THE
GRANTBRADLEYmagazine
ISSUE #7
NOVEMBER2012
10TH NOVEMBER 1ST DECEMBER NOVEMBER 2012 EXHIBITIONS 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
NOVEMBER 2012 EXHIBITIONS
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT WITH........1-9 CHRIS PRIOR...................................10-17 RUTH GARROOD...............................18-21
THE
GRANTBRADLEYmagazine
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT WITH
Popular sculptor Barry Lewis returns to the gallery this November with an exciting exhibition of new works titled ‘You are what you eat with’. Never failing to impress and inspire, Barry’s exhibitions always excite the imagination with his masterfully constructed metal sculptures of various fauna. Expect to see battles with crocodiles, schools of stainless steel fish and more. A creative safari for all. 1
Sculptor Barry Lewis in his Bristol studio
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For the duration of November the Grant Bradley Gallery is proud to exhibit ‘You are what you eat with’ – a recent selection of pieces by sculptor Barry Lewis. Barry’s metal sculptures of the animal kingdom are widely accoladed and enjoyed by many all around the world. Though there are many in private collections, seeing them all together in a single space will make this show an unmissable one. Barry has always been a creative person, creating sculptures from stone and wood at an early age, but it wasn’t until he was on the picket line turning back lorries carrying toxic waste that he began to work with metal in earnest. Protesting a landfill site near his home, there was an abundance of fly-tipped metal waste ready to be upcycled to new and interesting uses, and Barry used the time he had there to begin working in what was to become his signature style. At the time Barry was working as a carpenter, the closest he could come in his coal-mining, post-industrial valley town to the more creative practices that he was inclined towards. In his own words “art was for retired ladies and ‘that lot from London’”, so even with an art qualification it would have been an unlikely and problematic decision to label himself an ‘artist’. Regardless, the response to the sculptures was so positive that he continued until art became the focus of his life and work. The title ‘You are what you eat with’ refers to the day-to-day items that Barry uses in his work; many of the objects being from the kitchen or garage and all having had a use in previous lives. Using metal as his primary material allows him to offer a different perspective on the natural world that inspires curiosity, surprise and often outright laughter. “I see myself as a learner,” says Barry, “they often have accidents that the experts don’t.” The playful nature of his process is obvious when looking at the pieces: there is no hidden technique and an intrinsic honesty in everything he produces, which makes the skill with which they are accomplished all the more readily obvious. 3
Left: ‘Spoon’odile’ Cutlery and kitchen equipment, £3,200 Top: ‘Future whelk city’ Saucepans, £900
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Left: ‘Snake in the lake’ Toilet roll holders, spoons and kitchen equipment, £1,200 Top: ‘Pizzley Bear’ Household items, £300 7
‘Vulcher’ Tools, garden sheers, pliers and shovel, £675
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‘Rhino’ Industrial tools, cement mixer, fire estinguishers, barbeque and mower, £3,100
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CHRIS PRIOR
‘Mesa’ Oil on canvas board, £650 10
I am a painter based in Bath in the South West of England. I work mainly with oil paint within the traditional categories of painting, such as the figure/ head, still life and landscape. I think of painting as an activity closely associated with the passage of time: the tradition of painting, the time-travelling potential of subject matter, the connotations of colour (or its absence), the way a brushstroke can either freeze a moment or destroy hours of work. Balanced against this is a concern for a sense of individuality, which may be distinctive but unknown. My paintings are made either from first hand observation or found photographs (usually of people). While I am interested in the external appearance of things, I do not try to replicate them exactly, preferring the paintings to develop their own individuality. Allowing accidents to play a part, along with the limitations imposed by such factors as the scale of canvas or size of brush, I am interested in how the paintings seem to compete with the thing they refer to, subtly and selfishly insisting on qualities of their own. Once done they both remind me of, but detach me from the painting process, just as they derive from but ignore the authority of the source image
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‘Dandelion’ Oil on canvas (Laid on board), £750
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‘Santa Fe’ Oil on plywood, £650
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‘Philadelphia I’ Oil on cardboard, £650
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‘Rose’ Oil on cardboard, £325
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‘Santa Monica’ Oil on masonite, £280 16
‘San Diego’ Oil on plywood, £650
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RUTH GARROOD
‘Casper I’ Limited edition framed print £230 18
I studied Fine Art and Visual Culture at UWE and graduated a few years ago. I’ve always been fascinated with animals and spent hours drawing them from an early age. My dad encouraged me from the start to keep practicing and keep drawing which in turn spurred me on to develop a deeper understanding of skeletal structure, anatomy and muscle tone to ensure accurate images that maintained a certain agreeable character. I’m interested in the relationship between mankind and animals, from our domesticated companions to their wilder relatives. I like exploring the multi faceted nature of this relationship as well as these animals characters and their role in modern society. I use predominantly oil pastels, graphite sticks and a splash of diluted ink, and prefer working on a large scale, often presenting my work as life size depictions of the animals in question.
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‘Black Horse’ Oil pastel and diluted ink on fabriano, £600
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THE
GRANTBRADLEYgallery
10TH NOVEMBER 1ST DECEMBER
For more information please contact: info@grantbradleygallery.co.uk T. 0117 9637 673
ŠTheGrantBradleyGallery2012