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Clyde & Co: Spring 2010 | ||
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Hockney has said “I paint what I want, where I want, when I want” and that is my approach now –
Every painting I do is experimental, and as with all experiments, they sometimes fail. That’s fine. I love to push my boundaries and I consider each ‘failure’ to be a step forwards. If there is no challenge, there is no worthwhile result. Recently I have been experimenting with shapes – pushing and massaging them until they say what I want – Loudly! The Power of the Line is also in my sights – I am intrigued by how such a simple mark can create such a response. Judy Coleman N.D.D. studied Painting and Lithography at Nottingham College of Art. Her painterly inspiration came from living in the Counties of Rutland and Northamptonshire, followed by the fells of Cumbria where she lived for twenty-two years. Now moved South, she paints the Surrey Landscape. Freely applied acrylic paint, revealing pattern and perspective are the essence of her painting. Her work continues to explore the mood and contours of landscapes evolving towards the more abstract nature of the Surrey scene. Judy has been a frequent prize-winner at Open Exhibitions in Northamptonshire and Cumbria. In Cumbria her paintings sold in many galleries and she was an elected member of the prestigious ‘Lake Artists Society’. In Surrey she became a full member of Guildford Art Society and was selected to show at the Yvonne Arnaud Art Exhibition in July 2009. Her painting ‘The River Wey, October, Guildford’ was chosen to represent October in the Guildford Calendar competition in 2008. Allison is fascinated by the fleeting effects of light and by reflections on water, and she strives to capture these images in her paintings. She works predominantly in pastel, but also uses watercolour and oils. She travels regularly, using trips abroad for inspiration and reference gathering in the form of photographs and sketches. She particularly enjoys architectural and marine subjects and the challenges and excitement of ‘en plein air’ painting. Born and educated in South Africa, Allison started painting when her family moved to Surrey in 1997. She has attended many painting courses and workshops over the years, including regular life drawing classes. She is a member of Farnham and Guildford Art Societies where she exhibits her work. She has won a number of awards for her paintings at the Guildford Art Society Annual exhibitions, including Best on Show in 2009. From 2005 to 2007 she was Chairman of Guildford Art Society. In July 2009 she was invited by Guildford Arts to exhibit at the Yvonne Arnaud Mill Studio.
I work directly from the subject whenever possible. The main reason for this is that I like to view at first hand the subject and surrounding conditions, whatever the level of detail I am able to depict there and then. I try to convey something of a scene that the viewer may also latch on to, even though I will rarely know at the time what that something might be. It could be recognition of a location by the viewer - so memory can play a part - or colours that they like. Through a combination of composition, draughtmanship and colour I offer an impression that viewers may go on to complete in different ways. Currently I am devoting more time to painting and drawing and have a studio space at Wimbledon Art Studios in south-west London. I will always paint in watercolour but in the last year or so I have started to use thicker paint again. For the moment this is acrylic rather than oil as it is more practical to use on location.
My work is currently concerned with the concept of observing the observer, looking at people looking and how they view; be it a casual glance or a scrutinizing look. My main area of source material at present comes from photography and movie stills, photographs of sports fans, photographers and editors are all key to informing my practice. The movie stills from which I painted were chosen for the narrative of the image in relation to my current concept (observing the observer). My paintings are sometimes quite ambiguous in comparison to the original photographs I have used, of which are usually black and white. If I have a colour photograph I will often photocopy the image in order to have a poor quality grainy image to work from. Artists currently informing my practice include, Velasquez, Manet, Gerhard Richter, Luc Tuymans, and Jeff Wall.
“I have grown up in Hampshire, always enjoying drawing and painting the landscapes and livestock on my doorstep. The collection of fruit and vegetable canvases began from some spare time and a kitchen draw full of oranges, lemons and limes! I have subsequently spent quite some time contemplating the artistic potential of vegetables. Currently I am at Bristol University, studying Veterinary Science, and painting whenever I get the chance.” Brenda’s inspiration is drawn from the beauty of the natural world and she enjoys responding to the different interpretations and media that the enormous diversity of the subject demands. Shapes and forms, patterns, textures and colours never fail to intrigue her, inviting a detailed close-up painting or a bold abstract statement, each one with its own voice suggesting the direction the work will take. Her flower paintings develop their personality through the free use of watercolour. Having studied the arts of China and Japan and spent time in both countries, Brenda finds her eye being drawn particularly to the characteristics of rocks and stones, trees and water for both her paintings and printmaking: on the pathway through nature there is something to excite at every turn. The flint series results from close observation of the stones in the exterior walls of Holy Trinity Church, Bosham, West Sussex, with the paintings abstract watercolour design surrounded by texture. Brenda is a member of the Society of Floral Painters; she has exhibited with SWA in London, and in Guildford and Farnham. Creating a painting is half what is seen and understood and half what is in the artist’s imagination. As the poet does with his or her ‘act opf creation’. The fact’s are there. It is how one brings them to life that matters. Life’s experience, mood and state of mind all play a part in that act of creation. One cannot deny that the ‘free spirit’ brings a touch of other worldliness to painting. That is the magic. My ambition is for these pots to become a part of daily life, and so lend it a little grace. They create a sense of ceremony in the simple act of serving food or drink. I want to make the everyday things we do enjoyable. The pots appeal through their quiet presence, which grows through use and familiarity. I seek a balance between shape, decoration and glaze, placing emphasis on perfect function. My focus is on exploring oriental shapes and motifs, using sprig decoration to tell stories. The sprig forms a focal point for the viewer, as well as being a means to share an experience that moved me. My pots are wheel-thrown and assembled. I use fine-grained white clay, for its smooth texture and quiet colour. I glaze the pots in soft colours, with subtle shading, to allow the shapes to speak out. I fire to stoneware temperature in an electric kiln. I am a self-taught potter. I learned to throw while I was at university. I moved to Scotland, where I joined the Scottish Potters Association and helped to found an artists’ cooperative. I then gave up ceramics for ten years. Over the last six years I have returned to ceramics, and developed my own language of form and decoration. I now produce a range of domestic objects for regular sales, at the same time exploring larger forms. I exhibit at selected galleries, specialist craft and ceramics shows, and in Wimbledon Art Studios Open Studios events. My pots have been featured in Ceramic Review, The Evening Standard, and Good Housekeeping magazines.
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