THE
GRANTBRADLEYmagazine
ISSUE #24
'Peeling Paint' by Ben Yates
THE
GRANTBRADLEYgallery
OCTOBER2014
SHOWING OCTOBER 2014
1 St Peter’s Court Bedminster Parade Bristol BS3 4AQ T. 0117 9637 673 W. grantbradleygallery.co.uk E. info@grantbradleygallery.co.uk
OCTOBER 2014 EXHIBITIONS SHOWING 4TH OCTOBER UNTIL 1ST NOVEMBER 2014
NEOTERICS COLOUR OF THE WORLD II
NEOTERICS An exhibition of 'photo-cubism' by Devon based artist Ben Yates. The artwork that I make takes influences from geometry, counter-culture, science (both fact and fiction), and all things Japanese. In 2005 I made my first 'Photo-Cubism' work a style that combines photography with sculpture. I shoot subjects digitally and then apply the prints onto a structure of blocks to accentuate the form of the subject or subjects. The resulting piece appears to change or develop as the observer moves around or toward it, and the eye is drawn around the construction in a fresh exploration of the subject matter. So that the collections of photography can be as eclectic as possible I have travelled extensively shooting subjects of interest all over the world. All the blocks are cut, finished and arranged by hand, the images all cropped and sized manually, and arranged by eye. www.photocubism.com
COLOUR OF THE WORLD II Somerset-based artist Moish Sokal returns to the Grant Bradley Gallery to celebrate 25 years of painting and exhibiting in England. In this exhibition Sokal brings the colour from Israel, Australia, and England - the countries he has lived in and calls 'Home' alongside scenes from India (his main muse) resulting in a tapestry of contrasts of light and atmosphere, cultures and colour. 'I felt the urge to revisit all these places again - meet the people and indulge in the sensory delights, after all these have played a vital role in my personal development and as an artist.' Israeli born, Moish was encouraged by his father to develop his artistic talents from a tender age. (Never mind the schoolwork, son- I want to see a drawing everyday when I come home from work) This he did through Graphic design during his army service which took him to London and Sydney, where he built a successful career. "I lived in Sydney for 22 years working for all sorts of media outlets, but I also took time out to travel the world and paint wherever I could, it was so liberating, so relaxing so satisfying - in contrast to the commercial world with its constrains of time and budget" says Moish. In the late 80's he left Sydney to re join with his Somerset born wife Prue. Having been persuaded to try and sell some of his watercolours alongside her jewellery stall in the Yeovil Craft Market, he sold four paintings and got 2 more commissions on the first day! That was 25 years ago. "That sizzling Summer of '89 I sold about 70 paintings, everyone loved my work" he says. "I realised that a door did open for me to walk through into this new uncertainty of making a living in England from my art." It was a leap of faith but it led Moish to leave his bustling Sydney life and settle in the small Somerset village, discovering the magic of misty mornings and grazing sheep, hidden valleys and old churches.
During the 90's he travelled mainly to the Middle East, Thailand and Australia. The Sinai desert with its nomadic Bedouin tribes, the Thai fishermen and the Australian outback provided endless subject matter to paint but events in 2000 in the Middle East forced him to look elsewhere for the biblical and colourful motifs he was so keen to capture. Backpacking since the 60's Moish first travelled to India in the 70's but fell seriously ill and swore never to go back. "I had nightmares about it and even in transit from Oz to Europe I would never get off the plane in India" Finally Moish braced himself and decided to go to India again to confront his fears. This time, after the initial shock India revealed its magic to the artist's eye: The turbaned men, the sari-clad women, the camels and elephants - a never ending source of inspiration. Fourteen years on, Moish still goes to India, now relentlessly changing with the middle class growing rapidly and the old traditions making way to designer jeans and mobile phones. " I am chasing the magic before it disappears" he says. Sokal travels light, just one piece of luggage containing all he needs: paints, brushes, paper, cameras, a change of clothes and a toothbrush. "Watercolour is the medium I feel most comfortable with - it suits my travelling lifestyle. The subject matter has to excite me first to paint and the raw energy of the sunrise swims before I start the days' work is most essential to what I do. I am disciplined in my work - I strive to make every piece a masterpiece. " www.moishsokal.co.uk
THE
GRANTBRADLEYgallery
GBG OCTOBER 2014 EXHIBITIONS AT THE GRANT BRADLEY GALLERY 1 St Peter’s Court Bedminster Parade Bristol BS3 4AQ T. 0117 9637 673 W. grantbradleygallery.co.uk E. info@grantbradleygallery.co.uk