Artist Talk Magazine Issue 13 by Artist Talk Magazine

ARTIST TALK MAGAZINE

October 2020 www.artisttalkmagazine.com

DISCOVER MORE Instagram: @turyana_official

FEATURED ARTISTS #MAKEITBLUE

4-9 PETE REY

10-15 LUCIA SALZGEBER

16-21 LENA SNOW

22-27 MIKE WALSH

28-33

M IL NE Milne Publishing is proud to present Artist Talk Magazine issue 13. Everyone featured within this issue have given interesting, in-depth, honest accounts about themselves, their work, views and ideas. In addition to the amazing images of the work they produce, which I know you the reader will enjoy and be inspired by. The cover of this issue, The WaterLily Pond by Claude Monet is part of the National Gallery Collection.

Image Credit: NG4240 - Claude Monet, The Water-Lily Pond, 1899 © The National Gallery, London.

Since our last issue we were fortunate on Thursday 6 August to showcase all 20 #portraitsfornhsheroes, inspired by Thomas Croft. That appeared on the July Cover on Piccadilly Lights,

this was our opportunity to say “Thank You to all the NHS Heroes”. This was down to the generosity of Landsec, owners of Piccadilly Lights and their collaboration with #MakeItBlue, organisers of the #LightItBlue campaign. Thank you to everyone involved. Thanks for reading. Grant Milne, Founder of Artist Talk Magazine

artisttalkmagazine ArtistTalkMag artisttalkmagazine

Mj Tom LosOtros

34-39 CIRCA

40-45 FRANCISCO DINIZ

46-51 THE NATIONAL GALLERY

52-59 GRANT MILNE

60-65 JOHN THEODORE KENNEY

66-71 DISCOVER MORE www.artisttalkmagazine.com

were feeling anxious and fearful about their future. The hope was that this mass gesture of solidarity would galvanize their enthusiasm and pride. The conversations took place around the time that the Clap For Our Carers campaign was being promoted, so the group saw this as a complementary initiative. It made perfect sense to approach events venues to light up blue at 8.00 pm on Thursday nights.

20 #PORTRAITSFORNHSHEROES DISPLAYED ON PICCADILLY LIGHTS

LIGHTING THE SKYLINE BLUE How many artists can boast that their work has been displayed on the giant screen at Piccadilly Circus? This is exactly what happened at the beginning of August, when a series of 20 portraits of NHS Heroes was showcased on Piccadilly Lights, Europe’s most technically advanced digital billboard. The portraits had been featured in Issue 12 of Artist Talk as part of an initiative in which artists had offered to paint free portraits of NHS key workers. A digital version of the resulting portrait gallery looped across the screen at 8.00 on the night of Thursday 6 August. The opportunity came about through the generosity of Landsec, owners of Piccadilly Lights, and their collaboration with #MakeItBlue, organisers of the #LightItBlue campaign. This is the story of #LightItBlue and its continued evolution, showing how beacons of hope and positivity were made to shine all over the world at an extraordinary

moment in history. At the beginning of March 2020, the live events industry found itself in an unprecedented state of enforced inaction, as concerts, festivals and live performances were cancelled due to Covid-19. The many thousands of people whose backstage jobs create the backbone of the entertainment industry suddenly had no work. Lighting technicians, stagehands, sound engineers, designers and producers faced and still face the prospect of no income for the foreseeable future. Against this backdrop, a small group of live events industry leaders began a conversation. Gary White and Chuck Crampton, who were there from the start said: “We decided that the best thing we could do – apart from staying at home – was to use our skills and networks to say thank you to everyone involved in the nation’s healthcare system by illuminating the UK’s events venues and landmarks blue.” They also wanted the campaign to reach out to all those people in their industry who had been hardest hit by the loss of work and

Unpaid, of course, and working from their own homes under lockdown, the collective formed a brand, #MakeItBlue and started calling friends and colleagues in earnest, with the goal of turning the skyline blue as a tribute to the NHS and key workers. It was essential that the illuminations took place while ensuring the campaign adhered to the critical Government instruction for everyone but key workers to stay at home. Whilst many of the event venues have existing LED technology which could be used to light their windows, facades and screens, some needed ‘out of the box’ thinking so they could take part in showing support, as almost all spoken to wanted to support the campaign. The response from those contacted was hugely positive. At 8.00 pm on the night of Thursday 26 March, as the nation began its very first round of applause, landmarks, historic buildings, arenas and screens all over the country simultaneously turned blue. That first night’s list included the Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Arch, Principality Stadium, The SSE Hydro, Belfast’s Titanic Signature Building, the Piccadilly Lights and many more - all turning into beacons of blue and displaying messages of thanks to the NHS and frontline workers.

Images of the buildings were shown on national news channels. Even these pictures were taken by #MakeItBlue members on their phones, having cycled to the venues as part of their permitted daily exercise. National and regional media response was enthusiastic and attracted many more venues and iconic buildings to get involved on successive Thursday nights. Now, over 100 landmarks across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales had joined in as the campaign snowballed. These included The London Eye, The White Cliffs of Dover, The Shard, Farnborough International and, of course, Piccadilly Lights. Landsec, who own the giant digital billboard, generously donated 10 minutes of screen time at 8.00 every Thursday night as a #LightItBlue beacon. And on 6 August, #MakeItBlue were delighted to share their slot to feature the gallery of the 20 Portraits for NHS Heroes. The campaign also inspired members of the public, such as 18-year-old Sam Wardell who walked to the top of Glastonbury Tor every Thursday night to illuminate St Michaelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tower, visible right across the Somerset Levels. Many others simply lit up their homes with blue lights to show their appreciation for the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s healthcare workers.

BRISTOL

LONDON EYE

FABRA OBSERVATORY OVERLOOKING BARCELONA

SINGAPORE GARDEN BY THE BAY

But this turned out to be just the start of the story. Members of the #MakeItBlue collective reached out to colleagues in the US, who were keen to get involved; followed by Spain, Japan and Singapore and the UAE. In fact, by the end of the campaign’s first 50 days, 23 countries across six continents were lighting their skylines blue. Iconic international landmarks included Niagara Falls, The White House, Prince’s Palace Monaco and Tokyo’s Sky Tree. In a worldwide gesture of solidarity, all turned blue at 8.00 pm local time on Thursday nights – each paying tribute to their own national healthcare heroes. As the word spread on social media, #LightItBlue’s organisers were determined to keep the gratitude and support flowing. They urged people to spread the positivity from inside their homes by creating blue-themed images, videos and messages to share with the hashtag #MakeItBlue. Celebrities including Keith Lemon, Leona Lewis, Clemmy Alcott and George Mackay, gave endorsements and encouraged their followers to post their own #MakeItBlue activities on social media. The #MakeItBlue Instagram account was soon awash with videos of people dancing in blue, dyeing their hair blue and even serving up bowls of blue soup.

Castle to Blackpool Tower and Canterbury Cathedral turning blue on the eve of the NHS’ Birthday. #MakeItBlue also arranged special projections on nominated NHS landmarks like Guys and St Thomas hospital which made the event extra special. Over 150 buildings were illuminated.

Determined to put this success to the best possible use, #MakeItBlue have recently formalised into a community interest company – MAKEITBLUE CIC, dedicated to raising funds for mental health charities, with particular focus on benefitting people from the events and entertainment sectors. One of its first projects involves singer-songwriter Joe Bygraves, who has released a single, ‘Stand As One’, to serve as an anthem for the times we are living through. His lyrics have a poignant relevance to the very industry that exists to support performers like him. Joe is donating 80 per cent of the proceeds to MAKEITBLUE CIC for charitable use in the events industry.

ST THOMAS HOSPITAL

Such was the affection for the NHS on its birthday eve, that #LightItBlue images from all over the country were trending at No 6 on Twitter.

JOE BYGRAVES

DOVER

And now, for its latest initiative, #MakeItBlue has turned its sights on the art world...

In June, the collective was approached by the NHS in the run-up to their 72nd Anniversary. The NHS wanted to use their birthday on 4 July as an opportunity to say thank you to all the people and organisations that had supported them through the peak of the Covid crisis. They asked the #MakeItBlue team to help light the UK skyline blue as a show of nationwide unity and support. The team intensified efforts to do just that, with landmarks from 10 Downing Street and Windsor

ROYAL ALBERT HALL, IMAGE CREDIT - ANDY PARADISE

#MAKEITBLUE CHARITY AUCTION

CAN YOU HELP? #MakeItBlue have been approaching artists, illustrators and designers asking them to contribute to the auction. The simple request is to: • Create an artwork – in any form - with a #MakeItBlue theme • Sign the artwork • Donate it to the #MakeItBlue campaign – by 13 November. A sealed bid online secret auction will take place in early December. The artists will be anonymous at time of buying – their name only revealed to the successful bidder on receipt. Proceeds received by MAKE IT BLUE CIC will be donated to Samaritans and to Stagehand – the Production Services Association Welfare and Benevolent Fund, to provide financial, emotional or therapeutic support to members of the live events industry. MAKEITBLUE CIC is a not-forprofit organisation, formed to raise funds for a range of mental health charities and initiatives, including events and entertainment-specific organisations.

NURSE

MAKEITBLUE CIC is organising an auction of artworks to benefit mental health charities. We have all attended live performances and been transfixed by the show. What we rarely notice is the army of people working backstage to create those mesmerizing performances - the technicians, set builders and designers, along with many, many other behind-the-scenes specialists. As live events professionals, the #MakeItBlue team are in direct contact with people who have

lost their jobs as a result of the restrictions imposed by Covid-19 and who are struggling with anxiety and stress. These same people used to spend much of their lives living out of suitcases, returning to empty homes between jobs. At the best of times they have experienced loneliness and isolation. But right now, instead of pulling together to create the infrastructure for worldclass performances, they have no work for the foreseeable future. Understandably, they’re feeling bewildered and abandoned.

Full details can be found on the #MakeItBlue website DISCOVER MORE www.makeitblue.uk

BLUE COW

Dave Bowcutt Designer & 3D Visualiser

Robin Elias Unusual Rigging

Michelle Kirk Creative Director Be Curious

Rudi Thackray Production Designer

#MAKEITBLUE

Jaimee Lee Elias

WWW.MAKEITBLUE.UK 9

BIG ART BIG SPACES Pete Rey collaborative project with Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate and LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

REGAL - DIMENSIONS

Scale is an essential component of how we connect with art. It is an equally important facet of architectural design. The balance between the scale of the art and the scale of the architecture is the central element of how we feel when we engage with a space. Achieving this desired balance is the essential decision made by interior designers, it defines our emotional experience with both art and space. One of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century for large scale artwork, Mark Rothko, said this in May 1951: “I paint very large pictures. I realize that historically the function of painting large pictures is painting something very grandiose and pompous. The reason I paint them however, – I think it applies to other painters I know -, is precisely because I want to be very intimate and human. To paint a small picture is to place yourself outside your experience, to look upon an experience as a stereopticon view

or with a reducing glass. However you paint the larger picture, you are in it. It isn’t something you command.” Rothko’s reflection also tells something about viewer immersion. Large scale artwork allows the viewer to engage with the pieces in a way that smaller forms simply cannot achieve. Again it relates to our emotional experience with artwork and spaces. When each takes a certain scale it creates a feeling of awe and wonder allowing us, if only for a moment, to disappear into it. We’ve all felt that emotion when walking into a space of grandeur. Looking around in these grand places, be they homes or monuments of humankind, we feel something powerful in the experience of engaging with them. Large artwork creates exactly the same reaction. Essentially, art should have the same presence as the space it is placed within, or a greater presence, to effect heightened engagement with the piece. If

an artwork has a scale that has less presence than the space itself, it will not only diminish the emotional connection with the art but, also that of the space. Big spaces, therefore, naturally need to be accompanied by big artwork. One emerging artist specializing in immersive large format artwork is Pete Rey, who transforms original photographs into entirely new forms through a process he terms, ‘Phototranscendence’. Through the transformation, the traditional barriers of resolution in photographic art are removed. Photographs, which would normally pixelate at such large sizes, using Rey’s technique, allows for the art to be created up to three meters, with perfect clarity. Rey, bridges the gap between photography and contemporary art, creating an entirely unique form of artistic expression, producing pieces of mesmerizing scale and engagement, perfectly suited to large spaces.

FOOLS GOLD - DIMENSIONS

Movement is a key component of Rey’s work giving tremendous energy and beautiful flow throughout each of the pieces, enhancing the emotional connection with the viewer. Painted or printed forms of art can often feel static, but when the artist enables a sense of motion in their creation, it encourages

the viewer to dive deeper into the experience of engagement. Much in the same way Van Gogh’s bold, dramatic brush strokes expressed a huge amount of emotion and movement in his works, Rey explores a similar sentiment in a modern contemporary presentation. Examining Rey’s artwork closely, the process he

applies to his artwork does indeed create strokes much like that created by a brush. The artworks included in this collaborative project with Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate (www.LuxuryRealEstate.com) and LIV Sotheby’s International Realty. Nestled into the mountainside of Vail, Colorado is the beautiful mansion showcasing pieces from Rey’s first collection, appropriately named, “Dimensions” and also his upcoming release “Paradiso”. “Paradiso”, is an exciting new collection of artwork produced in collaboration with the acclaimed aerial photographer Merr Watson (www.merrwatson.com) based in Australia, which we will be visiting in a future edition. DISCOVER MORE www.peterey.com info@peterey.com

www.LuxuryRealEstate.com ASCENT - PARADISO

LUCIA SALZGEBER

IL TOURMENT

« My name is Lucia Salzgeber. I was born in 1988 en the east of France. Very early, I was overwhelmed by this inevitable that time is crossing us from both side. »

She sketches and full dozens of notebooks wich are still following her. Writing is a way to “bandage”

the mind: “Why is it that when things become something, writing is difficult?”

Lucia Salzgeber deeply understand, thanks to her paternal grandmother, survivor of the Nazis extermination camps, that the humain being can transcend himself. Very young, she lives intimate and collective experiences in which she is pushing herself because she wants to glimpse the furious, wounded, ambiguous and primary intensity of self and others. Two professors of the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts of Rennes will become precious supports for her artistic path. She let herself imbued by the introspective and humanist vision of artists like Odilon Redon, Louise Bourgeois, Berlinde de Bruyckere, Cy Twombly, Michael Ackerman, Antoine d’Agata... She progressively forges the backbone of her work.

ELLE FUT

WORKSHOP

She divides her life by long moments of creation in an intense solitude which are giving birth to installations mixing body, pictorial and performative languages.

which moves the moment. The artist Lucia Salzgeber digs the white with the black, she delivers

the black to release the white. She is writing a temporality in the timeless.

During a few years, she builds a place where “incidence” is the key word. In 2017, Lucia Salzgeber set up in a former granite factory of 7000m2, building she names “Relief”: a sensitive agreement between relief and oscillations. The workshop hanging in a pit, like a moored boat, is held by its white walls. On the ground, a black expanse is waiting. Dozens of paintings lying. Standing up, black apron, hands greased with black ink, she is leaning against her white paper. She silently beats the beat of a single piece of classical music, which envelops her for hours. Equipped of her thickly coated scrapers, she lays her body on the ground and on the white surface,

LATENT

RIDES DES RELIEFS

Her works are Time marks in resonance with her life: L’Odeur de l’Ombre, Lueur d’être, Rides des Reliefs, Ils se compromettaient dans la buée, Le ciel est clos, Il tourment, Le drap de sa traversée, Houle sourde...* Impulsing in the other an instinctive contemplation. In the N1003L, N1004L, N1005L, N1006L series .... Lucia Salzgeber shape the work to its place.

N1007L

Like a perpetual beginning, with an intangible feverishness, her work is a back and forth between painting, writing and installation. This triad gives all the thickness to her works. * The Smell of the Shadows, Glow of Being, Wrinkles Of Reliefs, They were compromised in the mist, The Sky is closed, They torment, The sheet of their crossing, Deaf swell... DISCOVER MORE www.luciasalzgeber.com

N1010L

LENA SNOW

I grew up in a wealthy, but very troubled family that has never supported me â&#x20AC;&#x201C; neither my art and education nor my emotional well-being. At a very early age I had to learn to take care of myself, also financially. After my A-levels it was about time to leave home and so I made the decision to study English and History to become a high school teacher. However, that path has proven to be a very challenging and sometimes even dissatisfying one. During my second state examination and some stressful first months as an examined teacher I had given up on art until the Corona crisis struck the world. Suddenly I had time for myself - for the first time in years, it felt like a recovery, followed by an awakening. In March 2020 I started to paint again and saw things very clearly. I have always known that art is my one true love, passion and destiny and nothing makes me happier

than being creative, and above all, being myself! I started to actively show and share my art on social media and a whole new world with many opportunities and inspiration opened up in front of me. Creativity helped me to survive, especially as an adolescent during times when I was extremely devastated and had no other outlet. The fact that I had to endure a deeply traumatizing and violent childhood definitely affected and shaped my art. Yet it was equally the process of emancipation and self-reliance that contributed to an elevation of my creativity. I have often felt disconnected and alone, but somehow Nature, and especially my creative Nature, was always there to comfort me and help me to carve out ways of surviving. In order to understand and appreciate my paintings, it is imperative to understand that they have come a long way â&#x20AC;&#x201C; like I have.

It was often extremely difficult for me to continue my art during my university studies and state examinations. On the one hand, money was always an issue since I had to fully support myself. In addition, time was scarce because I had to work, study and graduate. Managing life was an enormous hardship, but fortunately, I have always had wonderful and very supportive friends that are like family to me.

LENA PAINTING MOTHER NATURE

a closeness to myself, I feel tender but strong and complete at the same time. My artworks thus exhibit a part of my higher soul, strength, a transcendental connection to Nature and cosmic insight. What I want to express is the “higher” self that is spiritually elevated and transformed. First and foremost with my current “goddess series” I am showing female entities that are both mythical and energetic. They are hero-like, spreading cosmic vibes and each of them having special abilities. This energy and power that lies within me is what enabled me to overcome all hardships and all setbacks. It is what made me a fighter throughout all my life.

MOTHER NATURE

I created several series over the foil into my artworks. During my years that are very different time at university I studied art as from one another. Starting with an autodidact and came to a deeper my flower collection, a colorful understanding and knowledge graphic series for print when I thanks to acquiring academic was a teenager, I went on with my learning skills. Especially feminist abstract series where I approached approaches struck a chord with more complex concepts like time or me. I have always allowed myself to the afterlife. My appreciation and experiment and try out new things practical use of mixed materials without pressure, because there started at quite an early age too was already plenty of that in the and is owed to the circumstance “real world”. Creating things with that I had to work with objects that my own hands and working with were available to me and make a different materials, whether it is creative composition of them. This plastic, sand, metal, wood or even was the inception of my plastic baking powder feels just satisfying series, approximately twelve years and genuine to me. When I paint ago, when I began to include plastic and create I experience a flow and

When people look at my paintings I want them to feel a transcendental connection and to experience my art as if it were some energy source on their walls. I deeply believe in Nature and I am writing it with a capital “N”, because American Transcendentalism – a spiritual and literary movement occurring in the middle of the 19th century - had a huge impact on me. Even before university I enjoyed reading Emerson and Thoreau. “Trust thyself” is what Emerson said in his essay “Self-Reliance” (1841) and was demanding people to become self-empowered even though the path could be a very rough one.

RIDDANCE

Also the thought that intuition, creativity and imagination were more important than logic and rationality is something I could entirely identify myself with. It is exactly this spirit that I want to convey through my paintings. Another important personality that enriched this movement was Margaret Fuller – an early feminist - who wrote about the spiritual enlightenment and equality of women. She pointed out that the feminine, sensitive and emotional side is not weak, but genius and contributes to a set of very subtle and precise observation skills. So if I could work together with an

artist, it would not be a painter, it would be her. Certainly countless great artists, living or dead, have given me lots of inspiration, but so did literature. Besides, music cannot be left out when I talk about my artworks. When I create I always listen to music, mostly Led Zeppelin, but also The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, and music from the 80s. Music really cheers me up like nothing else and I’d have no idea how to live without it. In the future I will definitely continue with my “goddess series”, because there is so much more feminine energy I want to express.

MOTHER UNIVERSE

Furthermore, I want to continue to work towards being a full time artist someday. DISCOVER MORE Instagram: @janagoddessarts Email: Jana-Sabrowski@gmx.de

SHANTI - GODDESS OF THE SPIRITS

MIKE WALSH MIKE WALSH WITH HIS SCULPTURES “GHOSTS AND ANGELS”

Working on a small Caribbean island puts an artist in touch with their motivation, endurance, and resourcefulness. With a BFA from Creighton University and after several years working in art studios in New York and Connecticut, I took a temporary job at a woodworking operation called Life Environmental Arts Project in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. What started as a brief stay turned into prolonged enchantment with a simpler island life. Returning to the fast paced world stateside was easy to put off for a month, or two. Physical isolation from the rest of the world, especially in pre-tech 1976, narrowed my focus on how making art could remain central in my life and how to make art that was present in my community. I had been inspired by innovators of the 20th century for their freshness of ideas and expression of freedom. Early 20th century European movements upended longstanding ideas about art that gave permission to see things differently, and the late midcentury brought changes to what the notion of art actually was. These exciting, if unmooring, times were the influences I carried with me and were what nourished me while living far from the mainstream art world. Additionally, my ideas of art-making expanded further the more I was exposed to the complex art and culture of the Caribbean and Latin America. By 1979 I had opened a metal fabrication business, Walsh Metal Works. My artistic background initially influenced the products I made, including custom gates, and by the same token, my creative art-making continued to grow from working commercially. In my business, I answered needs for a wide variety of clients, with applications ranging from the decorative to precision industrial fabrications. The work required an ever-increasing need to learn more techniques and discover

VENUS

new design solutions. I developed an understanding of functional form and the logic of its aesthetic quality, which influenced my personal approach to the steady art I was producing. In 2000, my wife Barbara and I established our own corner of the contemporary art world in the Caribbean with STUDIO WALSH, a studio and gallery space connected to my fabrication shop as a place to show my own art and the work of other modern artists. Over the past twenty years we have sponsored exhibits from Haiti, Ghana, Nigeria, the Virgin Islands, and the U.S. mainland. The studio gallery has become a place for me to experiment with size and scope in sculpture and to develop site specific installations, as well as pieces made with mixed materials and found objects. The sculptures in my â&#x20AC;&#x153;Men of Industryâ&#x20AC;? collection (2014)

illustrate the evolution of the close ties my art-making had with industrial processes. I made pieces that took on the shape of elements from industry with no connection to any function. The sculptures seem to depict objects that could be carefully machined or cast with dense weight, but are fabricated in thin carbon steel. With precisely ground edges and acid washed clear, flat finishes, these pieces ride a thin line between metal shop equipment and fine art, standing cheek to jowl with the source material.

CACOPHONY

In the 2017 collection “Ghosts and Angels,” I created undulating curved forms in sheets of 1/8 inch aluminum standing upright without support - abandoning altogether the idea of enclosed forms. At 10 feet tall, brushed and acid washed, paired or standing individually in groups, the result is luminous and otherworldly. These pieces have been displayed publicly, and I am planning to do additional outdoor installations of these sculptures later this year. “Debris Fields” (2018), was directly influenced by the physical world destroyed by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, which caused severe damage in the Virgin Islands, storms that I rode out at home. Hurricane Maria extricated extreme forms of metal debris from industrial, commercial, and residential buildings, and these literal mountains of material created an environment that we all lived in for months. My small and medium sculptures are not salvaged but made from multi-colored roof and siding material.

DF2019

DF1618

SENTINELS

MPM2

In 1999, I was commissioned by the Homeward Bound Foundation to create The Middle Passage Monument to honor the millions of enslaved Africans who died on the Middle Passage voyage. After researching history of the slave trade, I chose to depict the belief of a gateway through which the spirit returns to Africa by way of the Island Below the Sea. This large aluminum piece consisted of two joined parts representing the opening that connected two worlds, the physical with the spiritual return. After a dedication ceremony on the Hudson River in New York, followed by an all-night vigil, the monument was sailed on an historic ship to a site in the Atlantic Ocean and lowered into the sea to serve as a grave

marker. A single replica that I made now stands at the St. Croix Educational Complex and a large

photo of it is part of an exhibit at the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool.

MIDDLE PASSAGE MONUMENT

BIG BOX

With the “Big Box” (2005), I returned to an exploration of mirror boxes from 1969. This piece has gone through several iterations, most successfully when filled with collected grocery bags. An everyday item, the plastic bags take on a different life, seeming to breathe with the breezes of my warehouse gallery, illuminated by natural sunlight or mysteriously glowing with studio light. In conjunction with and inspired by this experiment, “Blue Bags” (2007) was installed in historic ruins and suspended over a pond at the St. George Botanical Garden in St. Croix. In a place where the community is strong and culturally rich, where acceptance comes generously to those who embrace it in return, I made a life and a family. Experiencing the same struggles and joys as my neighbors, and to be known for what I could

do, grounded my identity as an artist. Stripping specialness and exceptionalism from the practice of art unburdened me and made me worthy of my island’s embrace

DISCOVER MORE Instagram: @_stxwalsh Website: www.stxwalsh.com Email: stxwalsh@gmail.com

BIG BOX 2

BLUE BAGS

Mj Tom LosOtros

LIQUID PAIN.T | SOLO SHOW ...gradus ad Parnassum, for those who might like to learn. ...is not addressed to those who have arrived at full knowledge of the subject, without knowing the facts... Ezra Pound. ABC of Reading.

An artist statement should describe the interests of its author. It should talk about why, how, where and when. It should describe reasons, methods, locations and rhythms... My statement could talk about literature, cinema, narrativity, fragmentations, hypertexts. About letters making up words, words making up sentences, sentences making up paragraphs, paragraphs making up chapters, which tell us a story. About myths, legends, stories, histories, hysterias, fictions, frictions, obsessions and persistences. About protasis, epitasis, catastrophes which disintegrate in order to get a rhizomatic structure with a new meaning. It could include some philosophical quotes, some of those that keep us awake. It could talk about simulations, spectacles and puncta. About topics that, even if we want to avoid them, are always in our minds, words and thoughts. It could talk about my working process; perhaps too methodical, too obsessive, too absurd. It could try to define, probably in vain, my deconstruction and reconstruction processes, using texts based on images and images based on texts. It could explain that I use literature, photography, video or net art. It could explain that actually, the medium is simply a tool. It could tell these things and many more. Maybe different ones, more appropriate for a statement DISCOVER MORE www.losotros.eu

CIRCA

EUROPE’S LARGEST DIGITAL ART EXHIBITION TO LAUNCH ON PICCADILLY LIGHTS WITH CHINESE ARTIST AI WEIWEI CIRCA, a new and independently curated platform presenting digital art on the iconic Piccadilly Circus screen, launched 1 October with a new commission by celebrated artist Ai Weiwei. Transforming the giant 4K screen into a digital canvas, CIRCA are pausing the adverts on Piccadilly Lights for two minutes each day (20:20 - 20:22 BST/GMT) until the end of the year, to present new ideas that consider our world, circa 2020. Created by artist Josef O’Connor, CIRCA commissions a different artist each month to create new work for Europe’s largest screen that offers an innovative and exciting way for London to engage with art, both outside and at home, in a safe and socially distanced way. Visitors to Piccadilly Circus can connect their headphones to WWW.CIRCA.ART and receive a fully immersive audio-visual experience. The website also is streaming the artwork every evening (20:20 BST/GMT). Exhibiting artists are invited to upload supporting content such as images, text and videos throughout the month, to expand on their ideas and engage a wider digital community from around the world. The CIRCA programme inaugurates with an original work by artist Ai Weiwei: “The project begins from the year I was born through to the current, unceasing pandemic threatening the human condition globally. All visual material is produced by my studio. There will be a selection of quotes taken from my own writing, as well as from other writers and poets. We will provide a visual feast with a strong message for the public.”

Ahead of the launch on 1 October, a two-minute launch film by Brazilian film-director, Rodrigo Inada, was played on Piccadilly Lights. Featuring Ai Weiwei, Tracey Emin and a host of other emerging voices. The CIRCA Advisory Council, chaired by Sir Norman Rosenthal, has been established to consult on the curatorial and compliance process, with representatives from a diverse range of backgrounds including the arts, communications, broadcasting, law and political journalism. CIRCA has been made possible by Landsec, landlord of Piccadilly Lights, who have kindly donated media space, as a helpful boost to the cultural scene in London’s West End. Ai Weiwei: “CIRCA 20:20 offers a very important platform for artists to exercise their practice and reach out to the public. I think this is going to be a very interesting project, and it will have an impact on the arts and culture for London.” Ai Weiwei is renowned for making strong aesthetic statements that resonate with timely phenomena across today’s geopolitical world. From architecture to installations, social media to documentaries, Ai uses a wide range of mediums as expressions of new ways for his audiences to examine society and its values. Recent exhibitions

include: Ai Weiwei: Resetting Memories at MARCO in Monterrey, Ai Weiwei: Bare Life at the Mildred Lane Kemper Museum in St. Louis, Ai Weiwei at the K20/K21 in Dusseldorf, and Good Fences Make Good Neighbors with the Public Art Fund in New York City. Ai was born in Beijing in 1957 and currently resides and works in Berlin. Ai is the recipient of the 2015 Ambassador of Conscience Award from Amnesty International and the 2012 Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent from the Human Rights Foundation. Sir Norman Rosenthal quote: “Piccadilly Lights, with its more than 100 years of famous history with electrically generated advertising, is still capable of speaking to the world. It is wonderfully exciting that now, artists young and established, will be able to use this platform for surprise and enlightenment in these most special of times.” Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries quote: “London has a proud culture of public art, which I am glad is continuing to enable Londoners and visitors to engage with artworks in a safe and innovative way. I am delighted London is hosting this dynamic installation by Ai Weiwei - displayed at one of the capital’s most famous locations, it will be accessible for all to enjoy.”

Josef O’Connor quote: “In our current state of emergency, artists can shine a light, creating new perspectives that can challenge, inspire and change the future. CIRCA champions the vision and collaborative mindset that is required to pull us all forward. We are honoured to be given this opportunity on such an iconic platform to present both emerging and established artists and help support the wider creative community.” Colette O’Shea, Managing Director, Landsec, quote: “Piccadilly Lights is part of the fabric of London and situated in the heart of the arts district. At a time when culture and the arts have been heavily impacted, we have donated time to CIRCA, an independently curated platform, to create an institutional collaboration as a celebration of the arts in the public space, and to support the cultural community of London’s West End”. Recognising the lasting damage inflicted upon the UK cultural sector due to COVID-19, CIRCA will contribute to the cultural economy through the sale of exclusive limited edition prints each month. For October, Ai Weiwei has created a £100 print which will be available to purchase on WWW. CIRCA.ART/CIRCAECONOMY (from 1 October until 31 October). Circa is committed to distributing the proceeds to help struggling creatives throughout the UK. DISCOVER MORE www.circa.art

FRANCISCO DINIZ

Since I was a child I felt the need to express myself through drawing and painting. From then my universe began to open up to new creative means. In 2013 I graduated in Painting from the University of Évora and in 2016 I made my Master’s degree in Visual Arts Education at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon, Portugal. My training in Painting led me to explore several artistic areas, including sculpture, photography and multimedia. In the plastic arts I tried to transform the traditional materials of Painting, such as canvas, wood and paints, into three-dimensional objects, which led me to the field of Sculpture and to the usage of other materials, such as iron, lead, silicone, acrylic, aluminum, plaster, clay, wax and many others. Photography and video emerged as a linguistic addition to this universe – a composition of several units that interconnect and communicate.

metaphysical transcendence where the Kantian sublime is revealed. Artaud referred to this state as “the body without organs” where the being overcomes the surface and reaches the other side, dissolving. My interest in the symbol as meaning increased as I developed a continuous research on the reflection of the gaze and the deepening of the information received. In this process I composed a language representative of the way I live, the house I inhabit.

The photographic series presented creates a cinematic narrative, a linearity between the various images that composes a subtle meaning among themselves. It started from the pure observation of the surrounding environment and the transformation of it in order to intensify the contrast between light and shadows. The process turns out to be a conversation with the outside where the self grows and is enriched by the observed – from the observed image to the detail that was significant and reflected the interior of myself.

From the beginning, painting conducted me to a sensitive analysis of the world seen through perception and plasticity. In my research on the potentials of materiality I came across the structures that create spaces such as the effects of shadow and light. I was absorbed by the potential of duality between opposites in the composition of the image: weight and lightness, darkness and light, the macro and microscopic, the physical and sensory. These complement each other by building a living, complex, tactile three-dimensionality close to the visual and sensory experience. These opposites, in continuous flow and full of information, form what we can call the Gordian knot of reality. The result creates a nonEuclidean logic, the metaphysical fold that extends infinitely – the Leibniz monad – an approximation to quantum mechanics and

CHILD DRAWING ON THE WALL

TILE COMPOSITION

There is an internal process of transformation of the images perceived depending on the identity and experiences of the observer. The result of this mixture of perceptions composes a mirror system in which the observer observes himself, in an object, in a flower, in a stone, in a landscape.

SHRIVELLING FLOWERS

The unconscious of the observer

gradually builds up as it receives more information and sensory stimulation. With the overlapping of the pieces, the identity develops a continuum in which one seeks to understand the symbol found in the mirror. What’s behind the mirror that’s me? This process, directly intertwined with creative representation as means of communication, has not only a fixed medium, but several possible ways to achieve the expression of the creator and his environment. Like a house in which each piece we add to it serves so much to welcome us every time we enter it as a means of representing ourselves. My creative inspirations therefore come from a variety of means, from painting to sculpture, literature (especially poetry and stream of consciousness), to cinema, photography, music and multimedia.

SINKING BOAT

Among the photographers that influenced me the most I can mention William Eugene Smith, Walker Evans, Diane Arbus, Dorothea Lange, Sebastião Salgado, Paulo Nozolino, Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Brassaï, Karl Blossfeldt, Paul Strand, Nan Goldin and Roger

Ballen, among others, especially in the area of black and white photography. In the area of cinema, especially Andrei Tarkovsky, Robert Bresson, Ingmar Bergman, Jean-Luc Godard, Carl Theodor Dreyer, François Truffaut, Louis Malle, Béla Tarr, Andrzej Wajda, Jan Svankmajer, Robert Lepage, Romeo Catellucci, Michael Haneke, David Lynch, Akira Kurosawa, Agnès Varda, Peter Greenaway and Sergei Parajanov. In the visual and plastic arts the palette becomes larger and more extensive, but to refer some, Vincent Van Gogh, Anselm Kiefer, Otto Dix, Balthus, Joseph Beuys, Hans Bellmer, Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz, Louise Bourgeois, Kiki Smith, Eva Hesse, Jannis Kounellis, Susan Rothenberg, Doris Salcedo, Herman de Vries, Joan Mitchell, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rose Wylie, Sanya Kantarovsky, Francis Bacon, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe, Remedios Varo, Agnes Martin, Lucian Freud, Celia Paul, Marlene Dumas, Philip Guston, Kara Walker, Paula Rego, Mark Rothko, Richard Long, Richard Serra, Alberto Carneiro, Rui Chafes, Ruth Asawa, Robert Morris, Carl Andre, William Blake, Zdzisław Beksiński, Frank Auerbach, David Hockney, Cy Twombly and Yayoi Kusama among many others.

LEAVES MASK

DISCOVER MORE Instagram: @francisco.dnz

A STAR FELL ON THE GROUND

MEMENTO MORI

THE NATIONAL GALLERY

THE NATIONAL GALLERY HOUSES ONE OF THE GREATEST COLLECTIONS OF EUROPEAN PAINTINGS IN THE WORLD.

The National Gallery’s collection consists of over 2,300 paintings from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. All major traditions of Western European painting are represented, from the painters of late medieval and Renaissance Italy to the French Impressionists, with artists including Titian, Monet, Rembrandt and Van Gogh. Unlike other major international galleries, the National Gallery was founded on a gift, not from a royal collection. In 1823 the landscape painter and art collector, Sir George Beaumont, promised his collection of pictures to the nation, but the first pictures in the National Gallery came from the banker and collector John Julius Angerstein. In 1824 the House of Commons purchased the Angerstein paintings, which included works by Claude, Rembrandt and Van Dyck. The founders wanted a gallery that would teach and inspire young artists, and be accessible to all. Today, the National Gallery continues to honour its original aims: to preserve and care for the national collection of paintings for future generations and to keep the collection free for the public to visit. The Gallery’s central London location was chosen so that it was convenient for visitors from both the west and the east of the capital. Over 5 million people visit the Gallery per year, including visitors from around the UK and the world as well as Londoners. Since the re-opening of the gallery in July it is still admission free but you need to book online. You can book at www.nationalgallery.org.uk Once visitors get to the National Gallery they can choose from a range of events and activities including temporary exhibitions, talks, and lectures and the gallery is open

late on Friday. Visitors are advised to check the website for updates. The National Gallery is constantly changing. Its collection expands as new works are acquired, loaned or bequeathed to the nation. The Gallery also keeps pace with the changing needs of both the collection and its visitors. Paintings require scientific and conservational care, just as visitors need spaces for orientation, relaxation and refreshment.

HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER - JEAN DE DINTEVILLE AND GEORGES DE SELVE (‘THE AMBASSADORS’) 1533 ©National Gallery, London

16th century Leonardo, Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Holbein, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titian, Veronese

JAN VAN EYCK - THE ARNOLFINI PORTRAIT, 1434 ©NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON

COLLECTION OVERVIEW 13th to 15th century Duccio, Uccello, van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli, Dürer, Memling, Bellini Most surviving late medieval pictures are religious, made for altars in churches or for private devotion. Many have exquisitely decorated gold-leaf backgrounds. In the 15th century, portraits and scenes from ancient history and mythology increased in importance. Realism also affected the treatment of sacred subjects. Figures were often placed in convincing architectural and landscape settings. Technical advances, such as oil paint, allowed greater subtlety in depicting facial expression and surface textures.

The leading artists of this period achieved a fame that has never diminished. Particularly in Italy, Renaissance painters sought to rival and surpass the artists of ancient Greece and Rome. Portraitists were highly prized and pictures of ancient history and mythology became almost as important as Christian subjects. Paintings were appreciated for their artistry as much as for their subject matter, and often placed in specially created galleries.

REMBRANDT- SELF PORTRAIT AT THE AGE OF 34, ©NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON

17th century Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velázquez, Claude,

Rembrandt, Cuyp, Vermeer While some artists of this period looked to the art of the past for inspiration, they always imparted their own style, from the flamboyant to the austere. Religious subjects were treated

in novel ways to engage the emotions of the viewer. In the Netherlands, specialist painters of still lifes, landscapes and scenes of everyday life – from elegant social gatherings to lively scenes in taverns – enjoyed great popularity.

18th to early 20th century Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Ingres, Degas, Cézanne, Monet, Van Gogh Although the production of grand paintings for churches and palaces continued, it became

more common for artists to paint smaller works that were exhibited and sold through art dealers and public exhibitions. In the 19th century, art movements (loose associations of artists working in a similar style) emerged, as did the idea of the independent artist who rebelled against the official art establishment. ABOUT THE BUILDING 1824 The Founding Collection In April 1824 the House of Commons agreed to pay £60,000 for the picture collection of the banker John Julius Angerstein. His 38 pictures were intended to form the core of a new national collection, for the enjoyment and education of all. On 10 May 1824 the new National Gallery opened to the public free of charge. The pictures were displayed at Angerstein’s house at 100 Pall Mall until a dedicated gallery building was constructed. 24,000 visitors attended in the first six months – a tremendous number for that period. William Seguier, who had valued the pictures for the Government, was appointed Keeper. The size of the building was compared unfavourably with other national art galleries, such as the Louvre in Paris, and ridiculed in the press. 1831 Finding a Site In 1831 Parliament agreed to construct a building for the National Gallery, designed by William Wilkins, at Trafalgar Square. There had been lengthy discussion about the best location for the Gallery, and Trafalgar Square was eventually chosen as it was considered to be central and accessible. The National Gallery stands on the former site of the King’s Mews. William Wilkins used many of the construction methods of the Mews

building when he built the National Gallery. In 1826 the nearby Carlton House, former home of the Prince Regent, had been demolished but its impressive columns were saved. Wilkins selected eight of the columns for use in his new National Gallery building. In the event, he then decided they were too small for the central portico. However, it is conceivable that they were eventually used in the east and west porticos. 1838 The National Gallery is Opened The new National Gallery building was finally opened in 1838 by Queen Victoria. The Royal Academy of Arts was also housed in the East Wing of the building. A grand central staircase divided it from the National Gallery in the West Wing. In 1868, the Royal Academy moved into its own new building in Piccadilly, leaving extra space for the National Gallery. 1876 Expanding the new building There was a lot of public criticism of the National Gallery’s building and in 1868 the architect E.M.

Barry was asked to submit designs for rebuilding the entire Gallery at Trafalgar Square. After much discussion, it was decided that the existing building should remain, but a new wing should be added. This was completed in 1876, and added seven new exhibition rooms at the east end, including the impressive dome. 1896–7 The National Portrait Gallery moves, Tate Gallery opens The National Portrait Gallery, opened in 1857, found a new home behind the National Gallery in 1890; its new building opened in 1896. The Tate Gallery opened the following year to house the National Gallery’s British paintings as well as Sir Henry Tate’s own collection. 1911 New additions The Trustees had to battle for a long time to secure expansion space for the National Gallery. The site in central London was very constrained. Eventually, in 1907, barracks at the rear of the Gallery were cleared and work began to construct five new galleries, which opened to the public in 1911.

1928–1933 Mosaics The National Gallery commissioned the Russian-born artist Boris Anrep (1883–1969) to lay two mosaic pavements in the vestibule of the Main Vestibule to illustrate ‘The Labours of Life’ and ‘The Pleasures of Life’. In 1952, Anrep laid a third pavement, ‘The Modern Virtues’. The resulting mosaics are a celebration of everyday life, which lies underfoot in a busy public place. 1939–45 The Second World War On Wednesday 23 August 1939, the National Gallery closed its doors to the public, not knowing when they would open again. During the War the entire collection was evacuated to a slate quarry at Manod in Wales, and the Gallery suffered bomb damage in 1940. Visitors, unable to see old master

paintings, were now drawn to popular lunchtime concerts by the famous pianist Myra Hess, and enjoyed a series of temporary exhibitions. 1975 The Northern Extension The northern extension opened in 1975, providing considerable extra exhibition space: nine large rooms and three smaller ‘cabinet’ rooms. These new galleries made use of natural lighting as far as possible. 1991 The Sainsbury Wing In 1985 Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover and his brothers The Hon. Simon Sainsbury and Sir Timothy Sainsbury generously agreed to finance the construction of a new wing for the Gallery. A site next to the Gallery had been vacant since the Second World War, when a furniture shop was destroyed by bombing. The new Sainsbury Wing was opened in

1991, and displays the entire early Renaissance collection. 2004–6 Development Of The East Wing The first stage of this project saw the opening of the Sir Paul Getty Entrance. This made the main building accessible to the public at street level directly from Trafalgar Square for the first time. The second stage involved the redevelopment of the Main Vestibule and restoration of the original 19th-century. J. D. Crace ceiling decoration in the Staircase Hall. Present Following the completion of the Sainsbury Wing, the Gallery has a total floor area of 46,396m2 – equivalent to around six football pitches. It is big enough to hold over 2,000 London double-decker buses.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COLLECTION

GEORGES SEURAT - BATHERS AT ASNIÈRES, 1884

Georges Seurat is considered one of the most important Post-Impressionist painters. He moved away from the apparent spontaneity and rapidity of Impressionism and developed a structured, more monumental art to depict modern urban life. At the start of his career, Seurat followed a traditional path: taught to paint by a pupil of Ingres, Henri Lehman, at the École des BeauxArts in Paris; studying the works of early Italian and 17th-century French artists in the Louvre; and then exhibiting at the official Salon. His drawings in Conté crayon allowed for very subtle tonal gradation; they shimmer in a manner akin to the effect created by Seurat’s pointillist painting technique. Seurat combined a traditional approach, based on his academic training, with a study of modern techniques, such as Impressionism. He also applied ideas from contemporary optical theories of colour relationships. Asnières is an industrial suburb west of Paris on the River Seine. The present work shows a group of young workmen taking their leisure by the river. This was the first of Seurat’s largescale compositions. He drew conté

be painted by Leonardo alone, and there were to be two side panels showing angels singing and playing musical instruments. Two paintings of angels (‘An Angel in Green with a Vielle’ and ‘An Angel in Red with a Lute’) by artists influenced by Leonardo, are undoubtedly those for the altarpiece. ‘The Virgin of the Rocks’ seems not to refer to the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, but depicts the type of subject that Leonardo might have painted in his native Florence where legends concerning the young Saint John the Baptist were popular. ©NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON

crayon studies for individual figures using live models, and made small oil sketches on site which he used to help design the composition and record effects of light and atmosphere. Some fourteen oil sketches and ten drawings survive. The final composition, painted in the studio, combines information from both. While the painting was not executed using Seurat’s pointillist technique, which he had not yet invented, the artist later reworked areas of this picture using dots of contrasting colour to create a vibrant, luminous effect. For example, dots of orange and blue were added to the boy’s hat.

It was twenty five years until a painting of this subject was finally placed in the chapel. In the interim, Leonardo had painted two versions of the composition: the first (in the Louvre) probably sold in the 1490s to a private client after a financial wrangle with the Confraternity; and a replacement, - the painting that now hangs in the National Gallery - that was never finished despite some help from his studio, but was installed in the chapel in 1508.

The simplicity of the forms and the use of regular shapes clearly defined by light recalls paintings by the Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca. In his use of figures seen in profile, Seurat may also have been influenced by ancient Egyptian art. An elaborate sculpted altar was commissioned by the Milanese Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception for their oratory in San Francesco in 1480. A new contract was drawn up in 1483 with Leonardo and the de Predis brothers: a central panel was to

LEONARDO DA VINCI THE VIRGIN OF THE ROCKS (THE VIRGIN WITH THE INFANT SAINT JOHN ADORING THE INFANT CHRIST ACCOMPANIED BY AN ANGEL) ©NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON

a single subject in differing light conditions. He worked on similar series representing poplars, haystacks and the façade of Rouen Cathedral during the same period.

In 1883 Monet moved from the north-west of Paris to Giverny where he lived until his death. Adjacent to his property was a small pond which he acquired in 1893, where he created a water garden with an arched bridge in the Japanese style. In 1900 he exhibited a series of ten canvases of the pond, showing

The simple design of this painting with the close-up view of the bridge was repeated in several other canvases. The fresh greens of the foliage evoke an early summer’s day. Voted in 2005 The Greatest Painting in Britain. The 98gun ship ‘Temeraire’ played a distinguished role in Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, after which she was known as the ‘Fighting Temeraire’. The ship remained in service until 1838 when she

was decommissioned and towed from Sheerness to Rotherhithe to be broken up. The painting was thought to represent the decline of Britain’s naval power. The ‘Temeraire’ is shown travelling east, away from the sunset, even though Rotherhithe is west of Sheerness, but Turner’s main concern was to evoke a sense of loss, rather than to give an exact recording of the event. The spectacularly colourful setting of the sun draws a parallel with the passing of the old warship. By contrast the new steampowered tug is smaller and more prosaic. DISCOVER MORE Admission free but advance tickets only at www.nationalgallery.org.uk

JOSEPH MALLORD WILLIAM TURNER - THE FIGHTING TEMERAIRE TUGGED TO HER LAST BERTH TO BE BROKEN UP, ©NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON

GRANT MILNE

SENSU ARTIST BRUSH ON THE ArtRage APP

July 2019 I decided I wanted to spend more time painting portraits, along with developing a technique that would speed up the process. Prior to this, on average I was painting 1 - 2 portraits a year, which would take me approximately 12 months to complete each portrait. I therefore, decided to challenge myself to complete 26 portraits within a year, these being A - Z portraits of famous faces, giving myself 6 hours to complete each one. The rules I applied to my personal challenge being that I would split each portrait into three

sessions of two hours duration, which would give me enough time to allow the oil to dry between layers. Before starting any painting I would use the app ArtRage, which is a digital artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s studio, with a full range of familiar tools that look and work like the real things. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a canvas for thick, expressive oils and delicate watercolours, a sketchpad with a full set of pencils and a sheet of paper, with a stack of wax crayons all in one. You can view more about the app at www.artrage.com. Initially using the ArtRage app to complete the

painting digitally. I used a Sensu Artist Brush and Stylus to give me the same effect of oil painting. You do not need however, to wait for the paint to dry. Sensu artist brushes are the ultimate tools for digital artists, as they deliver an authentic painting experience on your tablet or smartphone. After completing the digital painting on the ArtRage app, using a Sensu Artist Brush and Stylus, I then created the oil painting on canvas, which is stapled on to a wooden board.

IDRIS ELBA (HOUR 1 - 2)

Above shows the painting in stages of Idris Elba, who is a British film, TV and theatre actor and International DJ. He is the only child to a father from Sierra Leone and mother from Ghana. Each portrait is painted across three sessions of 2 hours each. This gives me time to build up the layers, by allowing time for the oil to dry. Then add more paint. Layer one has the aim of creating a rough guidance for the tonal values of the portrait. Layer two is creating more detail within the portrait. I will focus on adding more detail mainly on the eyes, nose and mouth. I will also add more depth to the skin.

IDRIS ELBA (HOUR 3 - 4)

has also gone on to create some fantastic pieces herself. Artist Talk Magazine issue 10, we were delighted to feature Lucian Freud: The Self-portraits, which was the first exhibition to focus on the celebrated artist’s visceral and unflinching self-portraits. Executed over almost seven decades on canvas and paper, the exhibition brought together around 50 works that chart Freud’s (19222011) artistic development: from his early, more linear and graphic works to the fleshier painterly style that became the hallmark of his later work. The majority of the works are from private collections and a number have not been seen publicly for several decades.

IDRIS ELBA (HOUR 5 - 6)

This exhibition was organised by the Royal Academy of Arts, London in collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It was curated by Jasper Sharp, Adjunct Curator for Modern and Contemporary Art at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, and David Dawson, painter and photographer, and Freud’s former studio assistant with Andrea Tarsia, Curator at the Royal Academy of Arts. Therefore, for the letter L it was an obvious choice to paint a portrait of Lucian from this exhibition. DISCOVER MORE Instagram: @grantcmilne_art

Layer three is adding and refining final details of the portrait. One of my favourite paintings is William Wilberforce by Sir Thomas Lawrence, the National Portrait Gallery, London. My art I would say, has been influenced by the painter Lucian Freud. Since creating and featuring in Artist Talk, I have been fortunate to feature some fantastic artists. In this issue we have featured Sue Tilley who was the sitter for Lucian Freud. Sue

LUCIAN FREUD (HOUR 1 - 2)

LUCIAN FREUD (HOUR 3 - 4)

LUCIAN FREUD (HOUR 5 - 6)

NAOMI CAMPBELL

DAVID BECKHAM

JOHN THEODORE KENNEY

Council. This has been placed on the wall of the Hunny Hive Nursery, Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire. The nursery was built on the site of the house where he lived in the 1950s.

regiment. He landed with the forces in Normandy as part of the D Day landings and although not an official war artist, he recorded scenes that he witnessed in a series of impromptu drawings.

School and College

As his regiment moved across Europe, he created a visual record of what he saw. Sketches on scraps of paper have been found, which we believe he copied with more detail onto A4 paper when he had the time, energy and materials to do this.

John attended Harrison Road School in Leicester and the Leicester College of Art.

John Theodore Kenney (1911 – 1972) Was a versatile artist, best known for his sporting scenes and illustrations of children’s books, notably ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ and various ‘Ladybird’ books. In June 2019 he was honoured with the award of a Green Plaque by Leicestershire County

In his early 20s he was a keen Rugby player and rode with the Quorn Hunt. Following his graduation, he worked at Slaters (J E Slater & Co), a firm of display designers in Kibworth Beauchamp. During these years his talent as a commercial artist and independent sporting artist was developed. The Second World War During the war John served in the 121st Light Anti- Aircraft

The outcome is a collection of detailed and vivid sketches, 60 of which illustrate his journey from Normandy to the Prisoner of War camps. These are now at the Royal Artillery Museum archive at Larkhill Camp and will be displayed again when the museum moves to its new location.

ADDITIONAL WAR SKETCH

Freelance Artist After the war John returned to his role of commercial artist at Slaters and it was here that he met his wife Peggy whom he married in 1948. They moved to a house in Kibworth Beauchamp close to Slaters but after several years and a very successful career in Commercial Art, John decided to go freelance and focus on his painting. In the early days as a freelance artist and like many other artists John produced posters for British Rail in addition to posters for local attractions. His first freelance projects included the illustrations for two books that he also authored from the ‘Truth in a Tale’ series of books for children (Edmund Ward Ltd 1955) – ‘The Grey Pony’ and ‘The Shetland Pony.’ It would seem from these books and other text and poetry that we have found that John also had a talent for writing, one that he chose not to develop further. There is speculation that John used a local family to base the characters on for ‘The Grey Pony.’

what has been described as the ‘golden years’ of Ladybird Books including most of the ‘Adventures in History’ series, such as “Nelson”, “Captain Scott”, “Queen Elizabeth”, “Oliver Cromwell” and “Stone Age Man in Britain”. In total he illustrated 31 books for Ladybird, including one of the best loved fiction books, “Tootles the Taxi” and the early Robin Hood series: “The Ambush” and “The Silver Arrow”. Here we see a prototype of a small part of the illustration for page 12 of ‘The Story of Nelson’ Ladybird Books Series 561 (Wills & Hepworth 1957). As members of John’s family, we have had the privilege of seeing some of the original artwork for the Ladybird books. We recently relived some of our childhood memories visiting the Reading University Special Collection at the Museum of English Rural Life to see the 17 sets of John’s illustrations that are stored there. The original Ladybird artwork is amazing; the colours so much more vivid and the artistry so detailed. In the case of John’s illustrations, the scale of some of the pieces is a revelation. As a child one family member had the thrill of watching him paint and clearly remembers him creating the painting of the famous ‘Ice cave’ photograph from Captains Scott’s expedition to the Antarctic. The illustration in the book conjures memories of the sound that John made whistling through his teeth as he painted. Thomas the Tank engine

PROTOTYPE LADYBIRD

Ladybird John produced many of the wonderful images at the start of

Between 1957 and 1962 John illustrated 6 books (12 – 17) from The Railway Series: ‘Thomas the Tank Engine,’ also Edmund Ward Publishers. The author was the Reverend W Awdry who wrote the books for his son Christopher. The book ‘Thomas the Tank Engine

Man’, (William Heinemann Ltd, 1995), tells the story of Reverend Awdry. The author Brain Sibley comments that ‘The choice of John Eardley Kenney - was a happy one: he brought a freshness and a new liveliness to the twelfth title in the series with pictures that combine a lightness of touch with a more realistic look.’ As with the Ladybird books John bounced ideas back and forth with the author. It is clear from the letters that we have that they referred to the engines as people. Remembering John, the Reverend Awdry said: ‘We got on splendidly. He was interested in the work and used to go down to his station and draw railway engines from life.’ Failing eyesight and the demand for exact technical detail, forced John to stop illustrating after the ‘Gallant Old Engine’ (1962). John also illustrated another book authored by the Reverend Awdry: ‘Belinda Beats the Band’ (Brockhampton Press Ltd 1961). During his life John was best known for his paintings of sporting scenes and it was as a sporting artist that he principally made a living and gained his reputation. In 1963 John told a journalist: ‘For myself, I love the English countryside and I love animals and I love the freedom of being my own boss and being able to paint just what I like.’ It is this passion for animals and strength of feeling that is depicted in John’s work; with almost photographic detail and imagined movement of the animals. The hunting landscape of the 60s and early 70s in South Leicestershire was an inspiration for his vivid and energetic scenes. His typical technique was to sketch directly in the countryside and then transpose those sketches to oils on canvas.

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His preferred canvas was two feet by three feet, but he was also able to adapt to either the size of larger canvases or to the small scale and constraints of book illustration.

also from leicestershire. John exhibited his work at exhibitions in Leicester and the USA where his artwork still circulates. Sadly, in 1968 he lost

the sight in one eye. Despite this he carried on painting until he died in December 1972, at the age of 61. January 2020 The Family of John T Kenney

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Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s versatility went beyond style, size of canvas and painting media. In addition to hunting scenes his artwork focused on fishing, horse racing, African animals and local scenes. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s animal studies led him to assume the role of mentor to the equestrian artist Neil Cawthorne,

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