degree Show - London
2008 June Trinity Buoy Wharf - London
2008 May The Jago - London
2007 June Art Space Interim Show - London
2006 September Babington House - London
2006 May Eltham College - London
2006 March Stark Gallery - Canterbury
Michael Bennallack Hart
Michael Bennallack Hart was born in 1948 in Sussex, and studied at Ravensbourne College of Art in London from 1966-70. He began his career designing and illustrating film posters and record sleeves, and painting landscapes and sports scenes. In the 70s and 80s he worked as an advertising art director and as an illustrator, while continuing to paint and exhibiting at the Spectrum Gallery in New York.
Bennallack Hart's wonderfully skilled and evocative landscape paintings in oils and pastels physically transport you to the spot where he will have been painting, so much so that you can almost feel the air and sense the sounds and smells around him.
“As time goes by, I'm able to draw on an ever increasing fund of memories, feelings and experience to help with creating the atmosphere in a painting.”
“As a general rule, I let the sensation of the subject tell me how to make the painting. I don't work to a formula, because I feel that each landscape has its own character. Quite often, it can take days, weeks, months, or in some cases, years, before I know how to approach the work.”
Aisha Caan
Aisha Caan’s work is influenced by religion and science and inspired by Abstract Expressionist Artists. The Essence of God and the Creation of the Universe has been a very integral source of inspiration in her paintings. Trying to express this unknown phenomenon in a form of Fine Art, is not easy, because no matter what medium she may choose, it is a form of physical matter, trying to express something that is not physical, or representational. However, by using Arabic calligraphy, extracts of verses from the Quran and other holy scriptures, and trying to create luminosity within her work, a form of religious and sacred art is being created within the framework of contemporary art.
The Four Elements (picture above)
Man cannot survive without the perfect harmony of the elements of nature. The creation of the universe series has required Aisha to research into every aspect of Creation through both science and religion. The discoveries of the scientific theories from the beginning of time to every aspect of God’s creation and the verses in the sacred scriptures, especially in the Quran, have made the existence of life so much easier for her to comprehend. This unity between art, science and religion has and will continue to be intrinsic within her art practice, as she feels there is an element of spirituality amongst each of these disciplines, which is the essence of her work.
Born 1959 in Bombay. Lived in London since 1967.
London College of Fashion – 1978 – 1981
Kensington & Chelsea College – 2003 – 2006 (Prof. Dev Course in Fine Art)
Central St Martins School of Art – 2006 – 2008 (MA Degree in Fine Art)
Group Exhibitions:
2004 – Hortensia Gallery, London SW10
2005 – Hortensia Gallery, London SW10
2006 – Hortensia Gallery, London SW10
2007 – Nolias Gallery, London N1
2008 – CSM Charing Cross, London WC2
2009 – PWC
Solo Exhibitions:
2007 – House of Lords, London SW1
2008 – LIoyds TSB, Mayfair, London W1
2009 – ING
2011 – Albemarle Gallery
Saied Dai
Saied spent seven years of art training at Bournemouth & Poole College of Art and then the Royal Academy of Arts, London for his postgraduate studies. Saied has had many exhibitions in the UK and abroad. He was made a member of The Royal Society of Portrait Painters in 2004 and The New English Art Club in 2009.
Commenting on the difficulties of portraiture, he states "Portraiture can be considered to be the most complex of the visual idioms, both structurally and psychologically and consequently the most fascinating, as one is dealing with humanity itself or in mirror reflection, ourselves. It is also a microcosm in which one can explore almost all the problems of drawing and painting."
Art Education
1980 - 1984 - Royal Academy of Arts, London Post Graduate Diploma in Painting
1977 - 80 - Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design Degree - Fine Art, Painting
1976 - 77 - Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design Foundation Diploma
Selected Exhibitions
2011 - ‘Pure Gold: 50 Years of the Federation of British Artists’, Mall Galleries, London.
2010 - ‘The Discerning Eye’ Mall Galleries, London.Royal West of England Academy, Open Exhibition, invited Artist.‘The Magic and Poetry of Everyday Life’, Messum’s Gallery, London. Brian Sinfield Gallery, Burford, mixed exhibition.
2009 – 2010 - The New English Art Club, Mall Galleries, London.
2009 - Brian Sinfield Gallery, Burford, Two Man Exhibition. Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Mall Galleries, London. Frost and Reed Gallery, London, Three Man Show.
2008 - Alan Cluckow Fine Art, Sunningdale, Berkshire, Three Man Show. Girton College, Cambridge, Peoples Portrait Collection. Anthony Hepworth Fine Art, Mixed Exhibition. Cambridge Gallery, Santa Monica, California, U.S.A., Mixed Exhibition.
2007 - Quest Gallery, Bath, Solo Exhibition. Winner of The Prince of Wales Drawing School Award for Portrait Drawing, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Mall Galleries, London. Chappel Gallery, Colchester, Mixed Exhibition.
2006 - The Holburne Dukes Portrait Prize, Holburne Museum, Bath. Petley Fine Art, Cork Street, London, Solo Show. Winner of ‘Ondaatje’ Prize for Portraiture, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Mall Galleries, London. National Portrait Gallery, Selection of work from the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Exhibition.
2005 - Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Mall Galleries, London. Petley Fine Art, Cork Street, London, Solo Show.
2004 - Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Mall Galleries, London. The Holburne Contemporary Portrait Prize, Holburne Museum, Bath.
2000 - Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Mall Galleries, London. National Portrait Gallery, Selection of work from the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Exhibition.
1990 - 2000 - Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London (regular exhibitor). Nairi Sahakian Gallery, London. B.P. Portrait Award Exhibition (Prize Winner) National Portrait Gallery, London. ‘Young Contemporaries‘, (Prize Winner) Christies, London. Sue Rankin Gallery, London, Mixed Exhibition.Agnew’s Fine Arts, London, Mixed Exhibition.
Graham Dean
In association with Waterhouse and Dodd
Painters Mall Galleries.Kenneth Draper RA
“His generosity of spirit, his energy and his love of life are reflected in his work. Amid so much art that is glib, meretricious and spiritually empty, Draper is producing work that ravishes the eye and nourishes the soul.” Roger Berthoud, journalist, art historian and author of ‘The Life and Art of Kenneth Draper
Kenneth Draper RA, born 1944 was elected to be a Member of the Royal Academy in 1991. Having studied painting at Kingston School of Art, Draper went on to study sculpture at the Royal College of Art where he pursued his passion of the three dimensional form: pushing the boundaries of sculpture and exploring form and space beyond pure painting. Many of these early sculptures were made of wood, steel and resin (materials Draper still uses today) and were massive in scale – some more than 16ft high. At this time, Draper started to explore ways of incorporating paint into these structures to give them a feeling of weightlessness; this is a continuing theme that runs through his work over 40 years later - his work now evolving into smaller, yet hugely powerful and dramatic sculptural constructions on paper and board.
"Kenneth Draper’s work hangs in some of the great art galleries of the world as well as in the best of homes.... everywhere it hangs, everywhere his art is seen, it is cherished for its humanity and its challenge, the gorgeousness of its surface and the profound depths which lurk beneath. Life is richer for its presence.” Colin Roth, writer.
Draper’s talent was recognised at the age of 21 by the Redfern Gallery in Cork Street who at that time were one of the relatively few galleries in the London’s West End to promote “modern” art; Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth had made their public debuts there in a mixed show in 1924. Draper had his first group show with them in 1965, followed by a solo exhibition in 1969 and he has continued to exhibit internationally with numerous galleries including the Whitechapel Art Gallery; the Courtauld; the Fitzwilliam Museum; the Hayward Gallery; Flowers East; the Hart Gallery; Art Miami, Florida; Glenn Green Gallery, Santa Fe, the Geneva Art Fair; Adelson Galleries, New York; The Royal Academy; the list goes on…
Kenneth Draper RA writes about his work: "Living and working on the Island of Menorca for the last few years has been the main inspiration for my work. Although a small Island, this prehistoric terrain is infinitely varied in geological structure and extremes of climate. The intense heat of July and August bake the earth so dry that it seems an impossibility that anything could survive. This is in stark contrast to winter where the ferocious north wind is so awesome it can bend the stoutest of trees almost double. This wind literally shapes the island's overall structure where hills and trees lean from north to south. In October the storms and rain immediately rejuvenate the earth which after the long hot summer changes the colour of the landscape from deep reds and orange to lush emerald greens which virtually appear overnight. There is also the magic of the “Lunar landscape” which seems to transport you to another world and the multitude of deep caves and labyrinths with echoing spaces and near absence of light.
This is the kind of landscape which most acutely fires my imagination in that it contains visual events or phenomena relating to its passage through time: how it is, how it was, and how in the future it might be. 'Events' which exude sensations of the history which brought them into being. A sense of time and change is paramount in all my responses to its cause and effect: the fixed and the evolving, the seen and the hidden, and my passion to express this. I am referring here to the physicality of the landscape; the very earth, wind, fire and water of which it is made. My emotive responses and feelings are also magnified by the particular time I am there. By this I mean the effusion of light, the depth of shadow, and the intensity of the way that the sun's brilliance at noon in August dematerialises objects as they melt into black shadows in the space which surrounds them. Then there is the light of night captured in the moon’s translucent beauty which belies its gravitational power to move oceans.
Apart from the conflicting forces found in nature which shape the land, I am deeply moved by the penetrating scars of mines, quarries and excavations, and the often tragic yet disturbingly beautiful aftermath of places which have bean transformed by the industrial workings of man. This has held a fascination since my childhood in Yorkshire where the huge cones of waste scattered the skyline as a reminder of the earth removed from underground. The limestone quarries in Menorca are deep limestone “cubes” hand cut and hundreds of feet deep from which entire towns have been built. Now they are abandoned chambers which have the scale of cathedrals full of reflected light containing an astounding spiritual energy.
Within this extraordinary island with its excesses of heat and ravaging storms there also exists a myriad microscopic environment of detail where plants and flowers seam to defy the extreme elements in a struggle to survive, an inner world of intimacy to which I am increasingly drawn. The way a small cavity in a stone gives shelter to an embryonic growth which takes a similar shape to the cavity which contains it.
The focus of the more recent work is to combine even closer the physicality of sculpture with illusions more generally associated with painting. The works are made in resins, steel, wood, copper, and occasional “found” object which are coloured with layers of oil and pure pigment. Although the works have the fluidity of “painting” it is the sculptural forms which slowly gain prominence floating from the surface inviting the eye into another secret place. My overall desire is to make works which pay homage to, and celebrate the power of the natural world in its transient yet piercing beauty." Ken Draper RA February 2010
Kenneth Draper’s work can be found major Public and Corporate Collections:
Arthur Anderson, London
Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Wales
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Cartwright Hall Museum and Art Gallery, Bradford
Contemporary Art Society, London
Courtauld Institute, London
De Beer’s Collection, London
Fitzwilliam Museum and Art Gallery, Cambridge
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, London
Hammersmith Hospital, London
Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, Lancashire
ICI, London
International Bank of Japan, London
Leicestershire Education Authority
Lloyds of London
Lloyds TSB Bank, London
M.A. Braganza & Co, London
Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield,
McCrory Corporation, New York, USA
Mischon de Reya, London
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
National Westminster Bank, London
Pearl Assurance, London
Royal Life Group
Unilever PLC, London
Usher Gallery, Lincoln
Solo Exhibitions
2010 El Castel, Menorca
2009 El Castel, Menorca
2009 Lisa Sharpe Contemporary Art, Art London
2007 Castlegate House Gallery, Cumbria
2006 Royal Academy of Arts, London
2004 Studio 3, London
2003 Hart Gallery, London
2002 Hart Gallery, London
2000 Hart Gallery, London
1998 New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham
Hart Gallery, London
1996 Hart Gallery, London
Hart Gallery, Nottingham
1995 Peter Bartlow Gallery, Chicago, USA
Bridport Arts Centre, Bridport, Dorset
Hart Gallery, London
1994 Hart Gallery, London
Studio 3, London
1993 Adelson Gallery, New York, USA
Hart Gallery, Nottingham
Royal Academy of Arts, London
1991 Glenn Green Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Austin Desmond Gallery, London
Grape Lane Gallery, York
1990 Hampstead Theatre Gallery, London
1984 Gallerie Nouvelles Images, Den Haag, Holland
1982 The Minories, Colchester
Chapter Art Gallery, Cardiff, Wales
1981 Alpirsbach Gallerie, Alpirsbach, Germany
EGK Galleries, Stuttgart, Germany
Warwick Arts Trust, London
1978 Redfern Gallery, London
Cartwright Hall, Museum and Art Gallery, Bradford, Yorkshire
1969 Redfern Gallery, London
Group Exhibitions
2010 Lisa Sharpe Contemporary Art, London
2010 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
2009 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
2008 “A Century of Sheffield Art” Millennium Gallery, Sheffield
Derwent-Wye Fine Art, Rowsley, Derbyshire
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
Invited Artist, Pastel Society, The Mall Galleries, London
2007 “Homage to Menorca”, Sa Nostra Foundation, Menorca. Two person exhibition with Jean Macalpine
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
“Circa 1976” Milton Keynes Gallery, Works from the Arts Council Collection
Castlegate House Gallery, Cumbria
2006 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
2005 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
Castlegate House Gallery, Summer Exhibiton, Cumbria
2004 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
2003 Contemporary Sculpture, Palm Beach, Florida
EUROP’ART, Geneva
Contemporary Art Fair, Chelsea, London
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
‘Sterling Stuff’ Royal Academy, London
2002 Contemporary Art Fair, Chelsea, London
Twentieth Century Art Fair, Royal College of Art, London
Gallery in Cork Street, London
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
2001 Contemporary Art Fair, Geneva, Switzerland
International Art Exposition, Chicago, USA
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
Twentieth Century Art Fair, Royal College of Art, London
Contemporary Art Fair, Chelsea, London
2000 ‘Art Miami 2000’ Florida, USA
Contemporary Art Fair, Chelsea, London
Twentieth Century Art Fair, Royal College of Art, London
‘Fusion’ Riverhouse Gallery, Walton-on-Thames
1999 ‘Art Miami 99’ Florida, USA
‘ Art 99’ Islington, London
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
Triennial Sculpture Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
‘Contemporary British Landscape’ Flowers East, London
1998 ‘Art Miami 98’ Florida, USA
‘Art 98’ Islington, London
‘The Poetry of Place’ Bury St Edmunds Art Gallery, Suffolk
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
1997 ‘Art Miami 97’ Florida, USA
‘Art 97’ Islington, London
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
1996 ‘Art Miami 96’ Florida, USA
‘Art 96’ Islington, London
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
Twentieth Century British Art Fair, London
1995 ‘Art 95’ Islington, London
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
Geneva Art Fair, Geneva, Switzerland
Manchester Fine Arts Fair, Manchester
Twentieth Century Art Fair, Royal College of Art, London
Group Exhibition, Adelson Galleries, New York, USA
1994 Contemporary Art Society Market, London
Bridport Arts Centre, Dorset
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
Works on Paper, Adelson Galleries, New York, USA
Chesil Gallery, Portland, Dorset
Twentieth Century Art Fair, Royal College of Art, London
‘Space Redefined’ Shad Thames Galleries, Butlers Wharf, London
‘Small is Beautiful’ Flowers East, London
‘Landscape’ New Academy Gallery, London
1993 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
‘Art 93’ Islington, London
Chicago International Art Expostion, USA
‘Painting the Earth’ John Jones Gallery, London
Contemporary Art Society Market, London
‘Small is Beautiful’ Flowers East, London
1992 ‘Aspects of British Abstraction, The Poetic Trace’ Adelson Galleries, New York, USA
‘British Sculpture in the Twentieth Century’ Millfield, Somerset
‘Landscape’ On Line Gallery, Southampton
‘Sense of Place’ Cleveland Bridge Gallery, Bath
‘Art 92’ Islington, London
Contemporary Art Society Market, London
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
1991 Contemporary Art Fair, Miami, USA
‘Art 91’ Islington, London
ICAF Olympia, London
‘Stonewall’ ICA Galleries, London
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
Contemporary Art Society Market, London
Wessex Artists, Parnham House, Dorset
Group Exhibition, On Line Gallery, Southampton
1990 International Gallery Invitational Art Fair, Chicago, USA
Contemporary International Art Exposition, Chicago, USA
‘Art 90’ Islington, London
ICAF Olympia, London
Group Exhibition, Glenn Green Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
Bath Art Fair, Bath
Group Exhibition, Louise Hallett Gallery, London
Contemporary Art Fair, Sydney, Australia
Contemporary Art Society Market, London
1989 Contemporary International Art Exposition, Chicago, USA
Contemporary Art Society Market, London
Artist in Residence, Chesil Gallery, Portland, Dorset
1988 Contemporary International Art Exposition, Chicago, USA
Group Exhibition, Louise Hallett Gallery, London
Warwick Arts Trust Collection, Warwick Arts Trust, London
Art in the Market Place, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Contemporary Art Society Market, London
‘Landscape’ Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
1987 Contemporary International Art Exposition, Chicago, USA
‘Art for the City’ Lloyds of London
Contemporary Art Society Market, London
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
‘Hunter Collection of Twentieth Century Modern Masters’ Courtauld Gallery, London
1986 ‘Hidden Landscape’ Juda Rowan Gallery, London
Contemporary Art Society Market, London
1985 Contemporary Art Society Market, London
1984 ‘Questions About Sculpture’ Arts Council touring Exhibition
Group Exhibition, Friedus Ordover Gallery, New York, USA
1983 The Sculpture Show, Hayward Gallery, London
Group Exhibition, Studio Odd, Hiroshima, Japan
‘Small is Beautiful’ Angela Flowers Gallery, London
1982 ‘Coloured Constructions’ Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
1981 ‘British Sculpture in the Twentieth Century’ Whitechapel Art Gallery, London
1980 ‘The Human Factor’ Arts Council Touring Exhibition
‘The British Art Show’ Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield (and tour)
1979 Tolly Cobbold Eastern Arts Exhibition, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (and tour)
British Sculptor’s Drawings, The Minories, Colchester
Contemporary Works on Paper, Gainsborough House, Sudbury
1978 ‘Fragile Stones Make Art’ National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
Works on Paper, Artist’s Market, London
1977 Tolly Cobbold Eastern Arts Exhibition, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (and tour)
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
Silver Jubilee Exhibition of Contemporary British Sculpture, Battersea Park, London
‘Yorkshire Sculptors’ Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Bretton Hall, Yorkshire
1976 Arts Council, Recent Purchases, Hayward Gallery, London
1972 ‘British Sculptors ‘72’, Royal Academy, London
‘ British Sculptors ‘72’ Related Works, Redfern Gallery, London
1971 Seven Redfern Artists, Redfern Gallery, London
British Sculptors Drawings, Bonino Gallery, Buenos Aires (and touring South America)
Eight Individuals, Gravers Gallery, Sheffield (and Arts Council tour)
Jacobs Ladder Inc., Washington DC, USA
1968 Summer Exhibition, Redfern Gallery, London
1965 Young Contemporaries
Summer Exhibition, Redfern Gallery, London
1964 London Group, London
Commissions and Awards
2002 Designed commemorative Poster and Banner for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
1981 Sculpture for Bradford University, Arts Council Project
1976 Arts Council of Great Britain Bursary
1974 Outdoor Sculpture for John Dalton Building, University of Manchester
1971 Mark Rothko Memorial Award, travel bursary to USA
1965 Young Contemporaries prize for Sculpture
Jeremy Duncan
In association with Waterhouse & Dodd
Paul Freud
Freud is a painter currently in a drawing phase. He Lives in London, Rome & Naples. Having grown up in north London in the thick of studio life, painting and creative expression came as second nature to Paul from a young age. Pursuing these passions, Paul studied psychology, sociology and art. He ultimately ventured down the path of the arts at Camberwell College of Art and was awarded a BA in Fine Art by Goldsmiths. Paul, by no means aims to exist in the shadow of his family's legacy and has been working on his artistic language and integrity for over five decades, developing a clear insight to the paradox of contemporary society and the deceiving comfort of normalities. There is nothing conventional about Paul's life. Paul has, through a series of tragedies, misfortunes and twists of faith, found solice, comfort and reason in the realm of his studio. The untitled series 1, 2 & 3 in ink are Freud's expression of his reality. The works being a very personal process of creation:
“I have noticed with this genre of work that any descriptive direction becomes almost decorative and counter to the message concealed within. The freedom, liberation and avoidable implied interpretation, is such an important aspect of their creation, so such an unidirectional exhibit must be intrinsic to the viewers true perception. Corridors of perception, springs to mind.,,”
Victoria Heald
Originally from Hertfordshire, Victoria moved to London to study her Foundation Year at Camberwell College of Art. She continued on to Chelsea College of Art and Design to study BA Fine Art, graduating in 2011 with First Class Honours.
“My work aims to communicate an intensity of the painted figure through pose and gesture, movement and expression. The figures are painted thinly in oils, but the backgrounds use surface texture and light-reflective acrylic paints, taking the subject out of their original context and slipping them into a non-existent space of painting. Each image is made from referencing photographs, which are themselves subverted through a careful selection of details and the process of painting– the photographs acting only as a guide to form the final image. My recent filmic series referenced this in images from 1940s – 60s cinema.”
The Lady in the Gold Dress - This was among the first pieces moving from the filmic to the theatrical series and as such encompasses both elements. The Lady still has the quiet intensity and sensual expression seen in the filmic series and is styled as a 1940s Hollywood starlet on a par with Rita Hayworth’s Gilda. However, the new theatrical qualities are seen in the vibrancy of the gold dress and detachment from reality. This is formed by the obscure background and inclusion of gold to her hands and hair, making her seem as if she is becoming partially made of gold.
Michael Kidd
Michael Kidd was born in London in 1937 and studied at Wimbledon School of Art and the Royal College of Art in the late 1960s. Kidd worked as an art director in some of London's leading advertising agencies and spent several years in America. On his return, he began directing T.V and cinema commercials in Europe, America and the UK, working, among others, for British Airways, Coca Cola, Lloyds Bank, Barclays Bank and Ford Motor Company, winning many awards. Returning to painting in 1981, Kidd held his first one man exhibition at the Rona Gallery in Mayfair in 1997, since which time he has devoted all his time to painting. All of Kidd’s work shows a strong imaginative streak, quirky at times, surreal at others. He tends to work on themes - gardens, chateaux, coastal, cities, whatever subject holds his interest. Kidd’s attention to detail is breath-taking: using the tiniest of brushes to create amazingly intricate and spell-binding paintings. His skills as both a draughtsman and master of light are clear to see in all his works. Much of Kidd’s subject matter reflects his many travels around the world.
Johnny Morant
Johnny Morant is a London based artist leading figurative investigations into space and form. His last solo exhibition at the Tryon Gallery comprised references to urban scenes communicated through the interpretation of light on surface. His ambition to employ light as a tool to describe space and form is demonstrated in his recent work. His dialogue progresses from broad open scenes to encompass more intimate elements of interior and architectural environments.
"Texture and surface play an important role in describing the solidity of structures and depth of field. With each piece the apparent ease of each brush stroke conceals a determined battle to harness the medium and capture the atmosphere."
Over recent years Johnny has consistently shown with the New English Art Club and the Royal institute of Oil Painters. He has been shortlisted for several prizes and has received the Green & Stone Prize for Best Oil Painting at the Chelsea Art Society Annual Exhibition.
Past Exhibitions include:
Russell Gallery, Tryon Gallery, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, New English Art Club, Chelsea Art Society, Guggleton Gallery Stalbridge, Bell Street Gallery, Shaftesbury, Finalist - Windsor & Newton Young Artists Award, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Mall Galleries, Green & Stone Prize For Best Oil Painting at the Annual Show Chelsea Art Society.
Awards
2009 - Finalist - Windsor & Newton Young Artists Award, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Mall Galleries
2009 - Green & Stone Prize For Best Oil Painting at the Annual Show, Chelsea Art Society
2008 - Finalist - Windsor & Newton Young Artists Award, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Mall Galleries
2008 - Finalist - Windsor & Newton Young Artists Award, Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, Mall Galleries
2007 - Finalist - Windsor & Newton Young Artists Award, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Mall Galleries
2007 - Finalist - Young Marine Artists Shipwrights Prize, RSMA, Mall Galleries
2007 - Prizewinner - Blackmore Vale Fine Arts Prize, Guggleton Gallery
Annie Ralli
Annie Ralli studied Fine Art at Birmingham College of Art and went on to join the BBC as a scenic artist working on projects ranging from large backdrops and set work to small paintings. After 10 years at the BBC, Ralli then went freelance to paint intricate sets for well know photographers such as Terence Donovan, Robert Dowling, Herb Ritts, Ray Massey, David Montgomery and Kulbir Thandi.
Ralli then continued to paint murals, trompe d’oeil in commercial and private properties including Ottakars bookstores, Lord March’s properties at Goodwood and London and the residences of Lady Osborne, Ralph Fiennes, Francesca Annis and The Sultan of Brunei.
Annie now focuses on her own work: stunning depictions of night-time scenes around London which are wonderfully vibrant and full of life – showing us a side of London that we often enjoy, but rarely actually have the pleasure of seeing recorded on canvas. The luminosity and vibrancy of Ralli’s work is breath-taking and captures a snapshot of an intriguing and rarely recorded side of London.
Jamie Routley
Having studied the techniques of the Old Masters in Florence for several years, Routley now lives and paints in London - his paintings are concerned with significant moments of change: seasonal, tidal and personal…
Routley talks about painting Errol: “No matter how often the moon rises and set, we only ever see the same side. The lunar hemisphere that is permanently turned away from Earth is known as ‘The far side of the Moon’. It turns out that the speed at which the Moon rotates has led to this particular phenomenon. I passed Errol for two years interacting with him only to purchase The Big Issue. He intrigued me; his stuttered walk, impaired speech, multi layered hats, coats and jumpers, seemingly weighing him down, combined with a huge multi-coloured scarf all protecting him from the elements in a way that my own mother would wrap me up and send me off to school! His piercing pale blue eyes and a face that has seen its fair share of life were largely responsible for me asking Errol to work with me on this painting. We established a working relationship and rapport from the outset; as I only work directly from life it is imperative for my sitters to commit to the work as much as I do. Daily sittings revealed the most curious of men. We discussed his personal voyage from his childhood in Jamaica (born 1942) to him and his 7 siblings moving to London in 1956, his years in asylums battling schizophrenia and a late adulthood of independent living and a commitment to The Big Issue. He conversed widely on topics from current affairs, Black Country Folk Singers, his Christian faith and the latest sports results.
In the painting Errol holds the book of psalms and his reading glasses; these have dual meaning. Psalms have helped Errol find guidance to his life. He carries the book everywhere; reading it or reciting it to friends to pass on the wisdom he has found within them. The book is also reference to Errol’s own curious life which is much like a novel, full of adventures from gun fights to love won and lost, a mixture of fiction and real events which make up Errol’s reality. The glasses help him see the world more clearly and represent how muddled life could be without them. The portrait is focused on Errol standing as he does when working, with the background stripped back to allow the viewer to only see him. In the upper left hand corner is a reference to the far side of the moon, this is representative of not only the hidden depth of Errol but it’s a comment on our impersonal society; It turns out that the speed in which we go about our daily lives has led to this particular phenomenon. It’s also reference to Pink Floyd’s album ‘Dark side of the moon’ which deals with conflict, greed, the passage of time and schizophrenia. It’s been fascinating to learn how The Big Issue allows Errol to have personal independence, how he is cared for in our local community by the neighbours and traders and how first impressions of a broken man could not have been more wrong. After years of institutional living he has personal independence and is an integral part of Barons Court life as well as my own.”
Education
2000 - 2003 - BA Hons Degree in Illustration - Swindon College
2004 - 2008 - Charles H Cecil Studios
Exhibitions
2005 - GPF Gallery Newport, Solo Show
2009 - GPF Gallery Newport - Group Show
2009 - Ovarian Cancer Action Charity Auction
2009 - 149 Talgarth Road Studio, Solo show
2010 - Newport Museum and Art Gallery - Changing Faces
2010 - One Alfred Place, London - Group Exhibition
2011 - One Alfred Place, London - Group Exhibition
2011 - The Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition
2011 - Flowers East Gallery - 'I know a place'
Charlotte Sorapure
Kathryn Thomas
The fascination which Kathryn Thomas has for space, its objects and its colours is probably no greater than the wonder felt by most of us at the activity taking place millions of miles above our earth. What makes Kathryn different is her ability to interpret what we all see and portray those images in oil paint.
On a more universal level, she urges the viewer to become more aware of the power of nature and to see things simply and for what they are - realising our fleeting relationship with our planet.
The Light-years series is a collection of original oil paintings created as a result of a prestigious award from The Pollock Krasner Foundation, New York. Thomas manages to capture the spirit and activity of the galaxies, the planets and the mystical Aurora Borealis taking place millions of miles above our earth.
Kathryn vision is to create an image that seems different each time you look at it, depending on either your changing mood or your perspective. Through this changing image she wants one to be able to conjure an atmosphere or a feeling from your own experience, so the painting always involves the viewer.
Yanko Tihov
 
Yanko Tihov studied at N Rainov College of Art and The National Academy of Art, Bulgaria graduating and moving to London in 2001. In 2004 Yanko won awards from The Royal Institute of Oil Painters and in 2009 was the runner up of the ING Discerning Eye’ Drawing Bursary. Yanko has been working on a continuing series of work called ‘Hidden London’ which explores the hidden lives found within quiet houses and streets around West London. In “Old Compton Street”, he explores the concept of how the same houses can seem different in the dimly lit night time compared to the bright light of the day. The surreal animal imagery of this painting display a curious and enchanting imagination, but also questions the habits and basic nature of a civilized humanity.
“All you see from a distance is a traditionally painted hyper realistic house, but when the viewer approaches it closer you can see a different story... That second story I wanted to be more a dream-like memory of reality, comedy and surreal where some occupants have anonymous zebra faces. From a distance everything becomes realistic again and the ‘bothering elements’ become somehow natural.”
Yanko’s passport series are made from original passports which are re-worked to create continents which are printed in a limited edition of 30 and each country’s emblem is then painted on by hand in Shell Gold (23 Carat) which means that each work varies slightly.
Exhibitions/Prizes; Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize, ING Discerning Eye, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Jill George Gallery, Royal Academy Of Arts Summer Exhibition, The Iowa, Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary prints, USA, 3rd Competition Biblioteca Comunale di Lomazzo, Italy, Leonardo Sciascia Prize, Italy, The Pastel Society in UK Exhibition, Londonm, 5th International Graphic competition Gliwice, Poland, Exlibris small graphic exhibition Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh.
Nadia Tsakova
Nadia Tsakova studied at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia, gaining a MA in Fine Arts, printmaking and Graphic Arts, winning several national awards and competitions in Bulgaria. When she moved to England she continued to earn recognition, winning prizes for exhibits in London at the ROI and the National Print Exhibition. Tsakova has exhibited at galleries in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and the UK as well as the annual exhibitions of major institutions including the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, ROI, Discerning Eye and NEAC.
“My biggest challenge is to express the light as I sense it. Light is my favorite quality in a painting, it creates the forms, the movement, the relationship of the tones and finally it forms the composition. I emphasise the light in my paintings through a tonal selection of dark and light forms. I am inspired by capturing a certain moment, a unique glimpse of our present, transforming it into revelation. So it makes me and the viewers appreciate the beauty in the simple moments of life”
“When I was working on a series about Piccadilly on a Friday night, I was going there almost every day to observe all these moments and changes which are happening as people come and go. It’s the people that are most interesting and the constant movement and shadows they create. I would feel very isolated and low on ideas if I lived in the middle of nowhere where you don’t see anybody.”
Selected group shows; Art Paris, Saatchi Gallery, ING The Discerning Eye Exhibition, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Annual show, Royal Society Of British Artists, Annual show, Royal Institute Of Painters in Water colours, Annual show, Royal Institute Of Oil Painters, Annual Exhibition, Royal Academy Of Arts, Summer Exhibition, Llewellyn Alexander Gallery, New English Art Club Annual Exhibition (N.E.A.C.), The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition, 5th International Graphic Competition, Gliwice, Poland, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland, National Print Exhibition, The Mall Galleries, London, Small Prints Competition Exlibris Uga Drava, Canada, 13th Exlibris Small Graphic Exhibition Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, 11th Printmaking Biennial Varna, Bulgaria, 1st Exlibris Contest Acqui Terme Rotary Club, Italy, 5th International Biennial Vox Humana, Czech Rep, International Biennial Of Printmaking, Skopie, Macedonia
Solo Exhibitions
2009 - Curwen & New Academy Gallery, London, UK
2001 - Vitosha Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
1999 - Pavela Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
1998 - Solo Exhibition Dedimothion, Greece
James Wedge
James Wedge’s stunning paintings of the female form capture a feeling of freedom and passion which can be clearly seen in the Pixie Lott series.
Wedge draws on his experience of over 20 years as a top fashion photographer (where he worked for all the glossy magazines amongst them Vogue and The Sunday Times Magazine) together with his profound understanding of the human form, to give depth and vitality to these dynamic and naturally fluid paintings.
Wedge’s work invites the viewer to be part of a fleeting moment in time, where one is totally absorbed captured by the movement and passion that Wedge conveys in these wonderfully up-lifting works.
Books Published
Painted Ladies (Dragon World) James Wedge (Idea Books)
Exhibitions
The Photographers Gallery London, Marge Neikrug Gallery New York, Ill Diaframma Gallery Milan, Cannon Gallery London, Cannon Gallery Amsterdam, Arles Exhibition France, Colonial Gallery London, Babbington House Somerset, Talisman Dorset, Hicks Gallery London, The Outer Temple Chambers London, The Zygos Partnership London, The Salisbury Playhouse Gallery Wiltshire, Dorset Art Weeks, RAC Club London.
Christopher Wood RSW
Christopher is President of the Society of Scottish Artists (SSA) he lives and paints in the historic coastal town of Dunbar where his light-filled studio looks directly out across the North Sea.
Wood’s abstract land and seascape collages have a natural affinity to nature, but it is not immediately obvious in these richly layered paintings: titles such as: Retreating Sea, the Flapping Gulls Were Made Thunderous, Slipway and Spring Tide are not representational of what we see, but evoke the essence of Wood’s inspiration.
His textural works are made up of not only paint on canvas or board, but other three dimensional materials such as cloth, linen, tarp, newspapers – reminiscent of early works by Braque and Picasso, but very much here and now in the present with a total freshness and immediacy of Wood’s personal experiences and the seasonal changes around him.
One feels that Wood is on an evolving artistic journey which he invites us to travel along the road with him; we know that each new work will be fresh and different from the last - “sameness” just doesn’t exist in his vocabulary. Wood’s work is friendly and inviting - drawing us in to be part of the experience of colour, texture and sensuousness rather than be excluded from it.
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