Contemporary Artists & Exhibitions
Issue 18 autumn/winter 2020
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Created through a pandemic and global lockdown, this issue is unlike any we have previously published. The arts have have been affected over the past several months, with events, exhibitions and art fairs cancelled and galleries closed. Through the difficult times we have all recently faced, and continue to feel the effects of, some small positives were found, as is often the case when hope remains in darkness. While it’s true that artists are often solitary creatures, an extreme lack of social interaction has meant looking elsewhere for inspiration, using the isolation period to experiment with new styles and mediums, with time to reflect at a slower pace where new work flourished. While it will be some time before we feel a sense of normality again, embracing the new normal can give hope for the future.
EDITORS Kieran Austin Toby Oliver Dean COVER IMAGE By Annie Randall Fractured but Holy, 2020 cyanotype and pencil collage, 29 x 26 cm PROOF READER Daisy Francome FOLLOW US InsideArtists InsideArtists InsideArtists ONLINE insideartists.co.uk ENQUIRIES info@insideartists.co.uk +44 (0)1273 649 724 Inside Artists is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without permission from the publishers. The magazine can assume no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.
"‘Fractured but Holy’ was created in the early stages of lockdown. My life became my flat and my allotment. The latter kept me sane, as I constantly noticed different insects, watched plants come to life and formed unspoken agreements with certain weeds and pests. Everyday there was new inspiration for a drawing or a print. Our worlds were fractured, but many of us found solace in nature. I hope these rekindled relationships persist and, beyond creating a space in our lives for nature, we understand that we (our lives and our futures) are inherently tied to it. " Annie Randall
Interviews 06 Annie Randall 42 Karen Christensen
94 Stanley Gonczanski
Artist profiles 12 14 18 20 26 28 34 36 38 40 48 56 58 60 66 70
Fraser Renton Martin QBA Kaares Hannah Thomas Scott Allen Roberts Chan Suk On Adele Riley Gail Mancuso Shirin Moayya Patricia Edith Mary Thompson MarĂa Isabel de Lince Jae Young Park Pedro Sousa Louro Tara Madge Heikedine Guenther Gabriel O'Shea Juliet Piper
Artist exhibitions 138 Upcoming artist exhibitions
74 Borg de Nobel 80 Jimena Carranza 84 Christina Galbiati 88 Minju Kim 90 Christopher Engel 102 Angel London 106 Diane Whalley 108 Musto M. Yildirim 112 Hattie Barnard 114 Matina Vossou 118 Betty Alabama 122 Ann Palmer 124 Vincent Donlin 130 Bettina Newbery 132 Jane Duff
06 ARTIST INTERVIEW Annie Randall
Annie Randall
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ombining cyanotype techniques with delicate sketches, Annie Randall creates poetic meditations on the natural form, finding inspiration in the naked body, flowers, leaves and insects. Her work explores the disconnected relationship between humans and nature, taking the figure away from their comfortable yet destructive place as observer and dominator to a new vision of unity where shoots and leaves grow entwined with the body. Nature also plays an important part in Randall’s practice physically, as she relies on the sun as part of the cyanotype process, with the intensity of its rays taking control of the outcome of the artwork. Embracing the deep, inky blues that are synonymous with the cyanotype process, Randall overlays her drawings and photography seamlessly into one image; the duality of both mediums reflecting her two subjects as they come together.
Tell us about your journey as an artist I’ve always been creative, and have a very visual memory. Since childhood I’ve drawn and painted as a way of understanding the things around me. It’s nearly always been people or plants. For me, they offer vibrancy and movement. I never formally studied art post school. I went to university to study Anthropology, which gave me a breadth of understanding to be critical of the world and our environment. Since then, I’ve juggled making art with other pursuits such as environmental activism. I found the balance difficult, but this year I’ve really honed in on my artistic process and redirected some of my organising energy into creating. I don’t believe art and organising are mutually exclusive. In fact, I think art is a fantastic way of introducing critical
ideas into mainstream thought, and now I believe it is more important than ever to be political. We talk about shit hitting the fan, but right now it’s flying across the room… Can you tell us more about the process of working with cyanotype prints? When did you start using this medium in your artworks? I started using cyanotypes two years ago when I was in France. They worked perfectly with the intense French sunshine. Unfortunately you have to be much more patient in the UK with the unpredictable weather! I noticed a lot of artists using objects to create their prints – flowers, leaves, hands, material etc., but I love drawing and wanted to find a way of combining the two. So, a lot of my cyanotypes come from pencil
Annie Randall ARTIST INTERVIEW 07
Lady Shrooms, 2020, cyanotype, 28 x 21 cm
08 ARTIST INTERVIEW Annie Randall
Aya, 2020, cyanotype, 43 x 58 cm
sketches that have been scanned and printed as negatives on tracing paper, very similar to the original cyanotype photography. Where do you find inspiration for new work? Politics, ecology and social movements are deeply intertwined with my artistic practise. I’m constantly asking myself how and why humanity got itself into this mess, trying to dissect different issues and trying to learn about how we can grow both as individuals and as a community. I believe it is all about connection – connection to ourselves and being honest with ourselves, what do we actually need and what is good for us? Connection with each other – how can we foster healthy relationships based on trust, integrity and mutual support? And connection with nature –
how can we understand our place in the living world, to build sustainable systems that leave a positive impact rather than simply ‘less bad’? I ask myself these questions every day, and when I go out into nature, (especially my allotment!), I can’t help but see the beauty and intelligence in natural forms and want to weave them into my work. Has the Covid-19 lockdown affected your practice or the way you create work? Yes, both positively and negatively. I am lucky to have been able to work at home without distraction, but because my desk and living room became my studio it was much harder to take a break. I’m used to being self-employed and having bizarre hours, but my relationship to
Annie Randall ARTIST INTERVIEW 09
Dead Fish Wind, 2020, cyanotype, 28 x 21 cm
the work became quite intense as it was there with me all the time. However, lockdown also gave me the opportunity to revisit lots of old and unused photographs, as I was unable to go and photograph real people. What are you currently working on? Do you have plans for any upcoming exhibitions after lockdown? I’m currently working on a series of larger cyanotypes, around A1 size. My last series involved more than 20 different designs, all much smaller. This time I’m focusing on between 5 and 7 designs, which will combine photographs, sketches and text. They’re going to have a strong message, but will be following the same narrative as before – renewing our relationship with
nature, and ultimately a critique of hubris. I hope to show these in an exhibition, ideally alongside other artists who follow a similar narrative. I’m in conversation with an artist friend at the moment to see what we can organize together, but the next few months are shrouded in uncertainty, and of course there are many artists who had their 2020 exhibitions postponed. It’s tricky, but with so many resources online now for artists to support one another, I’m confident we will be able to showcase our work somehow. annierandallart.com artivistran94@gmail.com
10 ARTIST INTERVIEW Annie Randall
State Eyes, 2020, cyanotype, 28 x 21 cm
Annie Randall ARTIST INTERVIEW 11
Omniscient Rose, 2020, cyanotype, 28 x 21 cm
12 ARTIST PROFILE Fraser Renton
Amethyst Hills, 2019, alumesh art, 104 x 84 cm
Perspectular 8, 2020, 70 x 50 cm
Fraser Renton
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iewing the world we live in as a place filled with linear geometric constructions, Fraser Renton translates the vistas of everyday into angular shapes that connect, merge and overlay with enhanced colour vibrancies, engaging the viewer with his fascinating interpretation of place, mood and emotion.
within, while a layer of resin enhances the colour and shine. Alongside his painted pieces, Renton creates three-dimensional artworks which extend from the flat surface with delicately tactile folds, peaks and creases. These works are sculpted from aluminium mesh, hand moulded and precision sprayed with acrylics and varnishes, showcasing the artists ability to create colour changing landscapes of infinite possibility.
Renton’s process sees him first creating work digitally, focusing on sharp lines, three dimensional shapes and multi-layered optical illusions, before transferring his confident compositions into one-off original pieces. Favouring working in acrylic on canvas, birchply and aluminium surfaces, his paintings are at times shaped to echo the geometric shapes
With a studio based in West Sussex, Renton shows his work in the physical form at open studio days and gallery trails, as well as regularly showing at large art fairs across the UK. fraserrenton.com contact@fraserrenton.com
Fraser Renton ARTIST PROFILE 13
Fourscape 2, 2018, alumesh art, 104 x 84 cm
14 ARTIST PROFILE Martin QBA Kaares
Tropea Palm Tree, 2019, 68 x 52 cm
Shoreditch As Seen On Emilios Balcony, 2018, 64 x 48 cm
Martin QBA Kaares
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he influence of Martin QBA Kaares’ time as a graffiti artist is still seen in his depictions of figures, urban landscapes and mystical abstracts and through his use of bright colours and powerful surrounding lines of objects - although he now favours mostly acrylics and canvas instead of spray cans. While creating work that is deep and sophisticated, there is more than just a hint of sarcasm running through his work, as well as hidden themes left for the viewer to discover and decipher. Kaares’ native Estonia also provides inspiration for his work, reflecting the local climate and temperament of the Northern Hemisphere, with the long days of summer and pitch dark winter
days putting their own marks on his work. The use of blue lines throughout his paintings seem to mirror the shades of the seasonal skies, as well as lifting the image from the flat surface of the canvas. His process of painting is never linear; enjoying the freedom to change the outcome of the work with limitless possibilities. Based in Tallinn, Kaares has had more than ten solo exhibitions, as well as taking part in group shows both locally and internationally. As the winner of the Jurmala sea-paintings Biennale in Latvia last year, he will have a large solo exhibition there in 2022. qba.ee qbatron@gmail.com
Martin QBA Kaares ARTIST PROFILE 15
Scarlet, 2019, 100 x 70 cm
16 ARTIST PROFILE Martin QBA Kaares
Cold Desert Sun, 2019, 100 x 70 cm
Martin QBA Kaares ARTIST PROFILE 17
Sea Breeze, 2020, 49 x 62 cm
18 ARTIST PROFILE Hannah Thomas
Falsity of Past Loves, 2020, acrylic on paper, 50 x 65 cm
Hannah Thomas
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ith full emotional energy placed upon every canvas, Hannah Thomas’ abstract paintings explore the state of restlessness, chaos and chance that life represents, and the challenges of retaining a sense of one's own capability and autonomy in the face of this. With a process which is both intuitive and experimental - learning by action without any set
rules which often come with a formal art training - Thomas is free to explore the act of painting; creating absolutely in the moment. Each new painting is borne from the previous, and while it is not her specific purpose to pursue a signature style as she constantly evolves, it is clear to see her personal visual language extending through each canvas with recurring marks, symbols and colour palettes. Thomas started working with paint seriously in 2017, and has since had her first solo exhibition in London in 2019. A recent series on paper
Hannah Thomas ARTIST PROFILE 19
Engulfed In Flames #1, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
was created during lockdown; something which disrupted her schedule for showing works at Art Fairs this spring. Using the materials she was able to obtain during this time, they were painted as a direct result of feelings of frustration
and anxiety, and a need for the artist to express herself immediately. art@hannahthomas.net hannahthomas.net
20 ARTIST PROFILE Scott Allen Roberts
Scott Allen Roberts
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f Scott Allen Roberts’ paintings could talk, the question they would ask would be ‘Why are we here?’ ‘Where did the world come from?’, or ‘What is the meaning of it all?’. This sense of existentialism is a recurring theme throughout his work as he explores the human condition with landscapes and figures painted through a cosmological, ontological and phenomenological perspective. Multiple painting styles collide in a single image; leading to artworks which are bold, graphic and fantastical, large in scale with vibrant colours and hints of the decorative. The dark territories of the ontological concepts that inspire his works
Up and Out, 2020, acrylic and oil on canvas, 76 x 102 cm
are countered with bright, provocative and compelling environments, drawing the viewer into an allegory filled with metaphors. This can be seen particularly in his ongoing and developing series 'PERPETUUS', a four chapter collection exploring the journey of the seasons. Originally from Los Angeles, Roberts creates work from his studio spaces in the Hudson Valley located in upstate New York and satellite studio in Manhattan. scottallenroberts.com info@scottallenroberts.com
Scott Allen Roberts ARTIST PROFILE 21
Panic Pow-Wow, 2020, acrylic and oil on canvas, 74 x 61 cm
22 ARTIST PROFILE Scott Allen Roberts
Descent, 2020, acrylic and oil on canvas, 122 x 102 cm
Scott Allen Roberts ARTIST PROFILE 23
You Took All My Sweet, You Thought It Was Neat, 2018, acrylic and oil on canvas, 122 x 132 cm
24 ARTIST PROFILE Scott Allen Roberts
Passive, Pensive Predator, 2020, acrylic and oil on canvas, 75 x 75 cm
Scott Allen Roberts ARTIST PROFILE 25
The Edge of The Day, Wasting Away, 2018, acrylic and oil on canvas, 183 x 213 cm
26 ARTIST PROFILE Chan Suk On
Art Manual01, 2018, 50 x 50 cm
Art Manual03, 2018, 50 x 50 cm
Chan Suk On
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aking in the world directly around her, Chan Suk On creates work which looks at the passing of time, emotions and the media; especially its role in reporting political events and standards of beauty. Her folded sculptures made from magazine cuttings and news print redistribute facts and information, reforming both faces and knowledge. On’s journey as an artist began with documentary photography, where she was inspired by everyday life experiences, with her practice evolving to include conceptual sculptural artworks. Never far from her camera, at times the mechanical pieces of the photographic device itself make up the image; lenses for eyes and SD cards for teeth, forming faces that smile and cry through a plethora of human emotions. Her ‘Art Manual’ series uses the camera’s handbook
folded into flower-like formations, redistributing the information about photography which had become outdated with the availability of newer models. Having studied Photographic Design, On gained her Masters in Fine Art at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has since participated in expos in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, China and United States. httpschansukon.com chansukon@gmail.com
Chan Suk On ARTIST PROFILE 27
Art Manual02, 2018, 50 x 50 cm
28 ARTIST PROFILE Adele Riley
Adele Riley
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hile often starting a work en plein air in local forests or on the beaches of Cornwall and Devon, land and seascape artist Adele Riley’s passion is to paint intuitively as she recalls the atmosphere, sounds and feelings of the place, using paint and brush to flesh out her memories. Drawn to light and colour, she connects to the viewer with glowing passages of sunset pink where the sun’s rays reflect from slick wet sand, flashes of bright white breaking through moody storm-filled skies, and warm
First Day of Summer, 2019, acrylic & acrylic inks on framed canvas, 52 x 62 cm
dappled spots of yellow falling on sun-soaked holiday spots. Always striving to avoid repetition in her work, the artist constantly experiments with media and colour, trying new techniques to keep each piece fresh. Working with many layers – and with lots of varied tools to hand – she makes marks from wax and pencil, sometimes scraping and scratching into her paintings and finishing with satisfyingly thick applications of paint from a pallet knife. Using acrylic inks alongside the paint, she mirrors the emotional content of the piece with the pigment; allowing them create a
Adele Riley ARTIST PROFILE 29
Gull Sparkle, 2019, acrylic and acrylic inks on framed canvas, 35 x 35 cm
‘type of chaos’ as they naturally spread or drip on the canvas. Based in Gloucestershire, Riley originally trained in Design and Illustration at Epsom School of Art. Her works are held in private collections around the world, she has been featured in various publications, and exhibited in Brick Lane, London, Cheltenham and recently at The Affordable Art Fair in Battersea. adeleriley.com studio@adeleriley.com
30 ARTIST PROFILE Adele Riley
Dusk, 2018, acrylic & acrylic inks on boxed canvas, 30 x 30 cm
Adele Riley ARTIST PROFILE 31
Wandering, 2018, acrylic & acrylic inks on boxed canvas, 30 x 30 cm
32 ARTIST PROFILE Adele Riley
Silver Mist, 2018, acrylic and acrylic inks on boxed canvas, 30 x 30 cm
Adele Riley ARTIST PROFILE 33
She Needed The Sea, 2019, acrylic & acrylic inks on board, 62 cm diameter
34 ARTIST PROFILE Gail Mancuso
Zone, 2018, photographer, 130 x 102 cm
Essence, 2019, photography, 137 x 107 cm
Gail Mancuso
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he art of photography is used as a medium of experimentation by Gail Mancuso, whose work captures the unique pulse of the urban landscape, the female form and pop culture. Taking to the streets of large metropolitan cities for inspiration, she shoots window displays, shop mannequins, walls and reflections; bringing them to life through a process of blending multiple layers and textures. With an ever-evolving aesthetic which often leads to reinventing something new from its original context, Mancuso utilises materials not usually found in traditional photography such as paint, torn paper, glass and fabric. Combining these with digital imaging techniques, she subtly blurs the boundary between photography
and painterly impressions; giving the viewer a different perspective to the familiar. She is drawn to the allure and mystique of the female form - a recurring motif in her work where multiple layers of colour, pattern and texture combine into figurative silhouettes. Based in Chicago, Mancuso has shown her work in both solo and group exhibitions in the US and across the world, gaining international recognition as the recipient of numerous photography awards. She has created largescale art for public and corporate installations, and her work is part of the permanent collection at UIMA museum in Chicago. gailmancuso.com gail@gailmancuso.com
Gail Mancuso ARTIST PROFILE 35
Idyllic, 2018, photography, 122 x 102 cm
36 ARTIST PROFILE Shirin Moayya
Route After Death from Mirror of Fantasy, 2019, mixed media on canvas, 70 x 100 cm
Shirin Moayya
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ith paint, mixed media and photography, Iranian artist Shirin Moayya’s work is borne from a theoretical view towards the world and the universe, using her practice to find a sense of unity with the elements around her. In her most recent collection, entitled ‘Mirror of Fantasy’, she combines and layers figures with objects and fractured locations in mixedmedia collages. The series explores the peculiar traits of psychopathologies, showing how
the expressionistic accentuation of pictorial language can give a critical and disenchanted look at human discomfort while showing a deep emotional involvement. Her canvases are often large in scale, using the colours of the paint pigments to their full potential; drawing in the eye to every significant detail. Moayya has had solo exhibitions in Tehran, Iran and has participated in group shows and art festivals in the UK, Italy, Slovenia, the US. shirinmoayya.com
Shirin Moayya ARTIST PROFILE 37
Life is Routine from Mirror of Fantasy, 2019, mixed media on canvas, 70 x 100 cm
The Master of Art from Mirror of Fantasy, 2019, mixed media on canvas, 70 x 100 cm
38 ARTIST PROFILE Patricia Edith Mary Thompson
Sloane Square, London, 1994, watercolour, 25 x 30 cm
Patricia Edith Mary Thompson
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ustling market towns, riverside boat races and dancing figures filled with light and movement are seen throughout Patricia Edith Mary Thompson’s enchanting portfolio. Her stylistic paintings are whimsical depictions of life present and past; where figurative scenes are filled with passages of theatrical, loose impressionism. Enjoying a range of mediums in her practice from pen and wash to watercolour, oil pastels and oil on canvas, a distinctive and highly individual style is clear throughout Thompson’s work. Her expressive lines are loose and painterly, yet
always confidently placed, while her unique use of colour evokes a sense of nostalgia for golden days where the skies are always blue. The eye of the viewer is drawn across the whole canvas where rich details fill every space, adding to the feeling for the environment and ambience of the scene, something which is paramount for the artist. Based in East Yorkshire, Thompson’s works have been exhibited and sold in London, across the UK and internationally to collectors, dealers and private buyers. pemt7@yahoo.co.uk
Patricia Edith Mary Thompson ARTIST PROFILE 39
Taking Tea, 2004, watercolour, 30 x 25 cm
40 ARTIST PROFILE María Isabel de Lince
Deep sea, 2020, oil on canvas, 120 x 160 cm
María Isabel de Lince
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he four classical elements of nature - earth, air, water and fire – are all represented with expressive strokes of vivid pigment in María Isabel de Lince’s paintings, where the obligations of referential or figurative representations are overlooked in favour of visual gestures and passages of extreme chromaticity. de Lince's process involves her using both experience and perception along with an immediate expressive impulse, seen particularly in her use of colour where mountain peaks are capped with purple, yellow and green, while
dark waves crash with deep indigos, and burning fires fill the canvas with glowing crimson. These references to nature and its mysterious forces, imagined spaces, memory and déjà vu are hidden in her creative decision making, coming to the fore in her exploration of light in the fluid materiality of the paint on her canvases. Living and working in Bogotá, Columbia, de Lince has participated in numerous exhibitions across the world, with work shown at the Museum of Hispanic and Latin American Art in Florida, and the Carousel of the Louvre, Paris. mariaisabeldelince.com midelince@gmail.com
MarĂa Isabel de Lince ARTIST PROFILE 41
Fire and light, 2020, oil on linen, 130 x 195 cm
A New beginning, 2020, oil on linen, 130 x 195 cm
42 ARTIST INTERVIEW Karen Christensen
Karen Christensen
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istory is carefully recycled into new biographies in the work of Karen Christensen, who creates parallel universes full of discovery and magic, love and pain, humour and hope. Each artwork is a personal reflection of experiences, filled with clues to a thousand potential stories for each individual viewer to piece together. Her changeable yet distinct style flows through her body of work, which includes paintings, sculptures, boxed artworks and mixed media compositions. In a collision of colour, pattern, text and texture, the artist’s assemblages are true visual feasts where anything is possible. Working with an encyclopaedic range of materials and found items which may otherwise have been discarded or overlooked such as vintage postcards, rusted nails, pieces of twisted drift wood and obscure fragments of metal machinery, their original function is long forgotten on their journey into this final form. Based in Essex, Christensen’s work is exhibited both nationally and internationally, and is held in private collections.
Tell us about your process for creating new work? I am not sure I have a particular process for creating new works. My studio is full of items I have gathered over time. Sometimes I just pick up a piece and I start playing with it, adding others and suddenly something emerges which I then build on and a story appears for me to pursue. Other times I have an existing idea for exploration. One thing I do know is that I have a complete ‘block’ for blank white paper and surfaces; I find it stifles me so inevitably I alter it prior to working on it.
Your work seamlessly spreads across different forms such as collage, sculpture and painting, is there a particular medium you favour? I like to encompass several mediums in each piece if possible as it adds to the story I am trying to tell. Also, I have the attention span of an amoeba and am by nature extremely inquisitive. I find that mixing mediums makes for much fuller stories as the ingredients add to the wholesomeness. However, if I had to choose one medium it would be sculpture and 3d work. I love construction
Karen Christensen ARTIST INTERVIEW 43
Hitchhiker, 2020, 28 x 19 cm
44 ARTIST INTERVIEW Karen Christensen
Thrills, 2020, 25 x 16 x 6 cm
and building pieces; there is something very earthbound about this technique which I find inspiring and rewarding. Where do you find most of your inspiration for new artworks? Inspiration for me is a constant, a state of being. It is about how I see the world and interpret everything around me, be it experiences, feelings or observations. It is on a physical, virtual and metaphorical level. I see myself as an observer and a questioner; I am the witness not the judge. I try to make sense of my life and my surroundings and where/how we all fit in. Most of the time I have no or little inkling where an idea comes from, but I do think life is pretty absurd and often that sentiment steers the process. I am particularly drawn to outsider art, its rawness and soul. To me, there is nothing more
Conversations, 2019, 82 x 59 cm
disillusioning than art without soul, no matter how brilliant the technique, and I try to make something beautiful (to me) out of something often ugly. One of my favourite outsider artists, Lonnie Holley, said ‘art is life, don’t kill it’. That is where I can be found. Written text is often an important part of your artworks, for these pieces do you begin with the words, or do they enter the piece as it evolves? I am a self-confessed linguaphile, I love words and languages and how you can play and use them to create either a context or a juxtaposition turning an otherwise seemingly obvious interpretation onto its head. I am an avid reader and have enormous respect and admiration for writers who make art from words. I never physically start with the words, but
Karen Christensen ARTIST INTERVIEW 45
Paramedic, 2020, 32 x 24 x 4 cm
46 ARTIST INTERVIEW Karen Christensen sometimes the piece I work on is created on the basis of a word and its context for me, as the work develops I will add the text as I see it fit. Is there a particular piece you’ve created which stands out as a defining artwork? That’s a difficult question but I think the answer is no. I asked my son and he said; ‘Mum, you just have to find your Guernica’ (we laughed about that!). I think I have defining pieces as I go along and create them. How I felt, what I was thinking, what I was trying to express then. I could identify specific works when looking back and knowing what was happening in my life at the time, both personally and around me and how I interpreted it. I guess you could say my art is my visual diary. The greatest compliment I have ever had relating to my art is from an artist who I admire enormously and who said I had the ability to produce profound visual poetry. How has lockdown affected your practice, have you found you’ve been able to create as before? Has it impacted your working methods or subject matter? Lockdown has not really affected my practice. I work full time in the NHS and as such I have been working throughout the pandemic. I made a very conscious decision at the beginning that my home would be a ‘covid-19 free zone’ to ensure my time away from work and at home would continue to be a haven. If anything, the need to unwind and consolidate events has meant my art practice has benefitted in a perverse kind of way. What are you currently working on? Do you have plans for upcoming exhibitions? Last year was very busy for me artistically, with a number of exhibitions both here and in the USA. Due to the current circumstances several
shows due to take place have been cancelled or postponed to next year. I had two of my pieces shortlisted for the RA Summer exhibition this year, I’d be delighted if they got through the last test. I always have a number of different pieces on the go at any one time. I am working on three sculptures using reclaimed materials; they are bold and colourful and mixed mediums. I am also part of a wonderful group of people doing virtual ‘life-drawing’ classes weekly, hosted by the Leyden Gallery in London where I showed last year. It is great fun, light and spontaneous and it is about enjoyment rather than producing ‘perfect’ art, very liberating. In the background I am working on what I would call a quiet and contemplative piece, a series of pieces incorporating collage, writing and 3D work. It is a slow burner and it needs meticulous care to ensure I honour the individuals depicted in it. It is based on a series of letters and photographs depicting lives of a family who lived up North. It had been put up on sale on Ebay, which I find very sad. Through the pieces, I am trying to tell their life story through my interpretations, as an artbiographical documentary, and I need to ensure they are afforded the dignity and respect they deserve. I am currently looking for gallery space to show this. karenchristensenart.com kcdk@hotmail.co.uk
Karen Christensen ARTIST INTERVIEW 47
In She I Rest, 2020, 60 x 36 cm
48 ARTIST PROFILE Jae Young Park
Enterprising drive, 2019, oil on canvas, 130 x 194 cm
Jae Young Park
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laying with the merging of realism and surreal imagery, the woven strands found in Jae Young Park’s large scale paintings each contain implicit memories tied together strand-by-strand like knitting; forming objects as a close-up record for everyday life that takes place within the social structure. Through repeated processes, life is logged as if it were a diary, where each strand contributes to an individual’s identity in modern society. Park refers to this body of work as ‘Woolscapes’, the blurring together of wool and landscapes; where the boundary between the reality of the
object and the symbolic expression defined by the artist are amalgamated. Painted with realistic accuracy in terms of form, tone and intricate detail, the objects depicted are immediately familiar to the viewer – balloons floating in sunset skies, cakes and ice cream dripping with glistening sticky sauce and peeled fruit opening before us, ripe for eating – however the addition of the wool strands opens up an alternate reality. With aroused curiosity we are free to imagine the story placed before us; engaging with new symbolic depths found within the image such as ideas of the structure of modern society and the monotony of individual repeated processes.
Jae Young Park ARTIST PROFILE 49
Time capsule, 2020, oil on canvas, 45 x 53 cm
In Seoul, South Korea, several solo exhibitions have been dedicated to Park’s work. Over the last two decades his paintings have also been shown around the world at international art fairs and in group exhibitions. melppang@naver.com
50 ARTIST PROFILE Jae Young Park
Our Twisted Hero, 2019, oil on canvas, 117 x 91 cm
Jae Young Park ARTIST PROFILE 51
Peel a Banana, 2018, oil on canvas, 65 x 50 cm
52 ARTIST PROFILE Jae Young Park
Some day, 2020, oil on canvas, 33 x 24 cm
Jae Young Park ARTIST PROFILE 53
Fantasy life, 2019, oil on canvas, 73 x 91 cm
54 ARTIST PROFILE Jae Young Park
Contemporary towers, 2019, oil on canvas, 97 x 145 cm
Jae Young Park ARTIST PROFILE 55
Taste life, 2019, oil on canvas, 65 x 53 cm
56 ARTIST PROFILE Pedro Sousa Louro
August directions 18, 2018, cold wax and mixed media on canvas, 165 x 150 cm
Breakfast for Rothko, 2018, mixed media and copper powders for metal elements on canvas, 153 x 123 cm
Pedro Sousa Louro
C
ombining both Cubism and abstract expressionism into one practice, Pedro Sousa Louro’s work is his way of portraying emotions and perceptions - both consciously and unconsciously – through detailed geometric compositions balanced with lines and shapes. Using multiple techniques in each artwork, his concern lies with creating a dialogue with colour and form, rather than over-focusing on subject matter. Numerous materials come into play during the artist’s process such as textiles, reclaimed wood objects, old journals and wallpapers. With canvas or wooden panels for a base, these are combined with rustic deteriorating
metal elements, created through a technique he developed by using oxidising copper powders. Combinations of letters and numbers are applied to balance the composition, and finally each artwork is finished with yacht varnish. Originally from Portugal, Sousa Louro has established his career as an artist in London where he graduated with a BA in Fine Art. Exhibiting regularly in the UK and internationally, last year he received 3 awards for his work. His upcoming exhibitions are scheduled to be in Monaco and London with Saatchi Gallery. pedrosousalouro.co.uk pedrosousalouro@hotmail.com
Pedro Sousa Louro ARTIST PROFILE 57
Verity, 2020, mixed media and cooper powders on canvas, 84 x 64 cm
58 ARTIST PROFILE Tara Madge
Apples and Pears, 2020, acrylic, 54 x 44 cm
Purple bloom, 2020, acrylic, 30 x 23 cm
Tara Madge
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reating highly textured works brimming with motion, Tara Madge takes inspiration from the impressionist style while forging her own unique artistic language. Whether depicting flowers in bloom, woodland landscapes or vistas of sea and sky, her paintings are filled with a freshness of colour, imbuing the canvas with a luminosity that appears to shine from within. Madge’s painting process sees her working alla prima, mixing paint pigments directly on the canvas, as she seeks colour harmony and a sense of balance in each painting. She works with loose, painterly brushstrokes, inviting a sense of fluidity and animation into her work which is
emphasised by an omission of harsh contours. Her subject matter is most often grounded in the natural world – flora and fauna, still life and seascapes are recurring themes – using a limited palette which sometimes fuses into muted tones while at other times juxtaposing with bright complimentary colours. Based in South Wales, Madge has exhibited across Wales and South West England, and is the resident artist at the Glade Tearooms, Wentwood, as well as working to commission for both businesses and private clients. taramadge.co.uk t.madge_art@yahoo.com
Tara Madge ARTIST PROFILE 59
Paintbrushes in Jam Jar, 2020, acrylic, 41 x 31 cm
60 ARTIST PROFILE Heikedine Günther
Core No. 304, 2019, oil on fleece, 165 x 110 cm
Core No. 305, 2019, oil on canvas, 165 x 110 cm
Heikedine Günther
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eikedine Günther has spent several years developing a unique style of multi-layered painting, expressing her research of the ‘core’ – a universal symbol which can be found in any culture or religion, encompassing everything between every microcosm and macrocosm - as the impetus of her artworks. The idea of the core is translated into abstraction and natural forms, painted in oil on canvas, aided by a broad knowledge of traditional Old Masters'
techniques and her dedicated interest in polycultural symbols. Günther’s process sees her beginning each core painting with a gold primer, applied directly onto the raw canvas in two layers. This pure, radiant surface acts a starting point for the artwork onto which further layers of paint are applied; natural pigments blended by the artist herself in rich, vibrant shades of colour. She introduces craquelure techniques at certain points, the fine cracks opening up the paint to expose the colour
Heikedine Günther ARTIST PROFILE 61
Core No. 330, 2019, oil on canvas, 130 x 120 cm
beneath, while the gold itself repeatedly breaks through back to the painting’s surface; appearing at the margins of the core and as a deep luminosity seeping through the multiple layers. In between research trips for her paintings, Günther returns to her studio in the mountains of Switzerland. As well as painting she has also
worked with sculpture, installation and textiles, and has shown work in group shows and solo exhibitions in Berlin, London, Paris and Basel. heikedineguenther.com info@heikedineguenther.com
62 ARTIST PROFILE Heikedine Günther
Core No. 388 to 397 Platonic Bodies, 2020, oil on canvas, 45 x 45 cm each
Heikedine Günther ARTIST PROFILE 63
Core-No.-P-a-426, 2020, oil on fleece, 117 x 179 cm
64 ARTIST PROFILE Heikedine Günther
Core No. P-b 300, 2018, 165 x 110 cm
Heikedine Günther ARTIST PROFILE 65
Kern P-b-373, 2019, 170 x 89 cm
66 ARTIST PROFILE Gabriel O’shea
Ilusión, 2020, mixed media, 30 x 20 cm
Gabriel O’Shea
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he atmosphere felt within Gabriel O’Shea’s paintings balances on the edge of a knife between tranquil and tormented. With soft tones from a muted palette, scenes that at first glance would give a sensation of peace could turn into something that goes beyond a calming feeling when deepening the details. His figures are bound and blindfolded, alone in the frame with limited senses and a heightened tension. Not much is revealed of the protagonists, leaving the viewer to find meaning with their own thoughts, fears and feelings. Alongside his paintings, O’Shea uses black and white photography to document his ‘plastic’
sculptures, where limbs with distorted and detached appendages hang from crude stitching, his material mimicking the textures of skin in the absence of flesh. As with his paintings we are left with a plethora of questions as to the significance of each piece. O’Shea’s work has been exhibited in his native Mexico in different exhibitions, galleries and auctions, as well as his solo show ‘Contextos Invisibles’. gabrieloshea.com oshearangel@gmail.com
Gabriel O’shea ARTIST PROFILE 67
Silencio, 2019, oil on canvas, 200 x 140 cm
68 ARTIST PROFILE Gabriel O’shea
No Eyes, 2019, oil on canvas, 50 x 40 cm
Gabriel O’shea ARTIST PROFILE 69
Blindness, 2020, oil on wood, 50 x 50 cm
70 ARTIST PROFILE Juliet Piper
Juliet Piper
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orn and raised in Switzerland, Juliet Piper now lives and works in the UK via Paris, where she moved after graduating from Art school to pursue her career as a portrait photographer. Her time in the photography industry has seen her covering assignments in different parts of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Her recent personal work is a new chapter of series Hydrometeors, a photographic reflection on space and time continuum. Her subjects are obscured and veiled through a soft haze,
Hydrometeors07, 80 x 80 cm
commanding a pause from the race and inviting the viewer into the image where the elements slowly reveal themselves, carrying a sense of calm and serenity. By altering one of the senses, she attempts to reshuffle perceptions of what is important, and recognise the fundamental elements in life whilst leaving the rest behind. In this poor visibility every micro sound is amplified, every colour so precious, things and thoughts seem turned upside down. This series was due to be exhibited in Geneva, CH at the Fahid Taghavi Gallery along with two other series, Smoke and Stillness, which will be
Juliet Piper ARTIST PROFILE 71
Hydrometeors05, 80 x 80 cm
rescheduled in early 2021. Piper’s personal work has been exhibited in the UK, Paris, Stockholm, South Korea, Germany, Switzerland and the USA. julietpiper.com info@julietpiper.com
72 ARTIST PROFILE Juliet Piper
Hydrometeors15, 80 x 80 cm
Juliet Piper ARTIST PROFILE 73
Hydrometeors18, 80 x 80 cm
74 ARTIST PROFILE Borg de Nobel
Borg de Nobel
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ike words preserved on the pages of a journal, Borg de Nobel’s works are visions of half-remembered memories, recounting emotions and dreams, subconscious thoughts and recollections. Like visual poetry, they are to be read with the heart over the head. Although her expressive tendencies are often at the fore, with abstract strokes centring the work, the artist’s oeuvre changes from one painting to the next; free from any genre and not set on one particular style. Her process sees her breaking up the elements of the work and piecing them
The Tumbling Crowns, 2019, oilpaint & varnish glazing on cavnas, 120 x 160 cm
back together in different materials in an evolving process where the materials might still be moving after she’s finished. Working with oil and acrylic paint, charcoal, chalk and oil paint stick, her artworks are a celebration of light and colour, imagination and reality. Living and working in Kwadijk in The Netherlands, de Nobel is a largely self-taught artist with work sold and exhibited across the world. borg-works.com borg@borgdenobel.nl
Borg de Nobel ARTIST PROFILE 75
The Idiots Dream, 2020, oilpaint, oilstick & charcoal on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
76 ARTIST PROFILE Borg de Nobel
Dancing Lesson, 2020, oilpaint, tar, oilstick & acrylics on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
Borg de Nobel ARTIST PROFILE 77
So Much A Do! (All Things), 2018, acrylics, oilstick & oilpaint on canvas, 120 x 120 cm
78 ARTIST PROFILE Borg de Nobel
Who Me?!, 2020, oilpaint, chalk, charcoal, gold pigments & acrylics on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
Borg de Nobel ARTIST PROFILE 79
What's Left Of Genie, 2012, oilpaint & acrylics on canvas, 80 x 80 cm
80 ARTIST PROFILE Jimena Carranza
Do not remain in doubt, 2020, acrylic, charcoal, pencil & gesso, 120 x 134 x 4 cm
Jimena Carranza
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he personal universe Jimena Carranza creates on the canvas is built from a state of intuition free from concepts, labels, judgements and restrictive definitions; allowing the relationship with the deepest self - her truest nature - to come to the fore. Guided by an internal need and a constant search, she creates a language of visual abstraction in paint through signs, forms, and codes. Aware of their necessary role within a perfect order, imperfections are an important part of her creative process, allowing for faults as
she is taken where her painting directs. Large explosions of colour and texture express the abstraction of states of consciousness, while passages of deep black and bright white are interspersed with line and pattern in her monochromatic pieces. Carranza has had several solo exhibitions of her paintings and photography in Mexico City, and has participated in group shows and art fairs in Switzerland, New York and France. jimenacarranzaart.com jimenacarranza@gmail.com
Jimena Carranza ARTIST PROFILE 81
De todas las no formas, 2020, acrylic, charcoal & gesso, 160 x 107 x 4 cm
82 ARTIST PROFILE Jimena Carranza
SincronĂa, 2020, acrylic, charcoal, pencil & gesso, 98 x 80 x 4 cm
Jimena Carranza ARTIST PROFILE 83
Invisible a los ojos, 2020, acrylic, charcoal, pencil & gesso
84 ARTIST PROFILE Christina Galbiati
(MC28) Memphis Cacophony 28, 2019, collage on board, 23 x 30 cm
Christina Galbiati
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nterconnecting craft and Pop Art with social political themes and conceptual imagery, Christina Galbiati’s practice has seen her crafting a unique hand-collaged aesthetic; symbolising the importance of tangible communication amidst this digital age.
Using paper and printed words as her main catalysts, the artist juxtaposes abstract patterns with reduced forms. Figures, landscapes, animals, graphic symbols and abstract compositions are recurring subjects, appearing cut, reformed and pasted upon her canvas. The xeorgaphy techniques she has developed are seen in her use of uneven tone, broken line and word patterns, combined with bold passages of
paint and torn paper. Her background in design has informed her fine art work, particularly in her use of graphic, illustrative motifs where the complicated details of her subjects are smoothed and refined, presented as minimal yet recognisable shapes and forms. Galbiati’s work has been exhibited nationally across the USA, most recently at Kent State University’s Small Works Juried Exhibition, the Webster Arts Open Theme Annual Juried Exhibition, and the 30th Annual Viridian Artist’s International Juried Competition. cgalbiati.com hello@cgalbiati.com
Christina Galbiati ARTIST PROFILE 85
Wonderwall, 2020, collage on board, 91 x 61 cm
86 ARTIST PROFILE Christina Galbiati
United We Stand, Divided We Fall, 2019, acrylic, Collage on canvas, 61 x 46 cm
Christina Galbiati ARTIST PROFILE 87
...On Fire, 2020, acrylic, collage on canvas, 46 x 46 cm
88 ARTIST PROFILE Minju Kim
Ghost in the shell, 2020, acrylic paint and pastel pencil on canvas, 120 x 80 cm
If I stay long enough I’ll adjust to the light, 2020, acrylic and oil paint on canvas, 152 x 101 cm
Minju Kim
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xploring desire as a main subject matter alongside the concept of life and death, Minju Kim’s work is inspired by human anatomy and psychoanalytic theory. Fascinated by the distortions of the human body, she uses her own as reference for making artworks, drawing on personal and often painful experience as she observes the ways it has changed and altered through medical examination and surgeries. Whether working in paint or three dimensionally, Kim’s work is sculptural in her use of flowing lines that tattoo the limbs of her figures; moulding the shape of the human body in rippling layers of
flesh like peeling petals, hot dripping wax or trails of swirling vapour. At once both abstract and realistic, her study of the female body and anatomy informs her expression of the figure internally and externally, where appendages are engorged and distorted, extended in poses evocative of pleasure and pain. Kim is based in London, having completed her MA in Visual Arts illustration at Camberwell College of Arts. She exhibits regularly in the UK as well as having shown in the US and South Korea, where she also studied Printmaking. minjukim.co.uk lotusdumal88@gmail.com
Minju Kim ARTIST PROFILE 89
Hermetic Vessel II, 2020, acrylic paint, paint marker and oil paint on canvas, 152 x 121 cm
90 ARTIST PROFILE Christopher Engel
Christopher Engel
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ith a unique style and vision inspired by travel, merging cultures and Jungian philosophy, Christopher Engel illuminates the journeys of the heart, mind and spirit in his paintings of figures, faces and abstract compositions. His paintings portray the heroes and heroines that exist in the past, present and future at the same moment, referencing the first marks of human ancestors through history. Early education saw the artist exposed to the blending of all mediums of art – poetry, film, photography, painting, sculpture and sound composition –the influence of which can still be
The Friends of Pablo Picasso, 2019, acrylic, graphite, oil pastel, collage on Paper, 162 x 114 cm
seen and felt within his work; from the musicality of his paint application to the poetic layering of text and symbols. These numbers, words, collaged images and shapes represent mythical, mystical and dreamlike worlds, drawing the viewer into a connection and communication with ancient spirits, the metaphysical, the sacred, the holy, and the transcendent. Based in Sag Harbor, NY, Engel has gained great critical recognition and acclaim over the past 15 years with his work collected all over the world throughout the US, UK, Australia, and Europe. christopherengelart.com artofengel@gmail.com
Christopher Engel ARTIST PROFILE 91
Phases of the Moon, 2020, acrylic, graphite, oil pastel & collage on paper, 60 x 45 cm
92 ARTIST PROFILE Christopher Engel
City Shaman, 2016, acrylic, graphite, oil pastel, collage on paper, 198 x 130 cm
Christopher Engel ARTIST PROFILE 93
Eclipse, 2020, acrylic, graphite, oil pastel and collage on paper, 60 x 45 cm
94 ARTIST INTERVIEW Stanley Gonczanski
Stanley Gonczanski
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amiliar paintings from classic art history are revived and reworked by multimedia artist Stanley Gonczanski, who alters their meaning within the context of modern life with a critical, yet humorous, eye. Whether adding juxtaposing contemporary elements into historical scenes collaged interventions that play with their unfamiliar surroundings - or manipulating the features of the stately portrait protagonists, his assimilations deal with crucial problems in our society through subtle humour, irony and sarcasm. Based in Santiago de Chile (via Buenos Aires and New York), Gonczanski is a filmmaker, creative advertising director and illustrator alongside his fine art work. He has exhibited internationally with his Almost Classic series, with solo shows in Florence, Santiago, Miami, Dubai, Taipei, Buenos Aires and Punta del Este.
Tell us about your journey as an artist? I have been inevitably drawn towards the arts since I have memory. Cinema was my first love. When I was four, my mother took me to the cinema to watch a Disney movie, and I knew right there that I wanted to make movies. As I began to grow up, I approached that goal by reading, drawing a lot, and playing musical instruments - so everything I did was about arts. Finishing high school, I didn´t know what to study, I thought film making was not a possibility in Argentina, so I studied advertising. I began to work during the day as a creative in advertising
agencies and studied in the evenings, climbing the professional ladder very quickly. In the middle of my university studies I decided to study filmmaking in NYU in Manhattan for a couple of years, and then went back to Buenos Aires to finish advertising. Since then I worked as a creative director in several international advertising agencies in different countries, then began to direct commercials, before opening my own production company. I directed hundreds of spots, many award winning music videos, and a movie. My life has been about creating and
Stanley Gonczanski ARTIST INTERVIEW 95
Swan, 2018, digital (available as oil), 100 x 70 cm
96 ARTIST INTERVIEW Stanley Gonczanski
Candles, 2019, digital (available as oil), 70 x 100 cm
storytelling, I never stopped drawing though, and over the years I got better and better also using the digital tools. What is your process for making a new piece? Around four years ago I began by chance to create what would become my ‘Almost Classic’ art series. I always react to everything with an instinctive immediate response I learnt in advertising. So, as I love the Old Master´s art, I couldn´t help to react to their masterpieces with some immediate funny ideas. One day I began to try to create those interventions I saw in my mind, just playing around on my computer; cutting, cloning, pasting and drawing. I haven’t stopped since then, and have created almost 800 artworks already which I began
to post on Instagram with very immediate and wonderful international feedback. Originally creating Giclée prints of digital work, I later selected the artworks I liked the most to be painted in oil on canvas from scratch. I work every day, gathering investigating and creating new artworks, with the internet as my main source. Do you find that your ideas for the interventions come before or after selecting which classic painting you will be working with? In the beginning the intervention ideas came as a reaction to a given masterpiece. It happened very quickly, the ideas came like lightning; as if someone told a joke but let me finish the punchline. Then I began to think about the
Stanley Gonczanski ARTIST INTERVIEW 97
El Difunto Correa, 2019, digital (available as oil), 100 x 100 cm
meaning of what I was creating. I understood that what I was reacting to was the massive stupidity of our civilization. We think so highly about our status and achievements. We are so proud about our ambitions and egos. So I began to think about pivotal matters like, power, death, the real meaning and role of important people, cruelty, equality, discrimination, the role of women, freedom, love, fashion‌ Suddenly every important matter could be addressed through my interventions, reflecting our actual state of things. The ideas began to appear and then I tried to
find and gather the material to get them done. I tell small but intense stories in each artwork, using irony mainly. My goal is to disguise my 2020 point of view and opinion in artworks that seem to be from a very distant past - classic painting that turns out to be pop art. I talk about what is going on now in our lives, things that sadly have never changed, but I try to do that using the original classic technique of each painting. I really enjoy when, for a couple of seconds, people think that my artworks are
98 ARTIST INTERVIEW Stanley Gonczanski
Sun Flowers, 2019, digital (available as oil),55 x 100 cm
original artworks from the Old Masters. Then I enjoy even more when they react with a smile. I know then that they got it, that’s a marvellous feeling. Has your work with film influenced your artistic practice? Yes, a lot. As a film director I think visually; I care about the atmosphere, the framing, the colour balance, the light, storytelling in a frame, every little detail. Also as a Film Director I had always drawn my own storyboards and shooting boards, influenced by Hitchcock´s practice and also comic magazines. That has been a major advantage, letting me learn and practice what I haven´t studied formally. Has your work been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? When I decided to listen to my internal art call and sit down and create like a mad man, it was way before all this happened. Nobody understood why I suddenly stopped my
advertising film life and stayed at home in a kind of self-imposed lockdown. My wife would go out and come back home and I would still be creating and drawing, so in a way I prepared myself for this. The exhibitions stopped all this time, but I haven´t; I have created around 100 new artworks during this virus lockdown. What are you currently working on? Do you have any upcoming exhibitions? I work on new artworks all the time and I have been working non-stop. I am interested in ideas, always thinking out of the box with my style, such as with urban art glass sculpture installations printed with my artworks, as well as porcelain sculptures, baroque style dishes and cups, wallpapers and jewellery. I’m currently working on the next exhibition taking place in Taipei, Taiwan during July. stanley-unlimited.art stanley@stanleyfilms.cl
Stanley Gonczanski ARTIST INTERVIEW 99
The Ball, 2019, digital (available as oil), 100 x 70 cm
100 ARTIST INTERVIEW Stanley Gonczanski
Floré, 2020, digital (available as oil), 100 x 60 cm
Stanley Gonczanski ARTIST INTERVIEW 101
Masquerade, 2020, digital (available as oil), 100 x 80 cm
102 ARTIST PROFILE Angel London
Mathilda, 2019, mixed media: acrylic oil and pastel on wood panel, 84 x 59 cm
Angel London
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rained in Fine Art, Signwriting and Calligraphy, Angel London works within a variety of mediums. This emerging artist is fast developing as a classically appreciated painter, and he is famed for his innate ability to convey an almost delectable passion and feeling within the subjects of pop art/culture, romance and iconography. Initial moves towards a career as a professional artist where not realised until 2013 when, following the loss of his teenage daughter to Batten Disease, London rediscovered his calling towards art. By channelling his grief into his artwork, he strives to communicate a message of hope, goodness and positivity in the face of unforgiving adversity. His latest work, which depicts a stag standing
Frida Kahlo "Fiesta de Frida", 2019, Mixed media: Oil, acrylic and pastel on wood panel, 79 x 71 cm
alone in the usually bustling streets of central London, was inspired by the lockdown period we all recently experienced. Although the painting shows flashes of a post-apocalyptic environment - with taped-up shopfronts and an eerie lack of people – the abundance of blossom blooming through the urban landscape shows London’s interpretation of how nature flourished during this time, and looks to the future with hope. A donation from sales of both the original piece and Giclée prints will be used to support children’s hospice Chestnut Tree House in Arundel. Having captured the attention of galleries both in London and the US, he has sold pieces in various styles and mediums across the world. angel-london.com angel_london@live.com
Angel London ARTIST PROFILE 103
Covent Garden lockdown, 2020, mixed media: acrylic oil and pastel on wood panel, 101 x 76 cm
104 ARTIST PROFILE Angel London
Audrey Hepburn English Rose, 2019, mixed media: acrylic oil and pastel on wood panel, 59 x 42 cm
Angel London ARTIST PROFILE 105
Johnny Cash Joker, 2019, mixed media: acrylic oil and pastel on wood panel, 84 x 59 cm
106 ARTIST PROFILE Diane Whalley
Bright Lights, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 cm
Pink Champagne On The Sand, 2020, mixed media on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
Diane Whalley
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ainting in acrylic with detailing in oil pastel, Diane Whalley favours fresh, pure colour in warm tones of grey, pink, orange, blue and green. Her simple forms communicate through a visual language within the artwork; sometimes in blocks sitting side by side in conversation, while at other times blended and layered using playful gestures and bright contrasting pigments which dance together over the canvas. Personal lived experiences have greatly influenced the artist and her process for painting; starting with a thought, idea or emotion, each piece evolves and emerges, guided by intuition and imagination. Her practice has been a form of emotional release, with each brushstroke an exercise in contemplation and reflection.
Recently she has also found visual inspiration in the beauty of her surroundings living close to the Cornish coastline, translating her observations of the beaches, sea and harbour into emotive meditations of colour and form. Working from her garden studio in Cornwall, Whalley has exhibited across the UK taking part in Cornwall Open Studios week, Penwith Society of Art associate members summer exhibition and St Ives Society of Art open winter exhibition as well as UK art fairs. Her work is found in private collections around the world. dianewhalleyart.co.uk info@dianewhalleyart.co.uk
Diane Whalley ARTIST PROFILE 107
Heirlooms, 2020, mixed media on canvas, 40 x 40 cm
108 ARTIST PROFILE Musto M. Yildirim
Water Fire Earth Air, 2008, acrylic, 250 x 200 cm
Nike, 2013, acrylic, 150 x 120 cm
Musto M. Yildirim
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n a dynamic dialogue between matter, light and space, Musto M. Yildirim explores unusual effects and sensations to enhance the visual and textural aspect of his works. Confronting the contrast between the visible and invisible, abstract and figurative, permanent and impermanence, the light radiating from his paintings becomes not only physical but also metaphorical; as a symbol of knowledge and discovery in contrast to obscurantism and ignorance. Light has become a medium in the same way as painting for the artist, and his technique sees him experimenting with the use of acrylic combined with luminescence effects under black light exposure. In his Black Box works the lighting
device allows different light transitions to create an impression of movement, transforming the large scale canvases into an immersive visual show which becomes a reflective journey for the viewer. With each change of light the painting undergoes a form of metamorphosis; what was known becomes new, as a different part of the story is revealed and observed. Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, Yildirim’s works can be found in private collections in several countries, having exhibited in group and solo shows in Switzerland, Turkey, France and Germany. atelier.musto@gmail.com
Musto M. Yildirim ARTIST PROFILE 109
Way, 2010, acrylic, 170 x 100 cm
110 ARTIST PROFILE Musto M. Yildirim
Mesopotamian Layers, 2018, acrylic, 150 x 130 cm
Musto M. Yildirim ARTIST PROFILE 111
Censorship, 2018, acrylic, 150 x 130 cm
112 ARTIST PROFILE Hattie Barnard
Seafans and Sponges, 2019, acrylic, 30 x 48 cm
Hattie Barnard
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or Hattie Barnard the definition of art is capturing a moment in time through the eyes of the artist. She is drawn to nature and landscapes, and indeed each of her paintings conveys a sense of the moment, paused for others to enjoy her vision. The island of Saint Lucia where Barnard lives and paints is a source of constant inspiration, from the striking vibrant sunsets to the land itself which is full of colourful flora and a sea of greens. In fact the artist’s book ‘St Lucia: An inspiration for art’ celebrates the locations that have moved her to put paint to canvas; each piece evoking the spirit of the island for the viewer. The warmth and
light of the white sandy beaches and sparkling rivers shine through her work, while the sounds and smells of her surroundings can be felt through every brushstroke. Originally from the UK, Barnard has lived on the Caribbean island for over a decade. She is the co-owner of the Choiseul Art Gallery where her paintings depicting the beauty of the paradise isle can be found. choiseulartgallery.com choiseulartgallery@yahoo.com
Hattie Barnard ARTIST PROFILE 113
Mountain Clouds, 2020, oil, 35 x 25 cm
114 ARTIST PROFILE Matina Vossou
Decorated Nudity, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 cm
Matina Vossou
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or Matina Vossou every face is a journey, every colour is an emotion. In her artworks this journey is seen visually through her use of a rainbow of colours on a single face, pieced together like a mosaic of paint; like a jigsaw puzzle of connecting shapes. Her process of painting using acrylics and a toothpick is a technique she inherited from her father, a self-taught artist. Through him she was encouraged to study people in a way that delved deeper than just their immediate physical
appearance; taking in their expressions, the way they talk, the words they speak, paying attention to how her senses responded to them. Taking these feelings, she places them into her paintings; each one a perfectly unfinished patchwork of emotions and ideas. Vossou is based in Athens, Greece. Her work can be seen exhibited digitally as part of M.A.D.S. online gallery. matinavossou@yahoo.com
Matina Vossou ARTIST PROFILE 115
The Retired Jester, 2018, acrylic on canvas board, 30 x 24 cm
116 ARTIST PROFILE Matina Vossou
Separation, 2019, acrylic on canvas board, 40 x 30 cm
Matina Vossou ARTIST PROFILE 117
The Severed Madonna, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 cm
118 ARTIST PROFILE Betty Alabama
Garden of Temptation, 2019, mixed media, oil, black ink and wax, 76 x 101 cm
Betty Alabama
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luid lines fill Betty Alabama’s canvases, coming together to create the outlines of women which overlap and unite in large scale compositions, depicting moments of shared intimacy for the viewer to glimpse.
The forms of the figures are loose and liquid, with floating shapes and curves built from brushstrokes that weave and wiggle, and yet they are solid in their recognisable quality of the human body; anchored in the eyes of the viewer by their familiarity. Her women often appear as if in a dreamlike state, emphasised by the stars
and symbols which emerge from deep black passages of paint to swirl about their heads. Creating from her studio in Wimbledon, paintings make up the largest part of Alabama’s body of work, alongside pottery and sculpture. Working with acrylic, ink and wax, the artist favours a monochrome black and white palette; the colour choice has become synonymous with her work and style. bettyalabama@yahoo.com
Betty Alabama ARTIST PROFILE 119
Young and Beautiful, 2019, mixed media oil, black ink and wax, 152 x 101 cm
120 ARTIST PROFILE Betty Alabama
Muses, 2020, mixed media, oil, black ink and acrylic, 101 x 76 cm
Betty Alabama ARTIST PROFILE 121
Canopy, 2019, black ink, wax and acrylic, 76 x 101 cm
122 ARTIST PROFILE Ann Palmer
Dancing Waters, 2018, oil on canvas, 76 x 76 cm
Ann Palmer
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he great outdoors acts as studio for Ann Palmer, who has developed her reputation as an en plein air painter, working in the vineyards of the Loire Valley, the beaches of Cornwall and around the Kent Coast, capturing the land, sea and sky as she experiences it around her. These days the artist mostly works from the studio indoors, building her own canvasses as part of her process onto which she usually begins with a
layer of red, laying out the scene with a thin coat of paint before building on this; first with brush and then thick oil paint applied with a palette knife. Her works depict beaches at various times of day and year, with differing tides and weathers, painted with a fresh, impressionistic, representative style with some abstraction seen in the blocking of colour and passages of heavy impasto. Ann Palmer based in Kent at the Nucleus Arts Centre, studio visits are welcome by appointment
Ann Palmer ARTIST PROFILE 123
Low Tide Cornwall, 2019, oil on canvas, 61 x 61 cm
only. Palmer exhibits in local galleries, as well as at national art fairs. She is represented by several international galleries, with works in collections across the UK and US. annpalmerartist.com ann.loire@gmail.com
124 ARTIST PROFILE Vincent Donlin
Vincent Donlin
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ith a prolific artistic career beginning in the 1970s, Vincent Donlin creates light filled urban seaside paintings of Brighton, self-portraits and narrative-filled pastoral landscapes. As a lifelong avid reader, literary elements have always been central to his creative process. Beginning with sketches from his imagination, he then uses watercolour studies and photographs to produce the finished painting in oil, favouring an almost traditional approach to picture making albeit with a contemporary finish. Recent work such as his series ‘21st Century Rustic Triptych’, which was made from photographs, sketches and watercolours collected over the
Brighton Roof Terrace Vine, 2019, oil on canvas, 30 x 80 cm (left), 60 x 80 cm (centre), 30 x 80 cm (right)
last five years while caring for family in Wales, once again references the traditions of the Old Masters, using the triptych format usually found in religious painting. These works depict agricultural landscapes through different seasons, with medieval figures taken from 14th century illuminated manuscripts. Although conceived before the Covid-19 pandemic, the link to the medieval era, where death was never far away and the fragility of life was keenly felt, is synonymous to the recent world events. Alongside his personal practice Donlin takes commissions to paint buildings, portraits and animals. vincentdonlin.co.uk vincent1311@btinternet.com
Vincent Donlin ARTIST PROFILE 125
The Agony in the Garden, 1976, oil on canvas, 120 x 60 cm
126 ARTIST PROFILE Vincent Donlin
21st Century Rustic Triptych, 2020, oil on canvas, 30 x 80 cm (left), 60 x 80 cm (centre), 30 x 80 cm (right)
Vincent Donlin ARTIST PROFILE 127
128 ARTIST PROFILE Vincent Donlin
Brighton from the sea, 2019, oil on canvas, 30 x 80 cm
Brighton seafront, 2019, oil on canvas,30 x 80 cm
Vincent Donlin ARTIST PROFILE 129
130 ARTIST PROFILE Bettina Newbery
CHARLENE, 2019, oil, 80 x 63 cm
JULIANA, 2019, oil, 80 x 63 cm
Bettina Newbery
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stablishing an immediate connection with the viewer, British artist Bettina Newbery paints fine oil portraits inspired by fashion and popular culture. The main protagonists are beautiful and thoughtful women in the modern world, surrounded by elements of fashion and bright passages of colour; the nuances and shades may be very subtle, yet they give us the sense of texture and depth that bring the gift of magic to her paintings.
The past year has seen the creation of works rich in geometric evolutions which portray modern women; her way of storytelling developing a new perspective and enhancing the underlying narrative.
As such, they appeal to the viewer’s moods and emotions; they grab you, they look at you and they draw you in. As pieces of visual fiction they amuse, charm, delight and intrigue the viewer.
In the meantime, visit her website to purchase unconventionally fresh portrait work.
Bettina has been painting since the 1980s, in oil and on silk. Exhibition dates for 2021 will be confirmed later this year - following international exhibitions in Paris, Bologna and London in 2019.
bettinanewbery.com bettina@bettinanewbery.com
Bettina Newbery ARTIST PROFILE 131
ALEX, 2020, oil, 76 x 59 cm
132 ARTIST PROFILE Jane Duff
Jane Duff
S
earching out wild places to photograph, sketch and paint, the natural world is Jane Duff’s constant source of inspiration as she creates emotive depictions of meadows, woods, moorlands and mountains. Often working en plein air, she reacts instinctively and emotionally to the landscape, weather and light; mirroring the spontaneity of the ever-changing elements while finding peace in the solitude of nature. With oils, acrylic and mixed media, the physicality of painting on large-scale canvases is seen in her marks and brushstrokes as she experiments loosely with big brushes, rags or her hands. Through
Kentra Bay, Ardnamurchan, acrylic on paper, 100x 120 cm
her paintings she aims to inspire and ignite the viewer’s appreciation of natural environments, protecting them from the pressures of development. The artist paints mostly in Wales, Cornwall, northwest Scotland and also in Oxfordshire. Duff’s latest exhibition ‘Wildsong’ was a solo show of over fifty paintings, shown in The North Wall gallery in Oxford. While her forthcoming exhibition has been delayed until next year due to Coronavirus restrictions, she is currently showing her work at the Wykeham gallery in Stockbridge and also welcomes commissions. janeduff.co.uk jane@janeduff.co.uk
Jane Duff ARTIST PROFILE 133
Chimney Meadows , Oxfordshire, oil on board dyptch, 40 x 80 cm
The wild Teifi pools in golden light, oil on canvas, 35 x 60 cm
134 ARTIST PROFILE Jane Duff
Reedmace in Winter in the Thames wetlands,Shillingford, oil on canvas, 60 x 60 cm
Jane Duff ARTIST PROFILE 135
The rockslabs of St Justinians, Pembrokeshire, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm
136 ARTIST PROFILE Jane Duff
Wintersnow in the Thames wetlands, oil on canvas, 80 x 80 cm
Jane Duff ARTIST PROFILE 137
Evening light on the river Ouse, oil on canvas, 80 x 80 cm
Morning light in Little Wittenham woods, acrylic on canvas 50 x 30 cm
From Strumble Head to the Preseli Hills, acrylic on paper, 60 x 60 cm
Riverbank, oil on canvas, 80 x 80 cm
138 artist EXHIBITIONS
Upcoming artist exhibitions Adele Riley Scintilla, Gardens Gallery, Montpellier, Cheltenham 19 - 24 November 2021 Borg de Nobel The Lost End Gallery Changing Collection, Kwadijk, NL 11 September 2020 - 28 February 2021 B&B Olifant, Groningen, NL Permanent collection 2020 - 2021 Sanguin Bloodbank, Zaandam, NL 12 October- 14 November 2020 Christina Galbiati Fortitude, Scranton 1 - 31 Oct 2020 Christopher Engel Christopher Engel Recent Works, Sag Harbor, New York 3 - 30 September, 2020 Romany Kramoris Gallery Artists, Sag Harbor, New York 10 December 2020 - 7 January 2021 Artists of the Hamptons, MM Fine Arts, Southampton, New York 6 - 28 February 2021 Gail Mancuso Springboard Arts Gallery, Chicago October, 2020 Jae Young Park Venue, City, Country SEOUL ART SHOW 2020, Seoul 23 - 27 December 2020 Jimena Carranza The Other Art Fair, Brooklyn November 2020
MarĂa Isabel de Lince Norman Biennial International Artexpo Sciortino Museum Monreale - Italy 12 September 2020 International Prize New York City White Space Chelsea Gallery New York - USA 21 October 2020 Minju Kim The Void of Desire: Minju Kim x Eugene Wood, The Truman Brewery, London, UK 8 - 12 October 2020 Scott Allen Roberts Tribeca Arts Window Installation, Manhattan NY 1 - 30 September 2020 70th A-ONE group exhibition, New Canaan CT 5 Sept - 16 October 2020 Terminal Breaks Solo exhibition, Manhattan NY 19 November - 4 December 2020
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