THE
GRANTBRADLEYmagazine
ISSUE #13
SEPTEMBER2013
NEW LIGHT
SEPTEMBER 2013 EXHIBITION AT THE GRANT BRADLEY GALLERY
SHOWING 7TH -28TH SEPTEMBER 2013
Open Mon-Sat 10-5 1 St Peter’s Court Bedminster Parade Bristol BS3 4AQ T. 0117 9637 673 W. grantbradleygallery.co.uk E. info@grantbradleygallery.co.uk
NEW LIGHT
Daniel Douglas is a painter from The Netherlands who will occupy the entire gallery with a solo exhibition in September 2013. Daniel’s work owes itself to the traditions of the old masters like Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Vermeer. He learnt and developed his skills at The Florence Academy of Art. In his most recent paintings; Daniel utilizes this Old Masters’ style and combines it with the new light of iPhones, Laptops and iPads etc. ‘As a painter one is always observing light’, that’s how Daniel discovered this ‘new light’ that is so prominent in modern culture and that has inspired his recent body of works. Daniel has exhibited in several museums and galleries throughout Europe, however New Light will be his debut exhibition in the U.K.
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST What initially inspired you to start working creatively and when did you begin as an artist? One of the first memories in my life was going out landscape painting with my family. I was 3 years old and it was so lovely to do. At the end of the day we would sit down and put the paintings and drawings on the ground; we had a picnic and analysed the paintings of my parents, brothers, sister and me. From then on, I thought: this is what I want to do the rest of my life, and I have been painting ever since. Tell us more about your education and training in painting. I went to Florence, Italy to study at the Florence Academy of Art. This is an academy that teaches in the manner that the old masters were taught. At the academy I first had to draw Greek marble sculptures in a very strict way. Step by step I would learn more techniques and materials. When you first started creating your paintings what was the initial response? Can you recall the first time you showed them to a public audience? The first exhibition I had was at 18 years old. It was just before I went to study in Italy. The show was a great success and although it was in the small village of Dedemsvaart where I was born, I sold more than half of the paintings I exhibited. With what I earned I could pay for a part of the study. What is your main source of inspiration and what other artists have been influential to you and your work? I am influenced by all daily life and nature. For this show I’m specifically inspired by the light of modern technology like phones, iPads, laptops, etc. I do admire a lot of artists like Rembrandt, Vermeer, Lucien Freud and van Gogh.
What are your own personal motives for painting and what does your work mean to you? I have a lot of visions already in my head, thousands of them. The only thing I really need to do is choose the most important ones and paint them on the canvas. Sometimes I wish I had more lives so I could paint everything that’s in my head. Most of my paintings become more meaningful to me as time goes by. The more I see them, the more I develop a certain bond with them. Tell us more about your solo exhibition here in September; what can visitors expect to see and what response do you hope to receive? My solo exhibition in September is about new light. The light that comes from modern technology like smartphones, laptops, iPads etc. It’s very interesting to see what kind of light comes from these screens because the colours always change. These colours can sometimes be very bright and warm but also blueish and cold. It’s also interesting to see how people almost seem to be hypnotized when they are looking at messages that are projected on the screens. One of my paintings is called The Letter. It’s an old theme, but in this painting the letter that the girl is reading comes from an iPhone that lights up her face with a kind of purple light. As a painter you are always looking at light. In different paintings of Rembrandt he lets the light from narrow windows shine on peoples faces, these narrow windows were common in the Dutch houses those days. Edward Hopper used to paint modern lightbulbs that appeared in the fifties and experimented with the light that was new at that time. With my new concept I want to experiment with the newest and most common sources of light today. These days it’s easier to get people to sit still to pose for a painting while they look at their iPhones. So it’s a win win situation! I will also show a big collection of my portraits and landscapes (from both England and the Netherlands).
Daniel Douglas in his studio
‘AS A PAINTER ONE IS ALWAYS OBSERVING LIGHT’
AUCTION Several of the pieces in the exhibition are available to purchase through auction. To place your bid please email your offer and the title of the piece to contact@danieldouglas.nl
Navigation App Oil on Panel Available to purchase through auction
Book Book Oil on Panel Sold
Annabelle Lie Oil on Panel ÂŁ1,200
Samsung Galaxy S Oil on Panel ÂŁ600
Colourful Girl Oil on Canvas ÂŁ700
L.T.C Light Oil on Panel Sold
Bad Boy Oil on Canvas £1,600
iPhone Lioness Oil on Panel Available to purchase through auction
iPad Light Oil on Panel ÂŁ1,300
Evie Oil on Canvas NFS
Left: Young Woman Reading Oil on Panel ÂŁ800 Right: The Letter Oil on Panel Available to purchase through auction
Portrait of Steve Grafton, technician at the gallery Oil on Panel NFS
Brechtje Ten Hoor Oil on Panel NFS
Cyber Love Oil on Panel ÂŁ600
The Book Oil on Panel ÂŁ1,800
The Letter Oil on Panel Available to purchase through auction
Jonas Ten Hoor Oil on Panel NFS
Self-Portrait Oil on Canvas ÂŁ3,500
New Light Oil on Canvas Available to purchase through auction
Flower Still Life Oil on Panel ÂŁ1,300
Still Life Onions Oil on Panel ÂŁ1,300
Shell Still Lifes Oil on Panel ÂŁ1,300 for pair
Weston-Super-Mare Sunset Oil on Panel ÂŁ350
Bath Nocturne Oil on Canvas ÂŁ250
Bath City View Oil on Panel ÂŁ350
Bath Sunset Oil on Panel ÂŁ350
Dutch Landscape with Windmill Oil on Panel ÂŁ350
Dutch Landscape with Wild Willow Oil on Panel ÂŁ400
Dutch Landscape with Pollard Willow Oil on Panel ÂŁ350
Dutch Landscape Oil on Canvas ÂŁ350
Purple Heather Oil on Panel ÂŁ250
Sunset in Norway Oil on Panel ÂŁ280
Swedish Landscape Oil on Panel ÂŁ350
Marie Therese Oil on Panel ÂŁ1,700
Tree Study Oil on Panel £180
The Tunnel Oil on Panel £350
Forest Study Oil on Panel ÂŁ280
Conny Oil on Canvas NFS
Antony Oil on Canvas NFS
Kneeling Study Oil on Panel ÂŁ550
In Your Dreams Study Oil on Panel £450
Two Girls New Light Oil on Panel ÂŁ400
New Light Study Oil on Panel Available to purchase through auction
The 5 Seasons Oil on Panel ÂŁ1,800 for all 5
New Light Nude Study Oil on Panel ÂŁ300
THE
GRANTBRADLEYgallery
SEPTEMBER 2013 EXHIBITION AT THE GRANT BRADLEY GALLERY 1 St Peter’s Court Bedminster Parade Bristol BS3 4AQ Open Mon-Sat 10-5 T. 0117 9637 673 W. grantbradleygallery.co.uk E. info@grantbradleygallery.co.uk