HOW TO
To check availability and place orders please:
• telephone 01768 483601
• visit the gallery in person
• email enquiries@beckstonesartgallery.co.uk
All paintings are in oil on board and are framed. Sizes shown are in inches and give the dimensions of the actual image excluding the frame.
The exhibition runs from: 10am on Saturday
21 September to 5pm Sunday 29 September 2019.
The full catalogue can also be viewed nearer the date online at: www.beckstonesartgallery.co.uk.
We regret that paintings cannot be held on reserve for approval.
Paintings can be collected after the exhibition ends (30 September onwards). Deliveries can be arranged if required.
THE WORKS ILLUSTRATED WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE PRIOR TO THE EXHIBITION IMMEDIATELY ON RECEIPT OF THIS CATALOGUE
It is always our greatest pleasure to host an exhibition for an artist and thereby be the very first to see a new body of work laboured over for many months. Our eighth exhibition with Andrew Talbot promises to be just as exciting as ever with a wonderfully diverse selection of beautifully executed oil paintings. Subjects this time as always are varied and include farm animals, garden flowers, oysters, musical instruments, toy cars and even a teddy bear. Every composition is very carefully considered and brilliantly painted and the results are quite breathtaking.
Painting full time for Beckstones since 2002, it has been a delight to see Andrew develop and mature as a painter and hugely satisfying to see demand for his work soar year on year as collectors from far and wide clamour to get their hands on one of his rare paintings. He possesses a remarkable ability to not only find the perfect subject, but then to paint it quite beautifully with his trademark use of rich colour, incredible detail and intrinsic light.
Born in 1972, Andrew was just 15 years old when he painted his first oil painting and, inspired by such great artists as Caravaggio, Ingres, Stanhope Forbes and William Whitehouse, he went on to graduate with a degree in Fine Art (Painting) from Loughborough College of Art. After setting up as a signwriter whilst continuing painting in his spare time, it soon became clear that a successful career as a professional artist beckoned. Every painting delivered to the gallery was bought almost instantaneously and Andrew has never looked back with a succession of sell out exhibitions and a multitude of awards.
Andrew lives and works in his native Lancashire with his wife Susie and their two children Grace and Tom.
Thankfully most artists are different to professional athletes in that they continue to improve rather than being over the hill at the age of 30! The decades of time spent at the easel and the experience of being immersed in a world of creativity hopefully allow artists to bring all this to the fore.
In this, my eighth solo exhibition, I have challenged myself to create some of my most ambitious works of my career to date. The three largest paintings have taken almost five months to complete, with the aim of pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with the illusion of oil on board.
This year I have been fortunate enough to be able to paint a couple of paintings for the show in a stripped-back, simple studio in Provence surrounded by French objects that have influenced a number of timeless still lifes in this collection.
Other still lifes tap into the memory of items discovered in the attic or a favourite game or toy from the past. Others are of a more romantic theme, the passage of time of a love shared or a special evening out.
My farming childhood still influences me to this day and the two animal subjects in this show share the same sunset over their landscape creating a warm, backlit glow.
So, I hope that you enjoy this collection of work and the themes that it evokes.
Thank you to Niki and Karen who continue to work hard to put on a professional show and above all to Susie, Grace and Thomas for their patience and support.
1. Perfect peony
31½ x 31½ inches
£12,500
As an artist, I try to make people see what could otherwise simply be walked by unnoticed. In this painting, increasing the scale and focusing on just one flamboyant peony head, allowed me to observe and depict every delicate leaf, petal, fold and droplet of this stunning bloom. The challenge to paint something that is bold whilst also maintaining subtleties in tiny fluctuations of luminosity and fragility was crucial in making a successful painting with the wow factor.
2. A French passion 14 x 19½ inches
The silver wine funnel lined with gold brings the viewer’s eye straight into the centre of this painting. The funnel was made in Georgian England and then found its way to America before I bought it and brought it back home.
In the painting, French artisan products spiral from the funnel, the finest of which is a bottle of Château Margaux, one of only four wines to achieve premier cru status in the Bordeaux classification of 1855. At over £450 per bottle it is truly to be reserved for the special moments of life!
3. Standing tall 11¾ x 11¾ inches
Lambs can often be seen standing on the table-like backs of their mothers, however, it is hard to capture that moment with such a beautiful backlit sunset. The darker hedge and trees behind help to emphasise the glow as the evening sun passes through the fleeces of the animals.
The mandolin in this painting came from Susie’s father who couldn’t walk past an unloved musical instrument without giving it a new home. The mandolin’s burnt orange wood and mother of pearl surfaces were a dream to paint and its scale worked perfectly with this canvas. I added cream roses to soften the left hand side and provide delicate creams in contrast to the wood behind and also to juxtapose the softness of the petals against the polished instrument. The gold wrapped chocolates draw the eye to the middle of the canvas and the candles, one lit and one just blown out, add a fragility to the piece, a unique moment in time.
4. The player’s encore 12¾ x 21½ inches
8
A three square length composition helps to create a cinematic panorama for this story to unfold. The top chance card sees Bond’s classic Aston Martin get hitched up and taken away as the policeman and the Scottie dog observe.
I’ve always had a love of Land Rovers, and it was competitions with my big brother to draw them when I was just 12 that started my passion for drawing. 35 years on it was a joy to paint one once again.
6. Pocket watch and love letters
11 x 19¼ inches
5. Bond in bother on Bond Street
x 24 inches
7. Knickerbocker glory 16 x 10½ inches
6. Oysters, lemons and champagne
15 x 15 inches
A tall crystal flute with perfectly poured, chilled champagne stands centrally in this painting, surrounded by oysters on chips of ice and a lemon ready to be squeezed. I raised the Chinese inkwell up on three old books and added white carnations to the inkwell. I chose carnations as I wanted to add softness and a frame to the composition rather than a flower that was too bold and blousy and would detract from the three main subjects: oysters, lemon and champagne.
This Hereford cow complements the glowing, sunlit meadow perfectly, almost becoming integral to its surroundings. With a true sense of place, she seems unhurried and content and I think that it is she who helps to give the painting a sense of calm and tranquillity. I hope that this painting captures a special moment in our glorious countryside.
7. Meadow sunset 14½ x 10½ inches
8. Attic memories
17 x 17 inches
This painting was inspired by the children’s story by Margery Williams - ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’. In the story the Rabbit meets the Skin Horse who explains how toys become more ‘real’ the more that they are loved by a child and played with for a long, long time. And so, these toys in the attic, with dents, chips, thread-bare patches and wobbly eyes can vouch for being ‘real’ and much loved by both little and fully grown people alike - even though they may be quite shabby.
9. Pretty in pink
31½ x 31½ inches
For this painting, I waited until peony season in late May and then visited six florists in the North West before finding the perfect subjects. Once set up in the warm studio, the buds quickly began to unfurl and I had to work fast to gather my source material needed to start the painting. It took 3 days and a dozen stems to record all I needed.
I chose a special subtle but deep Prussian blue backdrop to complement the soft, pink flowers and throw them forward to the eye.
10. Spring Saturday 12¼ x 13½ inches
After a busy week, Saturday morning can be a chance to enjoy baking whilst an indulgent blazing fire warms the house. For me, living in rural parts of the country, the fire is always the heart of the home and it draws people towards its warm glow, as it does with your eye in this painting.
11. Anniversary remembered 12½ x 19¼ inches
The starting point for this painting was the ivory and gold boxed truffles that I found in Harrods. I paired them with the ivory roses, waiting to be arranged, and placed them on a mahogany table with the gold and pearl earrings, creating an understated, romantic feel.
12. To Catch a Thief
13½ x 32½ inches
The 1955 film ‘To Catch a Thief’ with Hollywood superstars Cary Grant and Grace Kelly was filmed amongst the glitzy hotels and twisting corniches of the famously glamorous Côte d’Azur at a time when public fascination with the romance and pure danger of the Monaco Grand Prix was at its peak. Ferrari, Mercedes Benz and Maserati were all vying to win the race which Ferrari won in 1955 and Maserati in 1956.
Whilst filming ‘To Catch a Thief’ Grace fell in love with Prince Rainer III of Monaco. They quickly became engaged and were married in Monaco a year later.
1. Perfect peony
2. A French passion
3. Standing tall
4. The player’s encore
5. Bond in bother on Bond Street
6. Oysters, lemon and champagne
7. Meadow sunset
8. Attic memories
9. Pretty in pink
10. Spring Saturday
11. Anniversary remembered
12. To Catch a Thief
