Myphotographsexploreshape,surfacequality,timeandfunction. Manyofthesubjectsarerecordedaftertheirperceivedusefulness hasexpired;caughtbeforedecaysetsin,still,theyseemtometo possessanelectricpresence.
Youmighthalf-seefigures,faces,familiarsigns.Buttheseare simplestudiesoftheordinary–thingsencounteredbychance thentransferredtothestudioforrecording–whichIdiscoveror decideareworthrepresenting,justtosharetheobservation.
Thestartingpoint,oneofthose‘madeyoulook’moments,was borneoutofmyoccasionallyobsessiveapproachtopeelingan orange:wantingtocompletethejobuninterrupted,leavinga singularhuskofevidencethatthefruitwithin(nowconsumed,of course)hadeverexisted.
Whathasdevelopedfromthatbeginningisanemotionalresponse tothingswetakeforgrantedthendiscard,whetherman-madeor fromnature.Thereissuchsurpriseinthemundane.
Iusedigitaltoolsandtechniquestomakethesepictures.The imagesarecomposedandrefinedwithaneyeonthesuper-real: theaimsimplytointensifywhat’salreadythere.
RichardGregory /2007
‘
Orangesweren’ttheonlyfruitI’msure.Tangerines,satsumas,the oddbanana;allgavetheirtopcoatsforRichardGregory’sart.What startedoutasonemeticulousobsessionturnedonathumbnailflick ofpeelintoanother.Whatstartedoutaszestfulephemera–thestill sweetremnantsofpost-repastdesserts–wereturnedontheir backstoachievetransfigurationunderacool,disciplinedeye.A successionofabstractedafter-lives.Secondskins,secondchances ofafruitymortality.
ThisisaparallelhighwaytoaKurtSchwitters-styleconsciousness, awalkalongsidetheDadaistwhosenthissonErnstoutintowet Cumberlandlanestoforageforthedroppedbusticket,thecigarette packhull,thelostpinkcloakroomticket,alltobetransformedinto new-bornexistenceswithpaintandglue.ButRichardGregory doesn’tneedtotravelfarfromhisDorsetfastnessforhis inspirationalmaterial,unlessit’stowhatmustbetheheart-stopping aislesinWaitrose.No,hisunswervingeyescanshiskitchen surfaces,hishandshufflesatthebacksofdrawers.Doeshe secretlyandquietlyopenthelidofthewastebin,justafraction,just incase? Believeme,Iknowwhathappensnext.Nottheenviabletechnical prowess,thebrilliantresolutionofsuperblyrenderedphotographic images,butthecalm,rationalprecisionofhisthoughtprocesses. IworkedsidebysidewithRichardinthehedonisticeighties,atime ofhappycreativejostlingwitheachotheraswedirectedourdesign teamsinaLondonagency.WhilstIwasalwayslookingoutforthe shortcut,thesolutionthatmeantI’dgetinthepubearlier,Richard wastheultimatemanifestationofcool,calmandcollected.Sooften IthoughttheofficewasemptyandthenI’dturnroundtoseethat Dickie’wasstillthinkingandworkingathisdesk,theonlysoundthe swishofaceilingfanabovehishead.“Whatareyouupto?”Iwould yawn,andIwouldseeaslowsmileappearacrosshisface.“What doyouthinkofthis”hewouldreply,andhewouldshowme somethingsoelegant,sowitty,so,well, right thatIjusthadtogooff tothepubanyway.Leavinghimtoperhapsfurtivelyopenadrawer inordertopulloutyetanotherorange.
Andthat’sjusthowitstillis.RichardGregory’ssecondskin.Design thatisnowracked-uptonewheights,newexperiences.Ashesays himself“theaimistointensifywhat’salreadythere”.That’sitina nutshell.Orinabroken-backedfoldofpeel.Themundanebecome glorious.ButRicharddoesn’tdictatewhathewantsustosee–that’sneverbeenhisway.Hisphotographsaredeceptivelysimple, imagesmadetogrowupfromsuchhumblebeginningsinorderto grabusveryfirmlybythelapels.Butalwayswithplentyofroomleft forustocometoourowndecisions,tomakeupourownminds(or not).That’sthesheerpleasureof OrangeNo11:DoIseeafoetal fruit,perhapswithoneeyeslowlyadjustingtoitsunfamiliar surroundings?Has OrangeNo9 acquiredabrilliantly-focused underwaterlanterntomarkitsnewseamonsterloopings?Others dance,cavort,gyrateorjustjoyfullystompacrossthewideopen whitespacesofourimaginations.Ijustcan’tstoprevisitingthedark, lusciousturmoilofthatbrain-scannedpomegranate,orwondering whythatlabelon GrapefruitNo1 isupsidedown.Whenofcourse itisn’treally,notinRichardGregory’suniquelystimulating,thoughtprovokinguniverse.Butthat’stooglib.WhatIactuallywanttosayis thatthesebeautifullyobsessionalfreeze-frames,intheverybest possiblesense,arereallystartingtogetundermyskin.
packno4/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x90cm/digitalc-typeprintonkodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibitingperspex/mountedondibond/ editionof25/
packno2/ packno3/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x90cm/digitalc-typeprinton kodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibiting perspex/mountedondibond/ editionsof25/
orangeno10/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x90cm/digitalc-typeprintonkodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibitingperspex/mountedondibond/ editionof25/
orangeno4/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x90cm/digitalc-typeprintonkodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibitingperspex/mountedondibond/ editionof25/
orangeno8/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x90cm/digitalc-typeprintonkodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibitingperspex/mountedondibond/ editionof25/
orangeno5/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x90cm/digitalc-typeprintonkodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibitingperspex/mountedondibond/ editionof25/
orangeno11/ richardgregory/2008/ 120x120cm/digitalc-typeprint onkodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibiting perspex/mountedondibond/ editionof15/
orangeno3/ orangeno2a/ orangeno2b/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x60cm/digitalc-typeprinton kodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibiting perspex/mountedondibond/ editionsof25/
orangeno6/ orangeno7/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x60cm/digitalc-typeprinton kodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibiting perspex/mountedondibond/ editionsof25/
orangeno9/ richardgregory/2007/ 120x60cm/digitalc-typeprinton kodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibiting perspex/mountedondibond/ editionof15/
pomegranatetriptychno1/ pomegranateno2a/ pomegranateno3/ pomegranateno2b/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x60cm/digitalc-typeprinton kodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibiting perspex/mountedondibond/ editionsof25/
pomegranateno1/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x60cm/digitalc-typeprinton kodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibiting perspex/mountedondibond/ editionof25/
grapefruitno1/ bananano1/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x60cm/digitalc-typeprinton kodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibiting perspex/mountedondibond/ editionsof25/
bananano2a/ richardgregory/2007/ 90x135cm/digitalc-typeprinton kodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibiting perspex/mountedondibond/ editionof15/
barkno1/ richardgregory/2006/ 120x60cm/digitalc-typeprinton kodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibiting perspex/mountedondibond/ editionof15/
snakeno1/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x60cm/digitalc-typeprinton kodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibiting perspex/mountedondibond/ editionof25/
paperscissorsstonetriptychno1/ paperno2/ scissorsno1/ stoneno2/ richardgregory/2006/ 60x90cm/digitalc-typeprinton kodakenduraarchivalpaper/ reversebondedtouv-inhibiting perspex/mountedondibond/ editionsof25/
Groupexhibitions
2006July
Evolverprizeshortlist
SherborneHouse;AtriumGallery, ArtsInstitute,Bournemouth
2006December
InspiredArtFair:Prelude Spitalfields,London
2007August
ArtintheGarden
TheEngineRoom,Poundbury, Dorset
2008July
InspiredArtFair:Prelude Spitalfields,London
Soloexhibition
2008September
SecondSkin
TheSmithfieldGallery,London
1972-76 EpsomSchoolofArtandDesign CommunicationDesign
1976-1991
Careerinadvertisingandgraphic designincludessevenyearsasArt DirectoratOgilvyPrimaryContact andfiveyearsasJointCreative DirectoratBMPMarketing Solutions,London 1992
Independentdesignpracticein Godalming,Surrey 1999
MovetoDorset–continuestorun designpractice.Beginstodevelop personalprojects 2000-2001
Abstractpaintingsanddrawings fromlandscapethemes;drawings usingPolaroid,digitaldrawings 2002
ParticipatesinJohnSkinner’s paintingworkshop‘ArtisaDifficult Business’,StudyGallery,Poole
2002-5
Experimentsindigitalimage-making; refinementofaphotographic processbasedonimagecapture throughflat-bedscanning, composingfrommultipleexposures tomakevivid,super-realimages
2006-7
‘
SkinandOtherSurfaces’–photographscreatedusingthe flat-bedscanningprocess;further workonPolaroid-baseddrawings
Acknowledgements
Forcontributionsofencouragement,sustenance,critique, love,sponsorship,leg-work,skillandtechnicalsupport, thefollowinghavemythanksandappreciation:
PeterAshley,CorinneFleming,AgnesGregory,Jane Gregory,OliviaGregory,MikeandAnneGregory,Linand DebbieGregory,RogerHamilton,MarkHill,AlanKluckow, VenetiaLangattheSmithfieldGallery,RobertoLucchesi, RogerNewnes-Smith,MaryandMichaelO’Sullivan,John Skinner,KlairBirdandtheteamatSpectrum,Marc Stephenson,KeturaWarren,JoanneWebster,Julienne Webster,KitWebster.
AndCarlyleMervynGregory, 1913-2006
Published2008 tocoincidewith secondskin atTheSmithfieldGallery, London,September2008
DesignbyRichardGregory Textandimages©2008RichardGregory
ParkLanePressprintedthiscataloguebywaterlesslithousing vegetable-basedinks.
PaperisThink4WhitebyHowardSmithPaper–50%recycled post-consumerfibre,100%ECFpulp,FSCcertifiedandtotally recyclable.
TextissetinBertholdAkzidenzGrotesk. Allrightsreserved.
Withoutlimitingtherightsundercopyrightreservedabove,no partofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinor introducedintoaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformor byanymeans(electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording orotherwise),withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthe copyrightowner.
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