Contemporary Artists & Exhibitions
Issue 4 spring 2016
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It is a trait of many artists to be able to see what would not usually be seen. Whether depicting a familiar landmark from a new perspective, or focusing on a usually ignored feature, it is often the little considered notions which can become the protagonist of a significant work of art. For Fi Burke it is the invisible which acts as a catalyst to her artistic process, exploring ideas of love, sound and memory, and translating them visually. Meanwhile photographer Sandra Jordan seeks out the overlooked details of the world and heightens them to centre stage, forsaking any obvious attractions that may surround them. Thomas Kuppler’s work also plays on an interaction between the visible and invisible. By painting over his images he creates new perceptions of what can be seen. By considering the undetected forces that surround us both physically and spiritually, each of these artists challenges us as viewers, allowing us to open our eyes to the unknown.
EDITORS Kieran Austin Toby Oliver Dean COVER IMAGE Thomas W Kuppler, Nail, 2015, Scanned polaroid, print on brushed aluminium and stump, 45 x 35 x 25 cm PROOF READER Daisy Francome FOLLOW US InsideArtists InsideArtists WRITE TO US Inside Artists 35 Holland Mews Hove, East Sussex BN3 1JG ONLINE insideartists.co.uk ENQUIRIES info@insideartists.co.uk +44 (0)1273 748 630 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.
"Is it a nail or just the image of a nail? I was interested in exploring the relationship of pairing an image with an object. The moment the nail - embodying a relic - gets photographed, it transforms into something else. Penetrating the stump’s surface, it evokes invisible emotions and tensions; only to become a tipping point between object, sculpture and photography." Thomas W Kuppler
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58 Philip Hearsey
EXHIBITIONS
62 Arman Sultani
60 Franco Di Cesare
Radical Craft 06 Landmark Art Fair 08
10 INTERVIEwS
66 ARTIST SHOWCASE 66 Alexander Johnson 68 D.O.M.
Thomas W Kuppler 10 Sandra Jordan 28 Isabelle Beaubien 50
74 ARTIST EXHIBITIONS
14 ARTIST PROFILES Leila Godden 14 Fiona Scott-Wilson 16 Chris Hawkins 22 Gosia Kryk 24 Michelle Cobbin 34 Fi Burke 36 Terence Clarke 40 Barrie Dale 44 Kate Molloy 48 Yola 54 Lesley Birch 56
06 EXHIBITIONS Radical Craft
Julia Krause-Harder, Stegosaurus, Image courtesy of Atelier Goldstein
Radical Craft
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eaturing the work of 34 international and UK artists who express their creativity unbounded by taught conventions, the latest touring exhibition from Craftspace and Outside In, co-curated by Laura Hamilton, will feature work by renowned historical and contemporary Outsider and selftaught artists. Radical Craft: Alternative Ways of Making will showcase the creativity of artists who face barriers to the art world for reasons including health, disability, social circumstance or isolation. Although their practices may have been nurtured and encouraged in specialist centres or studios, most have never received any formal art training; their creative impulses developed with independence. The show is Outside In’s fourth triennial open art exhibition, with 20 of the artists selected by a panel from an open call.
An exciting aspect of the exhibition is the particular focus on textile art, with many of the artists engaging in inventive and improvised techniques to embroider, wrap and weave their materials into beautifully constructed sculptural forms. There is a distinctly tactile quality to many of the artworks; the hands of the artists conveying a lifelong passion for a particular subject or technique, autobiographical responses to the natural or urban environment and intuitive responses to textiles as a non-verbal means of engaging with the outside world. Radical Craft launches at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester on 12th March alongside a series of events which will accompany the exhibition, which stays in Chichester until 12th June. The show will then move to venues across the UK throughout 2016 and 2017. outsidein.org.uk
Radical Craft EXHIBITIONS 07
Pascal Tassini, Untitled (textile-wrapped church chair), Image courtesy of Créahm Liège
Shinichi Sawada, Untitled, Image courtesy of a private collection, Japan
Replica Angus McPhee Hats and Boots: Joanne B Kaar, Grass Boots Replica (after Angus McPhee), Image courtesy of Joanne B Kaar
08 EXHIBITIONS LANDMARK ART FAIR
Landmark Art Fair
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By John Erskine
he magnificent surroundings of the Landmark Arts Centre, Teddington, are host to several art fairs throughout the year. It is their hallmark to showcase individual artists and crafts people, including recent graduates and new talent, giving visitors the opportunity to buy direct from the artist. It's a great opportunity to be able to meet the people that created the art works, and avoid paying high gallery commissions.
May 2016, giving visitors the chance to view and buy a vibrant variety of visual art including painting, print making, photography, jewellery, glass, collage and sculpture from upwards of 80 exhibitors.
The Spring Landmark Art Fair will be taking place across the weekend of 21st – 22nd
landmarkartscentre.org
The Spring Art Fair is a firmly established major event in the visual arts calendar. As a Grade II listed building, the Centre, a 19th century former church, makes a unique setting for showing the best in contemporary fine art.
EXHIBITIONS 09 captured the social, cultural and political identity of the UK. From social documentary and portraiture to street and architectural photography, the exhibition features work from leading photographers including Henri CartierBresson, Rineke Dijkstra, Robert Frank and Garry Winogrand. barbican.org.uk
COMIC CREATRIX: 100 WOMEN MAKING COMICS Until 15 May House of Illustration, London
FINAL DAYS (2013). Wood, 602 x 534 x 395cm. Courtesy the artist and More Gallery. Photo © Jonty Wilde . Courtesy of YSP
KAWS Until 12 June Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield The historically designed landscape of YSP becomes home to a series of monumental sculptures by the renowned American Artist KAWS, in his first UK museum exhibition. The Sculpture Park’s Longside Gallery features the artist’s large, bright, graphic acrylic canvases, alongside towering sculptures in fibreglass and wood, all in KAW’s trademark style – nostalgic characters in the process of growing up. ysp.co.uk
STRANGE AND FAMILIAR: BRITAIN AS REVEALED BY INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS 16 March – 19 June Barbican Art Gallery, London Curated by iconic photographer Martin Parr, this exhibition captures life in modern Britain from a new perspective, examining how international photographers from the 1930s onwards have
The UK’s largest ever exhibition of the work of pioneering women comics artists debunks the myth that women have a limited stake in the world of comics. Featuring the work of 100 innovative creators including Alison Bechdel, Tove Jansson and Laura Callaghan, working across different genres from observational comedy to surreal fantasy, challenging biography to subversive dissent, from the 1800s to the present day. The exhibition features original artwork from graphic novels, comics and zines - many seen in public for the first time. houseofillustration.org.uk
CONCEPTUAL ART IN BRITAIN: 1964-1979 12 April – 29 August Tate Britain, London Exploring a pivotal period in British history which changed the way we think about art to this day, the exhibition gathers together artists who took art beyond its traditional boundaries. The 1960s saw artists finding new ways of engaging with the realities of the world beyond the studio, as they began to ask what art is, as well as what it might be for.
10 INTERVIEW Thomas W Kuppler
Thomas W Kuppler
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homas W Kuppler’s work is many things at once; painting, photography, poem and sculpture.
Originally from Stuttgart, Germany, the artist moved to London in the 90s, where he continues to make work and exhibit. Through a fluid merging of practices his photographs are layered, deconstructed and masked to create pieces which are both seen and not seen; the overlays acting as both veil and window to the image beneath. The idea of the visible and the invisible is a running theme throughout your work, how did this notion first become part of your practice? The notion of the visible and invisible has always been there. At the beginning more on a subconscious level, however it emerged to the surface after starting to research into philosophical thoughts.
What’s your process for creating a new series of work? Creating a new series of images can start with a very abstract idea, a brief thought or sometimes with an object I see or feel. Quite often it is ‘chance’ which triggers the beginning of a new series. This is followed by methodological experimentation.
My initial obsession was about obstructing images by painting over them. The original image was still visible to me, because I knew what was below, however the viewer had to use their imagination or phantasy to see beyond. The constant interaction between the visible and invisible became a “game” between perception and cognition.
Particularly, when working with the photographic medium, these ideas and thoughts are always underlined with the question of the latent image and what photography is; influenced by the views of different philosophers like Lacan, Blanchot or Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty. I keep on wondering how the latent image will look. This image one never ever sees, this image, which is hidden and always will be.
Thomas W Kuppler INTERVIEW 11
amalgam I, 2014, photoprint on canvas, 100 x 70 cm
12 INTERVIEW Thomas W Kuppler
untitled, 2014, c-print on aluminium, 40 x 60 cm
Your images leave a lot to the observer to uncover and interpret, would you say you create images with an intention of how they should be perceived, or do you value the viewer’s independent translation? My experimentation leads quite often into new areas of execution of the work where slowly the borders between photography, painting and sculpture become fluid. This fluid dialectic between visibility and invisibility is something I want to transmit to the viewer. It’s the viewer’s translation, which makes the work visible and I do appreciate that. Even if a lot of my titles seem abstract, they are carefully chosen. For example my latest series [p lat] is a short form for “polaroid latent”. On
occasion I do use captions to guide or lead the observer into a certain direction, and sometimes I think is important to give a short explanation of the work and thoughts to the viewer; some candy to let them discover its taste. Your images often incorporate painterly or sculptural elements; has photography always been your primary medium? No. My primary medium was, and still is, painting. I just replaced the brush and paint with light. Using photography to express and create came along after working on a project, where I came to the limits of painting and incorporated and started exploring photography. After a while I was kind of missing the physical act of
Thomas W Kuppler INTERVIEW 13
[p lat]201504220002a02, 2015, c-print on aluminium, 33 x 19 cm
painting, and hence the experimentation with the photographic medium led to painterly or sculptural appearances. It is enjoyable to let the borders between the different genres of creativity disappear. I also always had this urge to translate a photo into something more like an object. Are you working on any current projects? I am still working on the [p lat] series and want to develop this further, and I have also started working on a long-term project, which is very close to my heart.
[p lat]2014120400014, 2014, c-print on aluminium, 33 x 19 cm
Browsing through my history of former painting work, I am currently looking for parallels to my photographic work. I am wondering if this might be the key to discover the real “invisible�. This project is still very much in the open and it remains to be seen or unseen where it will lead to. arttwk.com tkuppler@arttwk.com
14 ARTIST PROFILE Leila Godden
Coastal Intervention 646, 2014, acrylic on board, 40 x 60 cm
Leila Godden
L
eila Godden UA is a member of the United Society of Artists. Her acrylic paintings celebrate textures and intriguing applications of paint, using her own connection with the sea as a primary inspiration to provoke a more discerning response from the viewer; evoking their own personal memories and experiences to draw them into the painting. Drawing on her poetic observations of the water, her paintings are built from a mixture of improvisation and considered responses to the marks made as they reveal themselves, coaxing the paintings to evolve and settle until she is completely happy with the finished piece.
Her method of working on several paintings simultaneously sees different series of work coming together to explore a similar theme. She regularly exhibits in London, and is a director of Chalk Gallery in Lewes, East Sussex, where you can always see some of her work, along with 20 other professional artists. She will be the featured artist at Chalk Gallery from 16 May - 5 June, and her painting ‘Coastal Intervention 802’ will be showing at the UA annual members exhibition at Bankside Gallery, London, 26 April - 1 May. leilagodden.com leila.godden@btinternet.com
Leila Godden ARTIST PROFILE 15
Coastal Intervention 802, 2014, acrylic on board, 80 x 80 cm
16 ARTIST PROFILE Fiona Scott-Wilson
Fiona Scott-Wilson
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Childhood Memories, 2015, textured coloured cut paper, 420 x 297 cm
hroughout her artistic career Fiona Scott-Wilson has worked in a variety of traditional mediums, creating impressionistic scenes and illustrations of nature in coloured inks, gouache, oils and acrylics; but it is with the art of cut paper that her work has really flourished.
on developing unique techniques to elevate the craft into a new art form. Each new piece sees the artist crafting each detail by hand, cutting thousands of component shapes from as many as a dozen shades of coloured papers. Each detail – every leaf, petal or feather – is carefully cut and arranged to create complex images of life and nature.
In 2014 she began fully using the medium to create a new art form, expanding her simple graphic design style into intricate works full of vibrant colour and form. Influenced by papercut pioneer Matisse, Japanese woodcuts, oriental design and a passion for nature, her art often depicts scenes of flora and fauna. Fiona’s passion for the medium has seen her focused
Eight of the artist’s papercut works have been selected for exhibition this April, each exploring her new styles of working with cut paper and evolving a path to bridge the gap between realism and design. fionascottwilson.co.uk fionascottwilson6@gmail.com
Fiona Scott-Wilson ARTIST PROFILE 17
Cat in the Garden, 2015, textured coloured cut paper, 420 x 297 cm
18 ARTIST PROFILE Fiona Scott-Wilson
Bullfinches on Blossom, 2015, textured coloured cut paper, 420 x 297 cm
Fiona Scott-Wilson ARTIST PROFILE 19
Kingfishers and River Plants, 2015, textured coloured cut paper, 420 x 297 cm
20 ARTIST PROFILE Fiona Scott-Wilson
Cranes and Blossom, 2014, textured coloured cut paper, 420 x 297 cm
Fiona Scott-Wilson ARTIST PROFILE 21
Wood Mice with Raspberries, 2015, textured coloured cut paper, 420 x 297 cm
22 ARTIST PROFILE Chris Hawkins
Chris Hawkins
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lthough having spent 25 years working as a goldsmith creating jewellery for shops and galleries all over the world, a return to drawing and painting was never far from Chris Hawkins mind. Recently he has reengaged with his practice, creating beautifully arranged works from life. For Hawkins, often deciding what to leave out of an image is as important as the details he puts in, as his painting style leans towards the impressionistic. It is often his practice to set a time limit on a painting, a method used to maintain a sense of energy and immediacy in his work.
Sussex finds, 2014, oil on board, 19 x 22 cm
His still life works appear classically arranged, often focusing on objects which hold a particular significance. While an interest in exploring the symbolic and historical effects of their depiction is a factor in the selection, certain objects are chosen for their personal significance to the artist; a fossil, a shell, treasured finds and objects from childhood with a particular nostalgic resonance. This spring will see Hawkins opening his studio as part Brighton’s Artists Open House festival, taking place throughout May. chrishawkinsart.com chris@chrishawkinsjewellery.com
Chris Hawkins ARTIST PROFILE 23
Whose a pretty boy, 2015, oil on board, 24 x 22 cm
24 ARTIST PROFILE Gosia Kryk
Gosia Kryk
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lthough originally having studied design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Poland, Gosia Kryk found that altering the status quo of existing objects from everyday life wasn’t the best way for her to channel her talents as an artist. She decided instead to turn her hand to oil painting, allowing her creativeness to truly be her own. Kryk’s abstract paintings act as a reflection of both her conscious and subconscious mind as she allows herself into a state of emotional engagement, using instinct to interpret her
Geisha, 2014, oil on canvas, 97 x 130 cm
imagination onto the canvas. Although still strongly influenced by her years as a designer - which has informed her process of aiming towards a two-dimensional piece of applied art her work now possesses a fuller, more expressive and emotional quality. Now based in London, her work has been exhibited widely across the capital, including a solo show at Knapp Gallery, Regent Street, AAF Battersea London, and more recently at Fulham Palace Art Fair. gosiakryk.co.uk goha@gosiakryk.co.uk
Gosia Kryk ARTIST PROFILE 25
Japan, 2014, oil on canvas, 90 x 90 cm
26 ARTIST PROFILE Gosia Kryk
Salt water, 2015, oil on canvas, 90 x 90 cm
Gosia Kryk ARTIST PROFILE 27
Witness of virility, 2015, oil on canvas, 90 x 90 cm
28 Interview SANDRA JORDAN
Sandra Jordan
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eeking out moments of solitude across the globe, Sandra Jordan takes the large and makes it small. Under the gaze of her lens, blue and black expanses of arctic terrain and mountains are reduced to poetic whispers, while whole cities of towering skyscrapers are condensed to a single point of ‘hidden beauty’. Meanwhile an eye for the subtle sees modest details heightened in contrast to their vast surroundings; taking centre stage and offering a moment of sensory escape for the viewer.
Having lived in Austria, Turkey and Morocco as an adult, the photographer’s interest in foreign countries and cultures has led to her travelling regularly, both to isolated landscapes and bustling urban environments, always finding simplicity in remote places and beauty in abandonment. I’m curious about your process for finding new locations to shoot; even in such contrasting landscapes – from seemingly populated cities to remote mountains and glaciers – you’re able to convey this same feeling of remote calm and silence that seems very true to your core aesthetic. Thank you for saying that; I strive to create peace in my images, to offer a sense of calm to the viewer. Wherever I travel; be it the remote regions of the Arctic or the crowded medinas of Morocco or even my own city of London, subconsciously and consciously, mentally and physically I block out any distractions of my surroundings and focus on the image I want to portray. That small window becomes the focus of my world, steeped in meaning and emotion.
What do you find it is it that draws you to that ‘small window’? For me it is a gut reaction, I assume driven by my subconscious. I see something and it instantly feels right or it doesn’t. It could be a seascape, shadows on a wall, the lines or shape of a building, the starkness of a lone tree in a winter landscape. Something draws me in and for that moment I have a tunnel vision - it's like my senses cut off from the rest of the world so I can focus where I need to. Do you usually have an idea for a series before travelling? I do usually have a few things in mind and that is why I will have chosen a certain place to travel to but nothing is completely fixed. I prefer
Hidden Beauty #1, 2015, giclĂŠe print, various sizes
30 Interview SANDRA JORDAN
Reflection #1, 2014, giclée print, various sizes
to see what I am drawn to when I am there and let my surroundings speak for itself; projects are then born out of that dialogue. I am, however, planning a trip to Berlin and that is specifically a continuation of the Hidden Beauty series. I like how you describe your photography as a silencer for chaos; do you consider sound – or lack thereof – to be an element of your work for the viewer to consider? It’s interesting to observe this crossover of senses. When I am creating, because I am so intensely focussed on what is in the viewfinder, all surrounding sounds fade away into the distance. As much as I use the action of photography myself as a type of meditation, I hope that my images allow the viewer to take a moment, to stop and take a breath and take a step out of
what is otherwise a rather hectic world. It would be a great accomplishment to enable people to lose themselves within the moment at that time. I think your images very much offer an escape for the viewer, the sense of escapism is interesting especially in the ‘Hidden Beauty’ series where the buildings have a kind of alien familiarity; I feel like you could be somewhere and anywhere at the same time. I’d love to hear more about this series? I spent years living in London, never really noticing anything, lost in my own busy world. Photography made me look at anything and everything as if I was the viewfinder. The moment I began to look in this way, I noticed the different architecture that lives in the city alongside us. Once I'd started looking like this, I couldn’t
Hidden Beauty #7, 2015, giclĂŠe print, various sizes
32 Interview SANDRA JORDAN
Silent Beauty #16, 2014, giclée print, various sizes
stop. Every time I went out I would be searching for shapes, lines, forms that make up and differentiate my city. I like to photograph subjects that most others don’t and I was immediately drawn to the, shall we say, not so pretty architecture of London. I love the more Brutalist subjects. Yet what others would probably think ugly, I found incredibly beautiful, almost beguiling. In a society where we are indoctrinated and obsessed with a conformed idea of beauty, how people and things are 'supposed' to look, I find beauty elsewhere. I love how buildings often considered to be eyesores, stand tall, proud even, not afraid to stand out of the crowd, wanting to be looked at and appreciated, asking for people to look beneath the surface; they have a human quality to them. Now it’s all I see in London.
What projects are you currently working on? Do you have any upcoming trips planned? Iceland has been on my list of places to visit for a very long time and I hope to be able to do that this Summer. It is a haven for photographers and has been heavily photographed so the aim will be to come back with work that differs from what I have seen before. I would love to go back to the Lofoten Islands in Arctic Norway in the Winter and other trips in the future, I hope, will include Poland, Russia and Uzbekistan. Project wise I shall be continuing with my Hidden Beauty series both in London and Berlin and I am also working on Adfectus, a book about exploring emotions and how we fit into the world. sandrajordanphotography.co.uk info@sandrajordanphotography.co.uk
Magnitude #5, 2014, giclĂŠe print, various sizes
34 ARTIST PROFILE Michelle Cobbin
Michelle Cobbin
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reated with a perfect balance of colour, form and light, an apparent simplicity washes over Michell Cobbin’s paintings, each new piece giving the viewer a pure sense of spontaneous effortlessness. Working from her studio In Brighton, East Sussex, Cobbin’s practice sees her drawing on the disciplines of yoga and mindfulness to create an atmosphere of contemplation while she paints; filling the surface of each canvas with deep, colour blocked backgrounds, abstract brushstrokes and emotive mark making. Techniques of Zen calligraphy have also informed
Fen (Inscape series), 2015, acrylic on canvas, 76 x 102 cm
her work, such as in the ‘Kenshō’ series which replaces traditional ink brushed kanji with vibrant colours and mark making. Her recent ‘Inscape’ series has seen her taking these ideas and translating them into bold abstracts inspired by the vistas of North Norfolk and her ‘inner landscape’, and her desire to make things appear simple and uncluttered. Cobbin’s work can be seen regularly throughout the year, and she will be showing pieces as part of Brighton’s Open House festival in May. michellecobbin.com michellecobbin@gmail.com
Michelle Cobbin ARTIST PROFILE 35
Lowlands (Inscape series), 2015, acrylic & coloured pencil on canvas, 50 x 50 cm
36 ARTIST PROFILE Fi Burke
Windmill field installation view, 2014
Fi Burke
A
fascination with nature, science and history has fed Fi Burke’s practice, which explores ideas of love, sound, memory and social history; the things that surround us and yet cannot be seen. Through a diverse range of visual outcomes from large-scale site specific installations that fill the space with poetic reflections, to mixed media works, digital images and prints - her work speaks for the mute and gives a body to the invisible, whilst considering the nature of perception and what it means to be human. Not bound by one specific medium, her work can take the form of photography, collage, painting or the arrangement of more unlikely materials such as flour and bread.
The artists’ curiosity with what ‘went before’ has led her on many journeys, both literally and philosophically. In particular her ‘Since Sliced Bread’ project, which celebrates the history of windmills, took her from the Mills of the fens to Constable Country, and in turn her most recent collection, which reflects on the strong connection she feels to Constable and his work. Burke’s work has been exhibited in London, Berlin, Bristol, Derby and Nottingham, with recent works in Cork Street and the Royal West Academy. fiburke.com info@fiburke.com
Fi Burke ARTIST PROFILE 37
Time travel, 2014, limited edition giclee print, various sizes
38 ARTIST PROFILE Fi Burke
Constables Gold, 2015, limited edition giclee print, various sizes
Flours, 2014
Fi Burke ARTIST PROFILE 39
Timeless, 2015, limited edition giclee print, various sizes
40 ARTIST PROFILE Terence Clarke
Terence Clarke
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Ils Vert La Ciotat, 2015, oil on canvas, 56 x 46 cm
erence Clarke’s exciting use of bold colours has become a defining feature of his work, as he imbues each new canvas with the inherent warmth of his subject matter. Together with his use of thick painterly strokes, there is a sincere directness to his painting style which gives the sense of pleasure for both artist and viewer alike.
closer look from the viewer, adding a sense of anticipation to the scene as they construct the image, interpreting the artist’s use of shape, colour and form.
Focusing on landscapes and scenes of still life, vivid yellows, oranges and pinks are offset by clear brilliant blues and greens; the intense contrast of colour used to augment the experience of light. Clarke’s free brushwork invites a
terenceclarke.co.uk terence@terenceclarke.co.uk
Clarke has shown widely in the UK and his work is placed in some important private collections both in Europe and the USA.
Terence Clarke ARTIST PROFILE 41
Two Vases, 2015, oil on canvas, 51 x 51 cm
42 ARTIST PROFILE Terence Clarke
Autumn Trees Massachusetts, 2015, oil on canvas, 41 x 41 cm
Terence Clarke ARTIST PROFILE 43
Washed Cherries, 2015, oil on canvas, 35 x 35 cm
44 ARTIST PROFILE Barrie Dale
Barrie Dale
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arrie Dale searches for fine art in nature, seeking the moments that can evoke the same reaction as an encounter in a gallery.
His images are presented as beautiful abstract fantasy landscapes, captured through extreme close-up photography that plays with the effects of light. These fragile dreamscapes offer a sense of mystery and escapism for the viewer, as they discover strange new worlds perched on the edge of a leaf. The photographer is particularly drawn to indications of tension, imbalance, movement and equilibrium. Dale values simplicity above all else in his work, reflected in his shooting technique which
Catching Fire, 2010, 25 x 38 cm
forgoes technical set-ups in favour of natural light and slow shutter speeds. This allows for true spontaneity when working, and a more responsive final image. Foremost an environmental scientist, as an artist he originally turned his hand to painting, before finding his way with a camera; a medium which he has embraced as he discovers resonances between photography and other art forms, particularly dance. wildhaven.co.uk barrie@wildhaven.co.uk
Barrie Dale ARTIST PROFILE 45
Mountain Refuge, 2015, 35 x 24 cm
46 ARTIST PROFILE Barrie Dale
Wake-Up Call, 2011, 24 x 35 cm
Floodlit Celebrant , 2015, 24 x 35 cm
Barrie Dale ARTIST PROFILE 47
Mountain Dawn , 2015, 24 x 35 cm
The Cloud, 2015, 24 x 35 cm
48 ARTIST PROFILE Kate Molloy
Untitled (Pink and Green), 2014-15, acrylic and oil on canvas, both 30 x 22 cm
Kate Molloy
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ithin Kate Molloy's paintings, sensations are made and manifest through the uses of colour, gesture and the
rawness of canvas.
The application of the paint mixed with the visceral qualities of the medium, begin to emphasise certain moments of fleeting memory and observation. When painting, a specific attention has been given to the subtle and at times barely perceptible qualities of light and
atmosphere. Placement, setting and how the pieces influence each other are innate concerns within Molloy's practice, hence the positioning of the work is integral to fully appreciating the paintings intentions. kate-molloy.com katemolloyart@gmail.com
Kate Molloy ARTIST PROFILE 49
Untitled (Leo), 2013, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 50 cm
50 Interview Isabelle Beaubien
Isabelle Beaubien
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riginally from Montreal, Canada, Isabelle Beaubien gained her Master’s degree in Contemporary Art from The Villa Arson in France before moving to London to live and work.
Her dynamic mixed media paintings combine layers of vibrant acrylic colours applied with energetic strokes using handmade tools. Her unique aesthetic is enhanced by the use of resin applied directly onto the paint, creating an amazing gloss while pushing the limits of texture to create a sculptured appearance to the completed work. Your method involves making your own tools, painting in acrylic and then using resin on top; how did you develop this technique? Well, everything started when I was in art school. I was very interested in the pattern that happened when you paint with a spatula. At the time, I have to say, it didn’t look anything like my work today, and my teachers strongly recommend me not to pursue, so I stopped for a very long time, but I always had an obsession with the technique. So with time and lots of trials and error I manage to get to something quite interesting in terms of shape and motif. Using a spatula wasn’t an option anymore, so I had to build something that allowed me to create my unique design instead. It just came very naturally; some tools have been upgraded because they work very well, whereas some definitely didn’t and just created a mess on the canvas! Another component to make it work was to
paint the same colour on top of each other, by applying the resin onto some parts of the canvas. That’s where the resin made my work possible, as it does not matter anymore if it's the same colour, the texture is so different we don’t realize that it's actually white on white, for example… and those patterns pop out even more. With acrylic, when the paint is still wet, the colours are very bright and deep, but as soon as it dries they lose this beautiful effect and they become more faded and very matte. The resin brings them back to life, giving them more depth and power. But, I also have to confess I just love the thickness of the resin and the shininess that it produces. It’s impossible to get that finish with a regular varnish. It brings the painting to a different level, giving a little bit more of a sculptural feel, almost more like an object than just a painting on the wall.
Isabelle Beaubien Interview 51
Blue and red disk, 2015, acrylic and resin on canvas, 60 x 60 cm
52 Interview Isabelle Beaubien
Autumn, 2015, acrylic and resin on canvas, 76 x 76 cm
Your images have an almost digital quality to them, would you say this is an intentional aspect of your aesthetic? Not at the beginning. When you work alone in your studio every day, you are surrounded by your work and don’t necessarily see what other people might. The first time I put my work out in the world, I could not believe the comments; most of the observers could not really understand what they were exactly. Were they screen prints? Collage? A digital image with varnish? They had all kind of questions about my work. I was happily surprised as I didn’t expect such a reaction. It obviously
got me thinking and I took on-board this positive feedback and try to push my aesthetic even further. You speak of taking on an ‘alter ego’ when working in your studio, how does this performative method of painting affect your work? In my everyday life I am very judgmental about myself; with enormous control on everything around me. The world in which we live expects so much of us and it can be so hard to find a way out. Without that alter ego - which seems to be driven by emotion, spirituality and chance - I don’t think I would get to the same result. I would
Isabelle Beaubien Interview 53
Grey and blue pink, 2015, acrylic and resin on canvas, 60 x 60 cm
keep going on and on, so eventually I would lose those elements and pattern that I cherish so much. My alter ego allows me to be free, spontaneous, and for an instant find a way out of that vicious circle that life can be. I usually do one stroke and let chance play its part, but it does not always pay off. I spend lots of my time ripping off and stretching canvas. I don’t mind; I see it as a learning curve - trial and error - and even sometimes meditation. I think it’s a big part of my creative process. The other side of me would be very frustrated, but not my alter ego. It embraces these challenges and makes me a better artist.
What are you currently working on? Do you have any upcoming shows? I am currently working on two solo exhibitions; the first one will be in London at Gabriel Fine Art Gallery and will end on the 5th of March. The second one will be from the 7th of April at The Parndon Mill Gallery, Harlow, Essex. Both galleries are very different in terms of wall space, so it means I have to work simultaneously on a very small scale and on a very large one. It’s very interesting because I get to explore many different possibilities. isabellebeaubien.com isabeau97@icloud.com
54 ARTIST PROFILE YOLA
Lovers, 2015, 265 x 390 cm
Yola
C
ombining a passion for renaissance art with her skills in image manipulation and digital composition, Yola is a Polish street artist who creates large scale paste-ups featuring classical paintings recreated using contemporary models.
models from all walks of life; various ethnic backgrounds, professions and sexual orientations, using her art to transgress the barriers of nationality, race and social strata.
Her images create a dialogue with their urban environment, as well as engaging the audience by providing a social commentary. She uses
yolart.net yola@yolart.net
Her street works have appeared in cities across the world, from London, Paris and Warsaw, to as far as Melbourne, Australia.
YOLA ARTIST PROFILE 55
Orestes, 2012, 250 x 220 cm
56 ARTIST PROFILE Lesley Birch
Lesley Birch
F
September Beach, Sandsend, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 39 x 49 cms
rom her studio in Yorkshire, Lesley Birch creates atmospheric and emotional artworks. Informed primarily by her feelings about people and places, she paints from memory and imagination, infusing her work with a sense of nostalgia which stems from her childhood love of coasts and skies.
This year as well as showing work in several exhibitions, the artist is embarking on two exciting residencies. The first at Cape Cornwall will see her collaborating on a special landscape painting project, while the second, taking place at Stiwdio Maelor in Snowdonia, Wales, will be a solo project developing her personal symbolic painting language.
Starting with expressive drawing and line making, Birch’s process takes her on a journey as she discovers new places and materials, building up layers of paint to create depth and incorporating textural elements as her work moves further into abstraction.
lesleybirchartist.com mail@lesleybirchart.com
Lesley Birch ARTIST PROFILE 57
Remembrance, 2015, acrylic and ink on linen, 95 x 65 cms
58 ARTIST PROFILE Philip Hearsey
Strada IV, 2015, oxidsed bronze and gold leaf on a scorched oak base, 53 x 23 x 9 cm
Onset, 2015, oxidised and painted bronze on a scorched oak base, 56 x 26 x 12 cm
Philip Hearsey
A
s well as evoking an appreciation of simple, universal forms, inspired by natural forms and landscapes, Phillip Hearsey aims to challenge perceptions of bronze with his sculptures; creating works which engage its qualities as a noble material in its own right.
using the ancient sand casted mould technique rather than the lost wax operation used by most art foundries - denies a degree of complexity; imposing a simplicity of form which the artist embraces.
The linear discipline of Hearsey’s architectural background has informed his work; however once again it is the bronze itself which dictates many of his aesthetic choices. His method of
philiphearsey.co.uk info@philiphearsey.co.uk
Hearsey’s magnificent bronzes can be viewed in galleries across the country, as well as in upcoming exhibitions throughout the year.
Philip Hearsey ARTIST PROFILE 59
Path to Penpol, 2015, bronze on a Cumbrian slate base, 43 x 34 x 10 cm
60 ARTIST PROFILE Franco Di Cesare
L.D.I1-150, 2015, multimedia on canvas, 93 x 93 cm
Franco Di Cesare
F
ranco Di Cesare is an Italian artist currently based in London. He creates mixed media paintings which explore the fragmentation of the light and form, characterised by his desire to present a total ‘absence of man’.
There are several art movements which have influenced Di Cesare’s work, which aims to open a contemporary dialogue with Futurism and Constructivism. Through the use of abstract geometric compositions and a limited colour
palette of primary blues, reds and yellows alongside muted oranges, whites and blacks the artist considers his paintings to have a significant symbolism. Di Cesare was an artist in residence in The Bermondsey Project Space from 2010 to 2014. He now works from his studio in the East Ham area of London. francodicesare.com franco@francodicesare.com
Franco Di Cesare ARTIST PROFILE 61
Icone 6629, 2014, multimedia on canvas, 53 x 43 cm
62 ARTIST PROFILE Arman Sultani
Arman Sultani
F
rom his studio in Stockholm, Sweden, Arman Sultani creates expressionistic abstract works with spontaneous silvery movements and beautiful colours.
For Sultani, painting is a very personal journey. The paint on his canvas acts like a door to an alternate universe, describing a new world with every brushstroke. He allows himself to get lost in this new dimension while painting, using music to completely immerse himself in his art as the rhythm leads the way.
Joy of life, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 82 x 100 cm
Sultani’s abstract style is also seen in his portrait work, which uses vivid, unconventional colours to portray figures from history and pop culture. This spring his work can be seen at Parralax Art Fair, London, and ArtExpo in New York. armansultani.com armansultani@gmail.com
Arman Sultani ARTIST PROFILE 63
John Lennon, 2012, acrylic on canvas, 170 x 170 cm
64 ARTIST PROFILE Arman Sultani
Soul Rebel, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 80 cm
Arman Sultani ARTIST PROFILE 65
City of light, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 120 cm
Alma De Flamenco, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 110 x 200 cm
66 ARTIST SHOWCASE Alexander Johnson
Sketch for summer, 2015, oil on canvas, 160 x 140 cm
Alexander Johnson
A
lexander Johnson is a full-time artist. His abstract work seeks to capture how our lives are remembered in visual terms. The paintings have a strong linear structure that often
shows through in the texture of the paint. If you like British post-modernists like Peter Lanyon, this work is for you. alexander-johnson.com alexart63@yahoo.co.uk
Alexander Johnson ARTIST SHOWCASE 67
Sketch for dawn, 2015, oil on canvas, 160 x 140 cm
68 ARTIST SHOWCASE D.O.M.
D.O.M.
B
old women are D.O.M.’s perfect inspiration, interpreting their likeness and spirit in oil through a fearless use of vivid colours. From her studio in Renfrewshire the artist uses painting as a form of self-expression whilst portraying the beauty and
Lost expectations, 2015, oil on canvas, 120 x 120 cm
strength of women. She has had many successful exhibitions in both the UK and her native Poland. domart.co.uk dominika@domart.co.uk
D.O.M. ARTIST SHOWCASE 69
I am Eva, 2015, oil on canvas, 183 x 122 cm
70 ARTIST SHOWCASE D.O.M.
To have not to hold, 2015, oil on canvas, 51 x 40 cm
D.O.M. ARTIST SHOWCASE 71
Truth or dare, 2015, oil on canvas, 120 x 80 cm
72 ARTIST SHOWCASE D.O.M.
Make a wish, No regrets, 2015, oil on canvas, 102 x 76 cm
D.O.M. ARTIST SHOWCASE 73
Nina, 2015, oil on canvas, 76 x 102 cm
74 artist EXHIBITIONS
Upcoming artist exhibitions Arman Sultani
Art Expo New York, Pier 94. 14 - 17 April
Chris Hawkins
Artists Open House, Open studio, Brighton 5 weekends throughout May
D.O.M.
Glasgow Art Fair 22 - 24 April D.O.M. exhibition (Date TBA)
Fi Burke
Summer Exhibition at DĂŠda, Derby Featuring works from Fi's Kant series 5 May - 30 July
Lesley Birch
Our friends in the north - Eton College, Berkshire Until 5 March New forest, Heath, Coast & Woodlands - Ytene Gallery, Hampshire 24 March A sense of colour - Hemsley Arts Centre, Yorkshire 5 - 29 April Lesley Birch: Paintings - Trevelyan College, Durham University 9 May - 10 June The North - Masham Gallery, Yorkshire 28 May - 3 July
Fiona Scott-Wilson
Michelle Cobbin
Isabelle Beaubien
Terence Clarke
Leila Godden
Selected works Thompsons Galleries Aldeburgh and London 2 - 30 April
Creative Coverage Open Exhibition 2016, The Hatton Wood and Amyatt Rooms 30 April - 5 May
Opposites Attract Attention, Parndon Mill, Harlow 7 April - 15 May
United Society of Artists Members Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London 26 April - 1 May New Horizons" at Chalk Gallery, Lewes 16 May - 5 June Seascapes" at Store Street Gallery, London 19 May - 11 June
Michelle Cobbin & Debbie Page at BareFoot ArtHouse, Artists Open Houses, Brighton 7 - 29 May (weekends)
Selected works John Noote Galleries Broadway 1 - 20 March
Thompsons galleries Summer Exhibition 11 June - July 10 Mixed exhibition Ardquin Fine Art 5 February - 31 March
Yola
With the Collectif Quai 36 Art Residence, Gard du Nord, Paris 10 - 11 March
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Events & Exhibitions | Artist Profiles | Interviews
ISSUE 1 | 2015